Getting with the new decade.... sort of.... site updates

Post by jj » Wed Nov 17, 2010 10:31 am

Just wanted to drop a heads up:

In an effort to make Mike's life less miserable when it comes to site updates (WHAT?!? There's more to this site than just a messageboard?), we're getting to roll out UMASSHoops.com V2011. The board will remain the same old trusty version that we've all come to be proficient at, but the website itself is being upgraded to a wiki-based format. That's in beta format right now while we do some testing on it, but there will come a time in the next couple of weeks when you surf to umasshoops.com and it looks completely different than the norm. We're not migrating usernames and passwords over to the wiki, so, if you're a wiki geek and are hell-bent to contribute, you can sign up over there using your existing username. It'll give you a temporary password which you'll be able to edit to your existing one after registering. As with virtually all wikis, you don't need to register in order to simply read/view it.

This also gives me a chance to remind everyone to think about tossing Mike a donation. I know that the economy is still brutal, but he still pays for this thing out of pocket, and I still take a pretty decent hit providing the server space and bandwidth that makes this site as fast and reliable as it it. Donation link is here: http://umasshoops.com/paypal_donate.htm

jj

InnervisionsUMASS · Post by **InnervisionsUMASS** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 10:53 am

Given some of the crap and misinformation that people tend to spew on here (and given some of the creative screen names on the chat...), do we think this is a good idea to give people the power/opportunity to change the site?

I guess I'm not overly keen on seeing "IVSucksDick" or "IdiotVisions" on the main page in the headline every day when I come to the site because someone has an axe to grind, nor do I think you and Mike are going to be happy having to moderate that type of stuff on potentially a daily basis.

Post by jj » Wed Nov 17, 2010 11:01 am

We're taking it for granted that people won't act like shitheads on it. They'll be quickly dusted if that happens. We'll obviously have to enact stronger permissions if the worst case scenario occurs.

I'd encourage you to look beyond the scope of people flaming you though, IV. The idea with the wiki is that it's infinitely easier for Mike to update everything that he normally does. The guy busts his balls coding html for game reports, etc, and that time has passed.

InnervisionsUMASS · Post by **InnervisionsUMASS** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 11:31 am

Wasn't just thinking about me... plenty of people here have an axe to grind with other board members, certain players, current coaches or past players/coaches. I understand how easy it will be on your end of things, but I also see it being abused, to an extent.

Hopefully some folk can act like grownups with this change.

shovelhd · Post by **shovelhd** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 11:54 am

jj,

If you need beta testers and/or want to do a soft rollout, let me know. I'll make time.

Post by jj » Wed Nov 17, 2010 12:10 pm

Appreciate that, IV. We've put a lot of thought into this, and it's extremely scalable. Should anyone act like a tool, it just won't be open for user-contributions. It's that easy. It's also extremely robust as far as data tracking. We'll know who is doing what, and anonymity isn't possible. If someone makes a malicious change, they get dusted, and they'll get dusted off the board here as well. We can also track users signing into the wiki under a different name than what they use on the board, so all angles have been thought of. Believe me, nobody is more of a bastard than I am when it comes to tracking down idiots online.

We're confident that it will be a great asset not only to Mike, but also the community.

Shovelhd- thanks man- I'll keep you in the loop.

jj

BullmooseGEO · Post by **BullmooseGEO** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 1:13 pm

jj,

Just curious, are you guys thinking of upgrading the board software to newer version of phpBB? Seems like you've been using an older version for a while...

Post by jj » Wed Nov 17, 2010 1:20 pm

That is on the horizon, although we routinely apply security fixes to this one. It's pretty well hacked/modded as far as versions go.

Floyd · Post by **Floyd** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 4:07 pm

Being a computer moron, I have no idea what this means jj. Do we have to reregister and pick new usernames to get on the board?

Post by jj » Wed Nov 17, 2010 4:18 pm

Not at all, Floyd. The board will continue to operate as it has. The rest of Mike's site (schedules, game updates, etc) will all transition to a different format. Go to www.wikipedia.com , and it will look something like that.

Floyd · Post by **Floyd** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 4:22 pm

Cool. Thanks jj. Does throwing a bone to that UMasshoops link help you out as well or is that just for Mike? I think you should also have one if it doesn't

Post by jj » Wed Nov 17, 2010 4:25 pm

Man, I'll be honest- I'd rather see Mike's costs defrayed first and then whatever else happens is gravy. That link goes directly to him.

Rocks22 · Post by **Rocks22** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 10:46 pm

InnervisionsUMASS wrote:Wasn't just thinking about me... plenty of people here have an axe to grind with other board members, certain players, current coaches or past players/coaches. I understand how easy it will be on your end of things, but I also see it being abused, to an extent.

You forgot to mention the fact that the Alumni Association may or may not be evil incarnate.

InnervisionsUMASS · Post by **InnervisionsUMASS** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 11:21 pm

^

That is true. You might end up seeing the site being called UMASSAMHERSTHOOPS.com.

Do we really want that?!?!?!

Post by **MikeUMA** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 12:37 am

Hi kids. JJ has done a yeoman's work getting my idea's framework built, and I have begun tonight in making some skeleton pages. They are still living in "development" mode at this time.

I think the next step is recruiting people who are interested in putting content into the site. The requirements:
1. You're going to add content in good faith. Don't bother signing up if you're going to be juvenile.
2. Wiki experience preferred. If you've edited pages on Wikipedia or any other Wiki site, that's you.
3. Basic understanding of computer code. The Wiki engine makes it very easy, but it's still technology. Technophobes should probably stay on the sidelines.
4. Attention to detail. I'm a control freak and I don't like things looking sloppy.

If you're interested in helping make this site all it can and should be, I'd love to have your help. Please <a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Wiki editor">e-mail me</a> and let me know.

Thanks!

PS. Editors will a screen name just like you need here on the board. Using the same name is preferred, but not absolutely required.