WSF2008 Site Specifications

Latest revision:
[[WSF2008 Site Specifications v4]]

Wsf2008.net
site specs
v. 0.3
Sept.19, 2007

CONTENT

[Note: "Module" below does not refer to a module in the Drupal sense, but is used to desgnate a set of functionality for a specific purpose.]

1. The event multimedia site
2. [Terminology]
3. General functional modules
5. Steps for working
6. INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT 2008 MOBILIZATION WEEK
7. Status on Activity registration development for 2008 global mobilization
8. Comment on preparation of this activity
9. Mid term view
10. After 2008 What will happen ? what are the needs to meet?
11. From Berlin to signatures
12. ABOUT SIGNATURE MODULE from simple site to wsf2008 module

NOTE

This document is the result of several notes and discussions and has been assembled in order to give an idea of what the wsf2008 website should look like and do.

Due to time constraints, the editing of the document has been limited and repetions may occur.

The World Social Forum has a general “official” website (www.forumsocialmundial.org.br), many “event” sites (eg. www.wsfindia.org) and a “process” site (www.wsfprocess.net), where individuals and organisations register their activities.

In 2008, due to the “virtual” nature of the “event” on January 26, the event site will have to represent mobilisations all over the world. It will serve both to build the mobilisation/event and to “broadcast” it to a wide audience.

Please refer to the powerpoint for an idea of the home page and “local” pages aspects.

Jason -dot- nardi -at- gmail -dot- com

pierregrg -at- gmail -dot- com

The “event” multimedial site (from the communication plan):

The following is a first description of what should go into the website, mainly in terms of multimedia content and with the idea of building a platform that will allow to show actions and events as they unfold during the global day of action.

The wsf2008 website must contain the following structure:

The main page

• A world map, divided into time zones and having a different active time zone throughout the day
  - A video window, in order to display images of events just as they are unfolding throughout the day

  • The image of a radio, to to stream audio contents referring to events in different parts of the world

  • A photo gallery of events

  • A tagging section to web 2.0 content

  • Multilingual text (translation to a minimum of 10 languages)

    This main page will also enable the linking of all websites specific to the campaigns, events, WSF locales, as well as any existing WSF websites (drop down or other form).

The cycle of time zones

During the event, each country/initiative must begin sending their audio/video contribution at 12pm local time. The start time of the local broadcast can be 2pm in each time zone. We could start at New Zealand and the Tonga Islands, and go forwards around the globe, following the meridians.

Therefore, the contents that each informant (country, location) should send is:

• Text (in the local language + English + Spanish)
• 1 minute video
• Photos
• Audio/radio (streaming, without the need for downloading)
• Tags/links to other multimedia content

The organizational partitioning of the page will facilitate the selection of the country that visitors would like to see. For example, in the Central European Time Zone (CET) which covers all the African countries, there will be a list from which the visitor may choose the country on which he would like to have information.

As time goes by on the 26th of January, people will be able to have an idea of what is happening in different parts of the world. By starting the broadcasts at 2pm in each country, local groups will have sufficient time to produce the first contents of the day. It is important to avoid gaps in the broadcast. With the interactive map and the selection of a country, we can be sure that the corresponding window on the main page will always have an active video, giving the impression of a sequential unfolding of events. A technical coordinating group must edit and ensure the continuity of the video broadcast. In any case, a collection of archive material from as many countries as possible must be set up in prior months.

For audio/radio material, the best solution, if possible, would be to tune in throughout the entire day to each country by clicking on the radio dial on the main page, or by choosing from the list of countries.

The page for each country

From the main page, it will be possible to go directly to countries in the same time zone clicking on the map or through a dropdown list.. Within each country page there will be:

• news texts
• the photo section
• the video section
• the audio/radio section
• the blog(s)
• links to all the organizations, movements and campaigns of each country

These multimedia documents will be uploaded directly by local groups. If possible, some translation to English and Spanish should be done. The technical coordinating team will supervise the material and help in uploading high-quality videos for the broadcast. An interesting experiment could be - for those initiatives which permit it, to have webcams and/or phonecams sending video stream directly to a server for broadcast.

General functional modules

The website should allow people to do the following:

1) Sign the Global call for action and comment

2) Find groups/organisations... [on the map and by activity/theme]

3) Create or join a group... [local pages + mailing list + groups]

4) Declare an action/activity and connect to others if desired (eg. Demonstration in France and in Argentina).

5) Add content and geographically map activity

6) Lookup events/activities on the map at local / regional / world levels

Or in other words, have the following modules:

1. Signature comment module (considered as entry point)
2. Local 2008 common pages module (nodes) – with “self-editing” section for people to add content easily
3. Action/Activity and Connection module - where each declared activity is given a light editing space with a collective password (i.e. shareable between various people if they want) to upload text, photos and “one minute video”
4. Map module (georeferencing and mapping the activity)
5. Multimedia archive module (to store video, audio)

General option: waiting for the activity module to be on – wsfprocess.net is able to feed the site database – but is not a required entry point

Home page

As the entry point, the home page must have much information but also be easy to read.

