1. Daniel

    Daniel I'm sure you've heard the rumors Founder Staff

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    Utilizing the resource section [feedback needed]

    Discussion in 'Support & Feedback' started by Daniel, Oct 13, 2013.

    Hey everyone, I could really use your feedback on the resource section. More options are coming soon, so I'd love some feedback on that, and feedback on whether we should have auto-threads for discussion of particular resource types, and what community rules/standards should we develop. The resource section is underused, and I realize this is because it's new and people are probably aware of it and what we can really do with it.

    Resource Upgrade - New Options Coming Soon

    Sometime in the next few days I'm going to upgrade the resource section of the site. This will give several new features that have the potential to really make the resource section useful. I'd love some thoughts on how we can best utilize this.

    One new feature that's coming is Custom Resource Fields. This new update will allow me to set pre-defined custom fields for resource categories. This means we can have pre-defined questions/fields to fill in for each resource type (check boxes, text fields, radio icons, etc.). Additionally, I can add custom tabs!

    For example, the above/rich field/below/extra info tab/faq tab/ - all can be customized and added:

    upload_2013-9-18_13-48-44.png

    How can we best utilize this?

    For example, say for the self-publishing category, we could have a checkbox field with questions like:

    Charges author for copies of their own book []
    Charges fees for marketing/promotion []
    Charges for cover art []
    etc.

    I realize that's a bad example, but you get the idea. We could have a FAQ tab for a particular resource category with pre-defined questions the resource starter would answer.

    What are some creative uses of the custom tabs/fields?

    What are some good questions we should use for some categories? What questions would you want to know about particular resources at a quick glance, with questions that would be standardized between all resources in that category?

    There'll also be the ability to add resource prefixes, as such:

    ss-2013-09-27_13-27-55.png

    If we didn't already have custom categories for publishers/self-publishers/e-publishers, a good example would be to have one category for publishers with the prefix between the three. Ideas for uses of this?

    The reason I'm asking for feedback on this new functionality is because it gives a lot more flexibility and the chance to add many more details to resources. I have a few ideas, but if I can get some feedback I'm sure we could come up with some even better uses.

    Resource Discussion

    I'm also looking for feedback on discussion threads for particular resource types. Is this a good idea? We already have it so a discussion thread is automatically created for new resources in the publisher category (in the Publisher Discussion forum). Should we have this set up for other resource categories, such as writing software/tools? Others? Should there be a dedicated resource discussion forum? I do think some resources merit a dedicated thread, whereas others probably don't.

    Just thinking out loud, but I was considering adding a miscellaneous forum for writing tips/advice/writer's block/inspiration/collaboration/resources/etc. Rather than a dedicated resource discussion forum, what if we integrated this new forum and resource discussion forum? Only established members could post threads and it would allow an outlet for discussing things like Scrivener, etc.

    Community Standards

    Finally, community standards/resource policies.

    I think we should develop rules for the resources. What constitutes a quality resource? Who can edit a resource? What resources should be added, which ones shouldn't? In the case of publishers, adding bad publishers gives the opportunity to rate, discussion, and warn others about the publisher - in such cases, should "bad" resources be allowed? These are the kind of questions I'm considering, but I'm sure I'm overlooking a lot.

    Anyway, I'd love to hear some thoughts on how we can best utilize this section of the site. Thanks guys!!
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2013

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