Kessil

DBTC tracking software update

zepplock

zepplock

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Since all these posts about DBTC started to appear I decided to give an update on the DBTC tracking software project I was working on.

After showing the prototype of the system to BAR in early January I have improved the functionality a lot (especially club moderation, logging, etc).
Currently I'm working on adding charts/reporting and personalization so it'll be coming out an a week or two.
The basic functionality to post a chain, post frags, request frags, deliver frags, frag generation, upload info and pictures is there.
At this point I have several clubs evaluating/using it and I'd like BAR to start using it too.

So I think the best way to start is to have people use it for new chains.
This will generate some feedback I'll work on implementing new features.

At the same time people can work on mining all the info from the forum and importing into the web database (similar to what people were doing last couple of days).
I know BAR appointed a person in January to gather the information on the current chains/frags (not sure what the status on it).

I feel like this is something that needs to be done by us if we want to have a tracking system working.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
 
You can try it out at http://newfrags.com
Make sure you register as the DEMO club. It's like a sandbox, all data is not important and is there for demo purposes only.
 
Is this the one that Erin talking about or she just joking with V.??
http://www.bareefers.org/discussion/index.php?topic=6891.msg89313#msg89313
 
It's possible that Erin does in fact have a database, but it may be in a useable form only as a database (ie; interface is SQL) OR she's pulling my chain.

I'm trying out Vlad's site/system. Even if the database exists and we don't have access to it, it's as good as non-existant.

V
 
Great Vlad. I volunteered my husband to help build something like this, but perhaps he is off the hook for now? LMK if you'd like his help. :)
 
I think that having as many beta-testers as possibly, passing on suggestions will be the best help!

I believe that all the "demo" club corals are test-only, so don't get your hopes up if you see a "Planet Of The Apes Zooanthid - purple, green, red" on there.

V
 
This came up during the BOD meeting.

The question that came up is how is this integrated into the forum? It seems like an external link at the moment...
 
Perhaps there is no need to integrate that into the forum and instead it is a tool to use. Integration may be a simple as loading BAR member forum names into the sites user database and then we simply use it. We can use the forums to announce the presence of a new frag and a link to the chain. So if I started a new chain, I can use the system to add my frag, then as usual, announce the frag in the chain forum with a link to it. Instead of scrolling though the ensuing thread, fraggers can go straight to the chain, and the requests would be nicely organised. Chatter about the frag can still exist on the forum, but actual data tracking can be done in Vlad's site.

V
 
wouldn't it be nice if you could track within a thread in a non cluttered way? :) This way you maintain the casual humor/conversations we have all grown accustomed to while still having a distinct, easy to navigate, integrated tracking? Maybe I'm dreaming...maybe I'm not.
 
[quote author=Ibn link=topic=6926.msg89582#msg89582 date=1237326943]
This came up during the BOD meeting.

The question that came up is how is this integrated into the forum? It seems like an external link at the moment...
[/quote]

The forum interaction still can happen here. I can provide a place where you can put a link back to BAR forum when you start a chain.
I also can provide RSS feed with new frags/chains that can be accessed via RSS reader (like news) or integrated into BAR site.
 
That looks like a separate site with links back and forth to here. I worry about it being a different site because it is a club program, not a program the club uses. I think a big part of what makes DBTC work and how it works for community building (which is equally as important to the fragging) is that its all on one integrated site. If it isn't integrated, people will use it less or it will become like frags.org. Which is fine, it just loses what makes the program actually work the way it has.
 
The test site looks like it deals with the transaction process very cleanly.

I had suggested at the January BOD meeting that an external website approach might be most suitable for interclub exchanges after DBTC becomes more widespread.

For intra-club, I'm looking for something that puts DBTC forum interaction more in the foreground. That is what was meant by "tight integration".

DBTC at its core is a Pay It Forward concept, which is about social and cultural transformation over anything else. Thus the comment about the "Amish Friendship Bread" of reefers.