The LANGUAGES will all be accessible from the home page.

A world map will be central, with the global number of activities updated directly on it (from the database of activities). It will be possible to navigate or be redirected to the local pages.

News, upcoming events, and some multimedia content will be present on the right side.

Signing the call is the first action. From the home page, visitors can easily propose an activity/action or join another group.

A media section is also linked, where a virtual media center will be available.

[...]

Local pages (nodes)

1 – Local 2008 pages (top of the chart above)

Each time someone signs the Call for global action with a new city or new country, they have the option of generating a new 2008 space (node) where information can be edited.

It would be good if the city and country would be clickable in the signature module (at least the “group by city”) group by country view which does not lead to many links (leading to the corresponding local space)

These local 2008 pages are truly common spaces independently of group forming for activities and initiatives

2 - Login wsf2008.net

People need to have a log in to edit their “signature” ( where they give optionally a name or organisation , a name of network, a link to a collaborative space)

Suggestion: it would be good that only people having signed the call would be able to edit the pages

This means people log in the site to edit on that page

3– Mailing list associated to each local page (right of the chart)

Also the list could automatically register people that signed in a city or a country

4- Editing rights (structure of contents – inside a 2008 local page)

Who is able to edit the specific fields “news” and “photos” on each local 2008 page ?
Every one registering in the mailing list linked to that page.
No one is “owning” this page: it is not “first in is owning the space” - nobody can have priorities in the space of a local city page or country page (nodes)

5 - Relationship of local pages to group forming and activities

Groups (in a collaborative spaces) and activity pages (in wsf2008.net) are accessible through links edited by participants in the page - a netiquette rule is that no one should erase the links that others put.

6 - News pages – articles from the cms and rss feeds

7 - Space for personal testimony in each page

Maybe another useful function would be to allow people accessing a local page to post in a testimony space associated to each page ( short text one photo and one link)
this would allow not to “load” the local pages

8 - Counting

The number of people having signed in a country, of people registered on the list , the number of pages edited, the number of testimonies, the number of activities declared in that city or country , the number of organisation or network present through signers, the number of testimonies - should be visible in the layout of each local page. People can then see through the map (where activities are geographically localized) and from the summary numbers how the mobilisations are doing.

9 - Search

The search form should have an option this city / this country and general search

Summing up and Timing

A. The signature module where individual/collective energies towards the mobilization get visible

There is probably an underestimation of the potential of such site in linking the individual level and the collective level

B. The website allowing to declare activities should be ready at the end of September. At that stage, we should also have the revised www.wsfprocess.net allowing to connect activities and search among the existing organisations/groups.

C. The next steps – building the different levels of mapping, etc – should be released in the following weeks; them the “connection” among actions/activities.

D. The networking sites, where groups take shape and build their capacity to act – these are the back office

(wsfprocess.net is current a working process site, other will appear such as virtual social forum, others can be used for networking even if they are not closely associated to wsfprocess, such as idealist .org for instance)

E. The simple display “front” site. Results of this back office work in B are shown – list of “front” groups, list of “front” activities ( some with a back office version private or public more elaborate, list of “front” connection between “front” activities (hopefully with: map, one minute video for each “front” activity and links to many other sites and also account for some buzz around the media impact of this site (front “testimonies”)

Scenarios of practice

Steps	Viewed by active participant locally	Module involved and action	comment
1-sign	I sign with mention of my organisation in wsf2008.net /signature	Signature module – the person gets an account	A way to give importance of the mobilization and show local involvement of big organisations
2-find	I look for other people in my city (many ways) in wsf2008.net	Local page module The person can edit in the page of her city	in wsf2008.net /signature help to find people in my city in A site
3-gather	We have a place to work	Group modules ( netwokring site) – the person gets into a group	A need for accountability of the group - networking sites
4-declare	We declare our activity	Activity module The person declare through interfaced netwokring site or directly the full activity – it mentions the local page where the activity was decided	Can be in one networking site or in wsf2008/activity C site (C is the long term scenario to account for diversity in B sites – should be complemented by 1 3 actions
5-connect	We connect our activity (in wsf2008/activity or in wsfporcess)	Activity module ( the person declares the connection)	We connect our activity (in B or C)
6 -show		It receives a space in front activity with a collective password sent to the group if interfaced with networking site- ( a mailng list can gather people interested in an activity )	Activity must to be visible on the map
7- MAP		Automatically data is mapped in map module	Activity must to be visible on the map
8- testify		The person can post a testimony on a front activity ( in which case it will be part of the activity list ?)	Activity must to be visible on the map

