Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

DRAFT
rvuuf.org -- Did You Know? Online Library Catalog
(probably to appear in Jun 2008 newsletter)
DRAFT

How do you find spiritual information and inspiration? Are you interested in reading more RVUUF authors? On a quest for enlightenment?

Due to the dedicated efforts of our Library Committee, "mouse potatoes" need wander no further than a web browser to discover gems in the RVUUF library collection. At the bottom of the main navigation menu (left menu on any page), click Library Catalog.

To find books, pamphlets, DVDs, etc., create a request in the top part of the window -- select a Category from the menu, or type part of a Title or Author, then click the Submit button; for more advanced searches, you can restrict more than one field at once, or you can change the comparison test used. You don't even need to enter a request if you would like to peruse everything.

Your search results appear below the request area, sorted alphabetically by Title, initially; to sort by a different field, click on the Author or Location heading in the results columns; reverse the sort order by clicking on a heading again -- the triangle suffix points up(ascending) or down(descending). If the list of results is long (more than 20, currently), it will be broken up into pages, which you can navigate at the bottom via first, previous, next, last or a page number; you can revise your request to narrow the number of items.

Click on an item to see a few more details -- maybe its Media type, or Publication Year. An item may belong to more than one Category; however, one of these is its Location -- where your fingers will leave your keyboard to tiptoe along a physical shelf. Now, remember to check the item out -- you still need to use the paper notebook, -- enjoy it, and don't forget to return it for others to discover.

If you have feedback or comments about the library in general or library catalog content (typos etc.), Contact Us: Library; if you have suggestions about the query or results format, Contact Us: Web Administrator.

If you notice anything incorrect or out-of-date on our site, or if you have photos, graphics or new information -- or technical skills -- to contribute, please Contact: Web Admin. Additional info under Content and Feedback.

Group/committee leaders: after checking your section under Programs, be sure to read the article about suggested updates.

Aside from a few group submissions, most of the current content you'll find on the Program pages has been carefully cloned from our earlier web site, painstakingly pasted from an old Program Handbook, and generally guessed by your web admin. In other words, much of the info is incomplete, out of date and maybe inaccurate.

Is it time for an extreme makeover, or at least some modest improvements? What information do you think Visitors would like to see? As a Member/Friend, what would you like to know? As group leader, what do you want to communicate to these audiences?

For starters, here are some suggested items that could appear on each group's page(s), along with examples from a few groups:

• Main contact(s), chair or leader; due to privacy concerns, phones, addresses (physical and email) are generally not included on public pages; however, would you like your group to be listed indirectly in the Contact Us form?
• Group members & roles (optional), e.g., Endowment, Board
• Logo or photo, e.g., Humanism; Music; this can also be used to enliven calendar events
• Slideshows, e.g., [embedded] Children&Youth RE Team; [linked] Building,Aesthetics,Grounds; Fun Raising; include also on main Slideshows page?
• Description of vision / objectives / purpose, e.g., Comm. Fellowship Ministry; Health Ministry
• List of projects, topics, typical group discussion themes or past readings, e.g., Children&Youth RE Team; Web Site
• Volunteer opportunities; also listed on general Help Wanted page; Contact: Web Admin when no longer needed/ timely
• Related resources, such as UUA links; forms; brochures; documents, e.g., Endowment Trust; Humanism
• References to newsletter articles, e.g., Board; Health Ministry; usually added automatically each month; any missing articles/titles?

In summary, here is a "Template" (fields & format will certainly evolve with feedback & creativity from each group):
Main Contact(s):
Group Members & Roles:
Logo/Photo:
Slideshows:
Description (vision / objectives / purpose):
List of projects, topics, etc.:
Volunteer Opportunities:
Related Resources:
Newsletter References:

How can you update this information? The simplest way is to copy&paste the template lines above into an email along with text, clipart and photos; periodically, send updates as the info changes. In the future, you could become an author of your own pages and modify them directly from a web browser -- optional; no rocket science or advanced web skills required; we can provide instructions and training later about publication policy and authoring steps if there's interest. Contact: Web Admin to get started or if you have questions.

With your ongoing support, our web site can become a more accurate reflection of our vibrant community, more useful to Members and attractive to visitors. So, start reviewing your sections and sending your updates!

Newsfeeds can be a useful way to combine headines&summaries from multiple sources (using Web syndication) into one convenient place, e.g., a personal news page like my.yahoo.com (screenshot) or a news reader application/aggregator.

Sites offering newsfeeds usually indicate this with a "RSS feed" icon -- RSS: Really Simple Syndication.

RVUUF subscribes to UUA & UU World newsfeeds, and embeds these on our Home page (lower left); RVUUF also lists other UU-related newsfeeds.

RVUUF publishes 4 newsfeeds on our Home page:

1. Next Sunday's service
2. major Announcements
3. Recent Updates of site pages
4. Upcoming Events over next ~6 days

(Note: 5th system-provided feed icon at very bottom of Home page links only to the top, relatively static Welcome item -- so may not be useful.)

In Nov 2007, we added a Member/Friend Login link below the navigation menu. Currently, we are experimenting with access privileges for others (besides the web administrator) to make changes to selected portions of this site. So, if you already have an account, go ahead and login -- and later, be sure to Log out if you're on a public/shared computer.

Some day, each RVUUF member&friend (with an email address) will have an account, which might allow viewing non-public documents and databases, participation in discussion forums, and reading/adding comments about selected items. Although there are a few technical issues to resolve (e.g., efficiently restricting access to certain kinds of items; and providing additional training/tutorials for authors), the larger, social issue is how to develop publication/etiquette policies to ensure that only appropriate information is posted, in a respectful manner. If you have suggestions on how to define this, or need member-only access for a specific project, Contact: Web Admin.

RVUUF does not offer any computer training or troubleshooting help -- though such services may be available through the Auction, or if enough technically-savvy volunteers appear someday.

The following local organizations may be able to help you learn more about your computer, the web, mail and other applications:
Senior ACES Computer Club
Ashland Macintosh Users (ASHMUG)
SOU Extended Campus Programs Eduction to Go: Online Computers & Tech
SOU Community Programs

You can Check your word or Reveal a letter hint or entire word (if you get stuck), and find out when you've finished the puzzle correctly. This interactive version requires Java support in your web browser (print version below).

This puzzle's theme is our new web site. For clues, look at the menus and overall organization, especially on the Home page. Clues prefixed with "*" indicate theme words.

Copyright © 2007. Steve Weyer.
Web page created by Crossword Compiler.

Here are versions that you can view or download, and print:

Come to a short demonstration and discussion after the service.

Our new web site has been unveiled. In addition to a new look, here are some of the new features:

• an online event calendar
• latest news from UUA and UU World
• Search capability; and topic links
• slideshows
• games, humor and quizzes
• more to follow....