This is a definite point for a "public / usable" project. We aren't at that
stage, so there is actually something to be said for not drowning in
inquiries from stampedes of interested onlookers. Maintaining a low profile,
until you're ready, has a few advantages.
:-)
Cheers,
-g
On Thu, Feb 22, 2001 at 12:04:52PM -0500, Deven T. Corzine wrote:
>
> On 22 Feb 2001 Kevin Pilch-Bisson wrote:
>
> > In light of some of the comments given on page talking about subversion,
> > I would like to make a suggestion regarding the subversion website. I
> > think it would be good to move the status section closer to the top of
> > the page, and try to update it at least once a week. I think that there
> > are a lot of people watching the subversion pages, without being on the
> > mailing lists, and it would be nice to give them frequent accurate
> > status updates.
> >
> > What do you all think?
>
> I think this is a VERY good idea. In fact, I think it's a big mistake that
> many projects make, leaving users with a casual interest no way to easily
> find news tidbits and status information. For example, this was a problem
> with the Mozilla project for a long time -- the active developers knew that
> the project was VERY busy, but if you weren't on the mailing lists or IRC
> (especially IRC!), you were relying on the website for information and it
> looked like the project was languishing when it was in fact very active.
>
> Having a weekly status report (news, task status, bug & fixes, etc.) can
> really help a lot. Summarizing significant threads from the mailing list
> (a la kernel-traffic) is also valuable for people without time to track the
> mailing lists personally. Having this information appear on a near-daily
> basis is ideal, but weekly is probably sufficient.
>
> Allowing the website to remain static for week after week is best avoided;
> it conveys an impression of stagnation and inactivity, and discourages
> people from returning often and maintaining an active level of interest in
> the project. If there's usually something new and interesting on the site
> (ideally daily, but at least weekly), it will encourage people to make it a
> habit to visit the site, which will keep the project more at the forefront
> of their minds and make it more likely they'll make the extra effort of
> actually contributing in some fashion. It lowers the barrier to entry,
> which is good for everyone...
>
> But hey, this is just my opinion. I'm new here, ignore me. :-)
>
> Deven
--
Greg Stein, http://www.lyra.org/
Received on Sat Oct 21 14:36:23 2006