Note:

3 and 4 can be done in many order is the B and C sites are independent (front activity declaration is independent from group existence and networking site activity declaration)

For new people stimulated through hearsay internet link or their organisation in a top down mode : 1 2 3 4 5 6

For people already grouped locally someone take care of 4 but they are invited also to 1 sign to show their presence , 3 formalize the group to make it inclusive and accountable - 5 find and develope connections, 6 -edit media contents 4 (3) (1)(5) (6)

Point 6 (front content) or 5 (front connection) suppose 4 (front declaration)

F.A.Q. on 2008 WSF websites

A - Where to find information about 2008 ? what is happening

In www.wsf2008.net site

B- What to do?

1 - SIGN THE CALL TO SHOW YOUR WILLINGNESS TO BE ACTIVE IN 2008

• Currently as participants to wsf process you are heartily invited to SIGN the call for 2008 mobilization week in wsf2008.net site
• By signing you express that you are willing to be active ,and willing to co organize and initiative or participate in something organized by others
• You give your name – organisation (if any) - network (if any) - city/place where you will be active on occasion of 2008 -
• You give also a direction where to join you ( a collective mailing list, a group address in a collaborative site) (later you will be able to come back and edit/update this data)
• Stimulate your friends and fellows from your organisation or network to sign the call !
• Then see the signatures ordered by collective presence of organisations or networks here
• or look for your organisation by alphabetical order here

2 - FIND OTHER GROUPS FOR A COMMON LOCAL INITIATIVE around January 26th 2008

• You can search then other people willing to organize something with you on that occasion, some of them might in the city ( see here the signatures ordered by city ) ( soon available)
• The initiative can be a very modest meeting, or an "event " with several activities in a row or even in parallel .
• You can visit examples of groups holding activities here

3 - START A GROUP TO PREPARE YOUR LOCAL INITIATIVE

You can go to any friendly places such as:

- In wsfprocess.net: if you are logged in the site, and affiliated to some organisation, you can create a group now, otherwise, see how to do this below

or

- in www.riseup.net ( for making simple open mailing lists)

- in www.idealist.org ( for making groups locally)

- other places that you will indicate here

* Contact the helpdesk group

* Do not omit to indicate where to join your initiative group when signing the wsf2008.net site so that new people can find you and propose to join


4 - DECLARE YOUR ACTIVITY (S) /INITIATIVE(S)

• If you have created your group in wsfprocess.net you are invited to describe your projected activity for 2008 in wsprocess.net - it will be visible to all wsfprocess.net user and can also be visible in the public internet
• See how to this below in §C - description - aims - outcomes - logistical details with photos and audio excerpts
• Activities/ initiatives can be ranging from small symbolic action , to workshops, to big demonstrations, to clusters of several activities in a row or in parallel )
• You can visit examples of such clusters of activities here:

initiative group in city1 - grupo de iniciativa en ciudad2 - groupe d'initiative dans ville3

5 - CONNECT WITH OTHERS ACTIVITIES

• One of the main aspects of this 2008 global mobilization is international solidarity between people, that is what connecting is about
• Connection can be made through real time contacts or differed contact, through electronic contacts ( teleconference, chat, mail exchange, video exchange) or face to face ( with people travelling )
• Activity co-organizer are invited to browse activitiies , contact organizers of those and to connect their activities together
• See an example of connection here - there is special field in the activity form to declare your connection

6 - BE YOUR OWN MEDIA IN WSF2008

• Organizers of each activity will be then collectively given an own communication space in the "media " module of wsf2008 where to upload some text , audiofile , photos and "one minute video"

<br /> There you can

- display your light media material corresponding to your activity and

- give link to other media sites where you have upload longer videos for instance - see a list of such alternative media sites here, also use widely known sites ( you tube , dailymotion etc.. to poularize global mobilization

- give link to the networking site where your group is established , and sites<br /><ul style="margin-left:0.25cm;"><li class="P388" style="margin-left:1.5cm;">

All these light media windows will be accessible together during the mobilization week through a WORLD MAP of all activities in wsf2008.net

Also participants to 2008 who cannot be in the preparation of activities, but wish to participate in the last moment will be invited to give personal testimonies directly on wsf2008.net site

Later in October you will be able to

* Register in one shot a 2008 activity complete with its logistical part, where there will fields - which type? which objective? where? when? languages? )

* link an activity that you have already registered, to 2008 global mobilization ( this is done editing its logistical information check the prototype logistical form here<br />

* connect an activity to other existing ones ( this is done in the logistic form), and you are also invited to edit link between the activity page and its connected activity page see example here

Where to find contacts for connecting activities ?

