The Web call on Thursday, December 1, 2005, was attended by Crispin Stutzman (PPRC), Peter Johnsen and Danielle Cook (WRPPN), Denzil Smith, Thomas Vinson-Peng (Zerowaste), Tyler Rubach (GLRPPR), Terry Huss, Curt McCracken (WRRC), Nate Bisbee and Andy Bray (NEWMOA), Prabin Kanel and Jean Waters (P2Rx).

Action Items:

• NEWMOA and PPRC – install “first step” program directory update (Prabin sent Nov 17)
• Prabin begin working on centralizing the Program Directory
• NEWMOA help Prabin work through relationships between program directory and every center’s applications
• Have Ellen offer a graphic link for the national program directory
• GLRPPR will be the redundant server for the program directory
• Nate – try to help Prabin offer redirect in case P2Rx server is down
• Prabin – move program directory to SQL server, change the ID to reflect the home region, include all programs or organizations as a browseable option
• Prabin test the directory on GLRPPR’s site
• Jean follow up with Ron Still at WRRC on web trend data for Topic Hub subsections
• Nate show the group a different display for Topic Hubs

Jean reviewed the NAGS (nominally aggressive goading) with the group.

Have you checked and updated your links?

Have you updated your Topic Hubs?

Have you installed the "first step" program directory update Prabin sent

Nov 17 (two e-mails)?

Center	Updated T. Hubs	Checked Links	Prog. Dir. First Step
NEWMOA	Yes	In process	No
WRRC	Yes	In process	Yes
GLRPPR	Yes	Yes	Yes
Zerowaste	Yes	Yes	Yes
P2RIC	Yes	Yes	Yes
Peaks	Yes	Yes	Yes
WRPPN	Yes	Yes	Yes
PPRC	No	No	no

12:00 roll call and NAGS

12:05 Discuss centralizing databases (we're just going to try and do this

with Program Directory, not Topic Hubs)

12:30 Review web trend by section (take a look at these before the call --

http://www.p2rx.org/webtrend/hubreport.xls

http://www.p2rx.org/webtrend/hubreport1.xls

1:00  Wrap up and adjourn

Jean reported that although we’ve had previous discussions about centralizing the Topic Hubs to a single server, we’ve decided not to do that at this time.  We will centralize Programs Directory, however.  Prabin showed everyone the draft program directory.  The url is www.p2ric.org/programssample  This page pulls data from the central database.  Everyone uses the same information but they display it differently.  All the information is transferred using wddx. We tried to look at the directory as displayed on Zerowaste’s site  www.zerowastenetwork.org/programssample This is not working, Prabin will have to look at it further.  On P2RIC, though Prabin is able to change the region number and see different data display, but it’s not working on Zerowaste’s site.

In order to let external users update their own info, it is easiest to redirect them to P2Rx.  An e-mail verification would still be sent to the “home” center based on the user’s state.  If we craft a page that explains to the user that they’re being redirected (and why), would any center have a problem with that?

Crispin – not an issue for their users

Pete – not a problem, Danielle says OK

James – easier for users

Denzil & Thomas – wonder if it could be done in pop-up window

Tyler – sounds like good idea.  GLRPPR has sent out the info and asked folks to update their info.  NEWMOA does also and gets about 50%

Terry & Curt – thinks it’s a great idea.  Curt says have only had one person use the external edit so far.

Andy & Nate – second window is a good idea, smaller in size. 

 Prabin needs to implement the administrative function for every center on P2Rx.  (So you can change your data directly.) Tyler suggests to just post these pages on P2Rx.  Prabin will give access to the data as a function of the center’s user ID.  Every center will have the same user name and password for all the people at their center.  If someone from that center leaves, the password could be changed.

We will need to fix the code so we maintain the relationship between program directory and WTGFH on the Topic Hubs. Prabin will need some help with this.  NEWMOA volunteered.  GLRPPR and NEWMOA link to individual contacts instead of organizations.  There are only primary contacts in national database.  GLRPPR definitely wants to keep contact associated with sector resources.  The association will have to stay on GLRPPR’s site and the data would reside there, too. 

Topic Hub to programs directory (WTGFH) association data and any other associations that centers want to use will be retained on the center’s sites.  The Program Directory data will reside on the P2Rx server. Programs and contacts are on p2rx.org.  Association between them would stay on the center’s server.  The admin form would have to be changed to make that association.

Do centers want the option to display the national directory or to search it without having the user leave your site?  Otherwise, you could just provide a link to P2Rx national directory.

Curt wants it and Terry will program it.  Crispin not sure but thinks she would link to the Program Directory with a graphic brand.  Pete doesn’t know yet.  Andy might do something like Crispin describes.  Jean will ask Ellen to work on a graphic centers could use.

Who wants to be the redundant server?

Tyler can do this.

How do we redirect in case there's a hurricane in Omaha (or some other reason our server would be down)? Andy thinks we just need a secondary mx record.  We know it can be done but don’t know how so will have to do some research.  Nate may be able to answer it. 

Prabin needs to move everything to SQL server.  He's thinking of consolidating all eight organization tables to one, and so forth. Prabin says that performance should be better on SQL server, and the query will be simpler by combining tables.  Crispin likes the idea

Prabin will handle the ID for program directory like he does for news.  Currently Prabin adds the number of the region (times 1000) to the ID, so he knows which region the news item came from.

Prabin asked for comments on the presentation of the program directory.  Tyler suggested to put the complete list of programs under the “browse by” could list all the programs or at least put a button, browse by program name or list all organizations.  The browse by buttons could be lists right under them. 

Prabin will send the file to Tyler to see how it works on his site.  Andy says the code gets rid of illegal characters so if Zerowaste has an illegal character perhaps that causes an error.  Tyler says to try XML format function to extract the data.

Jean brought up the webtrend data from Topic Hub subsections.  The question is, how will we know a new layout is successful?  Andy says we need to drive more people to the references.  Crispin says it depends on the goal of the user.  Jean suggested that perhaps just more activity on a Topic Hub would define success. Crispin agrees except says increased usage only on the TOC page might indicate that the Topic Hub is confusing.  Andy says that’s no different than looking at the number of clicks because that might mean that they’re not finding what they’re looking for.  Andy says it’s hard to infer too much out of these numbers, Curt agrees. Andy recommends that we make changes based on usability testing.  Crispin wants to know how long people spend overall at the topic hub.  Compare the time spent to the number of clicks, look at the intersection of time spent to number of pages viewed.  Talk to Ron at WRRC for more information.

Nate has been working on a different display that takes people directly to the references page, will have something to show next week.