Request For Comments - ntli.info

ntli.info - RFC

Status of this Memo
This document specifies the nthellworld.co.uk team's proposal for the website ntli.info, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Contents
1. Introduction
2. Objectives
3. Site Structure
4. Processes - Team working
5. Process - Information Gathering and Entry
6. Process - Team Recruitment
7. Copyright
8. Closing

1. Introduction
It has long been the idea of the admins of this site to expand it to become more than a support forum. We registered the domain ntli.info a while ago with the view to developing it into an informational based website, along the lines of a knowledgebase or groupware application.

Spurred by the recent influx of users from the collapsing nthellworld.com, we feel that now is a good time to make this idea a reality. We propose to have a public RFC on ntli.info using the nthw forum.

The purpose of this RFC process and document is to attempt to define how this will work in conjunction with the visitors to this website.

2. Objectives
The objectives of ntli.info are to create a website which:

• is a collaborative effort
• is diverse and complete in subject matter (according to the needs of visitors)
• is up-to-date
• is clear and concise
• is technically correct
• can be understood by all technical level's (within reason)
• is managed by the visitor's to the site
• serves as a useful resource to ntl customers, where ntl simply do not provide the information themselves

3. Site Structure
We propose to have the site divided up into a structure such as the one below:

• Internet
  • Broadband
  • Dial-up
  • General usage
  • XBox Live
  • PS2 Online
  • Security
  • Networking
• Digital Television
• Analogue Television
• Telephony
• Billing
• Installation
• Windows Productivity

The articles will be written and filed into the relevant category. The facility to subdivide and reorganise articles and categories as and when the content requires it will of course be available. A fully refined search procedure will be included in the website to allow visitors to search any or all categories for the search string.


On the front page, lists of articles will be displayed, ordered by:

• Most Views
• Newest Articles

We feel this will get the important articles to the site visitors in an effective way. The facility to order articles by the following categories will also be available.

• Most E-mailed
• Most Printed
• Most Viewed
• Most Saved

4. Processes - Team working
We propose to create a team of volunteer editors for ntli.info, each an expert or very competent in their particular area. These people will be tasked with adding new content to the site as and when required, or when it is available.

A public list of editors (Pseudonyms acceptable) will be available on nthellworld.co.uk, with a listing of which categor(y/ies) they are an editor of.

These editors will also have accounts on ntli.info to add articles to their respective sections. Each editor will get credit for the articles they have written, with their name being shown at the top of the article, and a list of articles written displayed in their profile on ntli.info.

We propose to set up a mailing list for ntli.info editors for the discussion and facilitation of the project, with all editors expected to join the administration mailing list, which we envisage will be relatively low volume after the initial setup.

5. Process - Information Gathering and Entry
We propose to build ntli.info up from scratch. Those who are accepted to join the editorial team will be free to work as hard as they like in writing articles for the website. It is a "as-much" or "as-little" project as you like, as we appreciate that individuals have differing amounts of free time.

Visitors to ntli.info will have the facility to ask a question on a topic which is not on the website or cannot be found via searching. This will be done by way of a web-based form, which we propose to have directed to a slightly higher volume Editors Questions mailing list. An editor can then pick this question up (reply to mailing list saying they have taken ownership) and write an article if it possible.

We openly accept that the information will not be 100% correct in a project such as this, but will of course strive for accuracy. We believe that the facility to give feedback on each article (e.g. http://uk.php.net/) is important. Visitors to the site will therefore be able to comment articles or point out mistakes, which we will then aim to rectify.

Visitors will of course at any time be able to start a discussion on any point of ntli.info in the Site Feeback forum on this website, or contact the nthw team directly via the e-mail form.

Editors will agree to write articles in the simplest language and terms possible, with technical words and processes explained in laymans terms. We recognise this will not always be possible due the level of the article (e.g. using iptables in linux compared to creating a new DUN connection).

6. Process - Team Recruitment
Initially, we only have a small team which consists of the more technical members of the existing nthw team. We have been reading with great interest the thread created by Nemesis called "A new focus for .co.uk ??" In there, we see many existing users who we feel it would great to get on board.