The fact that activities are connected means some kind of exchange and cooperation will take place between the two. CONNECTING your activity with another one: this is done by editing a link (see here how to edit links ) to the other activity in the main description fied of the activity

By giving link to each other activity URL (internet adress) - people can navigate from one activity to another, also the connection. If you become a participant, then you can look in the "participant" tab to have a diary , or look in the profile page to see which organisatons are present

List of proposals of action of wsf2007 4th day - with emails of promoters

The activity form

Here below is the proposed version of activity forms for 2008 which is integrated in wsfprocess. How to integrate it with the registration on the wsf2008 site?

The list of fields called “front activity description” below is a proposal list of what would be visible in the “front” site [an option is that the fields would be updated through web services from wsfrpocess.net to wsf2008.net ]

The front description would be accessed by a collective log in /password (issue to be handled by the group) and would be able to display a text, with some links a few photos and a one minute video.

Then comes the activity form as it would appear in wsfprocess site main section (available now) and logistic form (being developed)

List of items visible in Front activity description

This frame comes from wsfprocess.net, with certain items edited in the wsf2008.net site (see right column)
[fields indicate with a * are not in the sketch site form circulated by Alessandra

Name/title of the action / activity*		Coming from logistic section activity section
Short description - Please, furnish more details on this action / activity		Coming from “short description” in logisitic section
Name of the group organizing the action activity -	*	Derived from the entity hosting the activity
Link to the group networking space in wsfprocess	*	Derived from the entity hosting the activity
Link to other group networking space	*	Edited in the wsf2008.net with collective password
Kind of action / activity (dropdownlist)		Coming from logistic section
If other kind of action / activity, please describe ( up to 100 characters):		Coming from logistic section
Country in which the action / activity will take place		Coming from logistic section
City in which the action / activity will take place, ( up to 150 characters):*		Coming from logistic section
Address of the action / activity (or meeting point):*		Coming from logistic section
Day and time (starting time)* Day Month Hours minutes		Coming from logistic section
Area / issue (s) / broad field of the action / activity (drop down list)		Coming from logistic section
Objective of the action ( 9 main objectives)	*	Coming from logistic section
Where to get more information about this activity in wsfprocess net?	*	Coming from general section
Where to get more information about this activity elsewhere (can be a website, a email or phone contact, an address etc. )		Edited in the wsf2008.net with collective password
Willing to connect to more activities ?	*	Coming from logistic section
Existing Connections to other activities	*	Coming from logistic section
Description text with capacity to edit links	*	Edited in the wsf2008.net with collective password
5 photos uploaded	*	Edited in the wsf2008.net with collective password
One minute video	*	Edited in the wsf2008.net with collective password-
Map geolocation ( hidden)	*	??

Mid term view: after Jan 2008, what will happen?
What are the needs to meet?

Two basic needs should be addressed:

Networking

Progressively more intensive use of networking site will develop in the social forum community which is today using basically email. Tools in the collaborative sites can range from simple mailing list, to planning, task management, chat facilities.

Several networking sites are/will be soon available as of now, whether created for social forum (wsfprocess/wsfprocess2) or adapted for it (kune/virtual social forum) or created by other groups in a somehow like minded approach (idealist.org, riseup.net, dgrousp.org, openplans.org, etc.. )

Local networking, or international thematical networking can be done in a variety of sites ( and this will be the case for 2008 mobilization).

Global connections and networking between groups present in two different sites, is more difficult and it entails duplicating some work.

Networking activity will lead people to registering their organization in several networking sites each having some focus initiative group where people from the organization will be involved

So “wsfprocess2” will be one among other possible networking sites.

Also it will try to meet another important need ( as it has also done in its first version) which cannot be underestimated : Be a hub “catalog /program/ media site” helping organisation of “events” and developing collective conscience and memory in the social forum community/process

Global mapping: event program and displaying of social forum community

A catalog site should have a search engine that would generate and update a global diary of organizations, and groups “located” in various networking sites. which declare themselves participants to social forum process.

It would give summary info and link to the original sites, and allow global searches in a summarized database

A program site would have an adaptable activity registration module, an event program displayer, an event logistical interface module - it would be usable by “event organizing committees” that would have an “event site” giving information and handling final logistics – this has been the case for wsf2007

A media section would add to the catalog a space for each organization (with a simple password) to upload light contents about itself, or about its activities during an event and links to contents loaded in powerful sites ( video display etc) this site would not be for the media specifically it would mostly be a place where all organization can be their own media ( with help of alternate media - and it would create a visibility for the social forum process

This hub site should interface as intelligently and automatically as possible with all kinds of networking sites, - one issue being accessibility of data in those sites in order to create the diary and program out of several sources. In some case a specific interface could be implemented

Again there can be various such hub sites, but the need for hub sites conveying social forum identity is there, whereas the idea of a “single networking site” will be increasingly unrealistic given the high level of quality of various networking sites