Status updates/blogging?

[scooter]

So I was thinking about what might make this a more inviting spot. Do you think having a status update feature à la Facebook would be a welcome addition? This could be a sort of pseudo-blog as well, as it would allow folks to just write what's on their minds...and there are a number of different ways we could do it.

I was going to post a poll on this, but I think for now I will keep it open-ended.

[scooter]

Okay, I just had an idea arrive in my poor, benighted little brainpan...

The RSS feed aggregator works, as we now have a functional weather alert system. What we could also do with this is get RSS feeds from people's blogs. We could put a link to your blog in your profile. (I have a blog package that I can install on the Atlantic website, then either make it public or just leave it accessible only from here.) I would then open a forum, Blogs, where everyone's updates would go. They would be posted under your account and can be tagged with your login or whatever. This gives you a way to do status updates and have everybody read and comment on them (sort of like Facebook but without the Zuckerbergian aspects).

How does this sound? Would take a bit to set up, and I want to test out the blog software, Apache Roller.

I understand from phpbb.com that there is a way to integrate WordPress and phpBB, but I'm less sure how that would work.

[scooter]

Quick update: Roller looks like it might be a dog; we might not have the requirements for it on the system. StatusNet is also a dog and does not work, and I'm not able to figure out why, as I used GreenGeeks' Softaculous utility to install it. The fix there is probably to rip everything of it out and install GNU Social instead, or possibly StoryTlr (as GNU has a thing about stand-alone implementations, for some reason).

This is just gonna take some time.

[scooter]

Quick update: Roller looks like it might be a dog; we might not have the requirements for it on the system. StatusNet is also a dog and does not work, and I'm not able to figure out why, as I used GreenGeeks' Softaculous utility to install it. The fix there is probably to rip everything of it out and install GNU Social instead, or possibly StoryTlr (as GNU has a thing about stand-alone implementations, for some reason).

This is just gonna take some time.

Another update: GNU Social is installed, and initial tests of the concept are good...however.

Right now, in order to use GNU Social, you need to have a separate login. So the procedure is:

• I install a button on the forums that says, "Go here to update your status"
• you go there
• you put in a separate login and a password
• you write your update
• after a while it appears on the forum

Now there are some plugins for GNU Social that I'm eventually going to experiment with, allowing you to have your updates appear on Twitter as well and so forth. But my feeling, bolstered by some of the reactions I've gotten, is that that italicized "separate login" step is a show-stopper and no one will use this thing if they have to go through that. What's needed in a single login (to the forums) and an automagic login to the updates. That is going to require some wizardry that I'm not necessarily studly enough for. I'm soliciting help. Stay tuned.