However, quality and correctness of information is a very important part of this project, and so probably not everyone who applies will be accepted. Those people who are interested in applying to be an editor should apply via the e-mail form, stating why they think they would be suitable, what relevant experence they have, their forum user name, and what categories they think they would be suitable to edit.

We appreciate that this may be a long winded process, but we want ntli.info to be a useful source of information, with as much correct and concise information as possible.

7. Copyright
The article author will retain copyright of the article, and will give full permission to the nthellworld.co.uk for usage and modification under the ntli.info Terms and Conditions [To be expanded - As long as financial gain is not made from the site then use is automatically granted. If the site generates revenue (above and beyond recouping hosting charges) then such use is not automatic.]

8. Closing
We request open and honest discussion of the ideas proposed above. We are going to actively involve our users, unlike ntl involve their customers.

Please post sensible and constructive posts. Any off topic posts will be deleted from this thread.

This RFC process will end next weekend on Saturday, so please get your comments, suggestions, and viewpoints in by then.

[Frank]

Great idea, I fully support this and wish you the best of luck in setting it up.

I suggest that new editors' articles be approved by an existing member of the editorial team for a short while so that you can be assured the content is of the right format.

[Ramrod]

Looks like a very good idea. I wish I had enough knowledge to contribute something meaningful.
It would be good if the articles could be easily/quickly altered if the info in them turns out to be wrong/could be better.

on another note, have you noticed the oracles reputation?

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by Ramrod

Looks like a very good idea. I wish I had enough knowledge to contribute something meaningful.

Me too, but I'm sure it will be a great venture for .co.uk, and I look forward to it opening.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Frank

Great idea, I fully support this and wish you the best of luck in setting it up.

Wow, Frank's seal of approval!!

Could i just reiterate the point that the new site won't really be a place for idle banter and babble. If it's to succeed we need it to remain focussed on its theme as a practical use site.

There's plenty of room for inane banter in the Knapps' areas on here

And btw - NTL - we won't be listening to bids under £5 million

[KingPhoenix]

Interesting idea, but does that mean that those topics will be seperated from here?? and only discussed there??? The same proposal that NTL had for .com and community????

This is a great concept and involving the members to scope it, is much appreciated.

The Windows Productivity category seems a bit vague - would this include articles on computer hardware & drivers, or just applications like graphics manipulation, wordprocessing etc?

imo It should have a glossary of "techy" stuff like acronyms - not to disagree with the idea of explaining things simply in the articles, but it would be a resource for people puzzled by stuff like SACM, STB, IDE, ATAPI etc, in this and other forums.

[Richard M]

Originally Posted by homealone

imo It should have a glossary of "techy" stuff like acronyms - not to disagree with the idea of explaining things simply in the articles, but it would be a resource for people puzzled by stuff like SACM, STB, IDE, ATAPI etc, in this and other forums.

Excellent idea.

Originally Posted by KingPhoenix

Interesting idea, but does that mean that those topics will be seperated from here?? and only discussed there??? The same proposal that NTL had for .com and community????

No, not really.
I imagine that we will use it in a scenario such as this:

1) NTL customer posts asking for help.
2) Any member of the forum can then post a link to the appropriate article on ntli.info.
3) NTL customer has their problem solved far more quickly than waiting in a call queue for support.

That's quite a simplified version but you get the idea.

The actual site will be discussed on this forum (if the demand is there, we could always create a subforum like we did for the blogs) and as nthw.info posted, the articles will have a comments system for any other tips that visitors might want to add.

I'd like to see NTL try to do any better than this.

[erol]

I have a couple of questions. I hope it is not taken in the wrong way. It is not designed to question anyones integrity.

With whom will the legal ownership of this site lie.

If this project realises it's goals, which imo are ambitious but achievable, the site will be a valuable resource, in monetary terms, as Russ jokingly aluded too.

In my view to make this work there needs to be some form of 'protected joint ownership' of the site.

It will also need to be clear with whom copyright belongs.

This can either be with the site or with the indivdual authors. There are concerns with both. If it resides with the authors and an author 'falls out' with the site for any reason then they will be able to 'take away' the content they have contributed. If it lies with the site, and the ownership of the site is 'hidden', then this is a big comitment from any authors. They will essentialy be creating content for free that in turn creates value for an unkown owner.