Is there a way to bring the data collection and tracking in more closely with the forum posting activity?

Amazing work to date, Vlad!
 
Well I'd like to address the forum integration issue.
I think Norm put it really well that the whole program thrives when people interact with each other.
But the reality is that there are a dozen of different forum software and not a single one is perfect.
Choosing the ONE to base the tracking system means refusing to support all of the other ones.

So the approach I took is that I built a tracking system. As you said "it deals with the transaction process very cleanly" - that's what it does best. Now it's up to each club to decide what and how they want to use it in their forums. And that's kind of feedback I'm looking for.

There are several possibilities here, like I mentioned before: lists of new frags/chains can be embedded into forum itself, every new chain on DBTC website can start a new thread in forum, DBTC can generate graphs/statistics that you can embed into user profiles, etc

All those features are work that needs to be done. I'm willing to provide this functionality from the DBTC tracking system point of view but BAR needs to figure out how to embed it into forum/site/etc.
I just don't have time to work on the tracking AND on the forum/site (not to mention the data mining and migration). The point I'm trying to make is that tracking is the highest priority. If BAR commits to using this system I'll try my best to support your efforts to integrate it into this forum, if not I will simply concentrate my coding on supporting clubs that don't see forum integration as top priority.
 
[quote author=Zepplock link=topic=6926.msg89884#msg89884 date=1237392375]All those features are work that needs to be done. I'm willing to provide this functionality from the DBTC tracking system point of view but BAR needs to figure out how to embed it into forum/site/etc.
[/quote]

Much appreciated.

[quote author=Zepplock link=topic=6926.msg89884#msg89884 date=1237392375]I just don't have time to work on the tracking AND on the forum/site (not to mention the data mining and migration). The point I'm trying to make is that tracking is the highest priority. If BAR commits to using this system I'll try my best to support your efforts to integrate it into this forum, if not I will simply concentrate my coding on supporting clubs that don't see forum integration as top priority.[/quote]

Completely understandable. We will need other people to do work on integration. We have people to help with data mining.

Thanks Vlad!
 
Here's a suggestion, the database for BAR DBTC can be shared between the two sites. We can use Vlad's site for the main features, but also, this forum could retrieve data from that database (I'm assuming that the database is a seperate entity, decoupled from the UI) and present a "tree view" or some other graphical representation, that could be the first posting in a DBTC thread.

For instance, if I start a thread on a frag of Vinnie's Hair Algae, I could embed some code in my first posting. That code would provide a graphical view of the chain (it's really more like a tree than a chain) and a button that people can press to jump to Vlad's site (or maybe the button automatically requests a frag for you). Then you have the option of adding banter to the thread, but also always seeing on the first post the current status of the chain OR you can go to Vlad's site and do your chaining there..with all changes being reflected in the forum because you are using a shared database.

Another option is to ask Vlad nicely to give the site a BAR look and feel and then when people are on this site, there is a button or link that jumps to his site (or really, just host the site) and it looks as if you've never left the club site at all.

I agree that the highest priority is to just get the raw data into a useable database.

I also thank Vlad for all his efforts. We all talk about doing it, but he's actually gone and taken the time to come through with something.

Even if BAR doesn't use the site, I'm encouraging us all to use it for non-club specific DBTC to help jump start other clubs into using it and establishing their own DBTC programs! If the club truly stands by the mission statement of furthering the cause of non-destructive coral propagation, then we should support the site even if we don't chose to use it for our own program.

V
 
I can provide a template that will help with data mining. It's basically 3 tables: users, chains and frags. Just have those people PM me or start a separate topic.
 
Added some frags and started some chains.

Is it possible to show a thumbnail of the frag (assumming the person added one) on the list of all chains page?
 
badbread said:
Added some frags and started some chains.

Is it possible to show a thumbnail of the frag (assumming the person added one) on the list of all chains page?
Click to expand...

A small picture if it exists? Yeah it can be done.
 
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