I think that the idea is a good one in principal but I also think that issues of ownership and control of content are ones that need serious consideration , up front.

Things that possibly warrant discussion and thought

Ownership of the site. Hidden or Open? Singular or Joint? If joint under what terms and conditions ?

Copyright of contributions from editors. Owned by indivdual or the site ? One possible way forward would be for the owner to retain copyright and give permission to the site for use under agreed terms, like perhaps as long as not money is made from the site then use is granted. If the site generates revenue then such use is not automatic.

Again I would like to re iterate that imo these are real issues that need to be considered for a site like this to have the best chance of sucsess. They are in NO WAY intended to a personal questioning of anyones integrity. For me these issues need some thought regardless of who is currently in ownership of this proposed effort. Things can and do inevitably change over time and the site should be prepared for this from day one.

[altis]

This sounds like a great idea but I also wonder whether it will actually take off. At the moment, there is nothing stopping anyone setting up their own FAQs page and, if it is relevant, getting a link put on the front page. There are an infinite number of possibilities yet only a handful have appeared so far. Although some have mentioned that they would like to do this, few have the necessary time available. Perhaps, if there was a more formal support framework then more would get done - I don't know. Sorry if this sounds too negative.

Personally, I would like to see something that is integrated with this forum. We have three types of information: news articles, forum posts and, hopefully, the new help pages. The front page could be divided into three sections with the news and forum ranked by 'newness' (as currently) and the help ranked by activity. There could also be some sub-pages that are divided similarly but only have information relevant to one topic, for example cable TV.

Thinking on the hoof here but... the help pages (and indeed the news section) could also take the form of a forum. The first post would be large and could be modified by the author. Subsequent posts could ask for clarification or suggest amendments. I seem to remember this happening with a 'newbies' thread over on dotcom. The whole lot could be built, hopefully, in Vbulletin so maintaining a consistent appearance and user interface across the different sections - something that, for example, Digital Spy has not quite managed to achieve.

[Nemesis]

Firstly, thank you for the mention

Secondly, I think that this is a fantastic use of the colllective knowledge that this site and it's members have.

The idea of a new customer searching the web/ntl webspace trying to find an answer to a particular problem, and finding ntli.info - cool This is what has been 'missing' from NTL for a long time. Any customer wanting to find out more, or 'How to' do something, common problems, 'coming soon' etc etc would find the site an invaluable source of information.

I don't think this detracts from what we already have here, as the discussions of problem, situations can happen here, but the final results of a particular problem can be posted there to refer to if/when it happens again.

It would mean that 'we' can provide a 'one stop shop' for all things NTL that NTL have yet to provide.

I can understand what erol is talking about in regards to ownership, as it would become a valuable site. Needs a lot of thought!!

I would be very happy to contribute, in any way you think I could.

Edit: Would it be possible for a collaboration of people to be responsible for a post rather than having individuals. You can appreciate that no 'one' person knows it all, but between everyone, we can cover all bases on a problem.

[altis]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

Would it be possible for a collaboration of people to be responsible for a post rather than having individuals. You can appreciate that no 'one' person knows it all, but between everyone, we can cover all bases on a problem.

All we need, I think, is an editor for each section who is responsible for collating and presenting the info. Any number of people could actually generate the info itself. IMHO if too many people get their hands on the layout then the whole thing becomes awkward to read.

[Nemesis]

Originally Posted by altis

All we need, I think, is an editor for each section who is responsible for collating and presenting the info. Any number of people could actually generate the info itself. IMHO if too many people get their hands on the layout then the whole thing becomes awkward to read.

I agree, I've written many technical reports on a situation and used the input from everyone involved, it works well, and provides a concise insight into the problem, and resolution.

A standard layout would be useful, based on the type of thing to be posted, a 'How to' versus a 'How it works'.

This sounds like a good idea to me. Like beating community.ntlworld.com at its own game! My only observation would be that ntli.info and forum.nthellworld.com need to be tightly integrated so that any discussion of documents posted on the new site continues to go on here. The prospect of splitting discussion in two over at .com was the final straw that led to this site being set up in the first place. Some re-titling of the forum areas here may be required in order to make them fit together more logically with the way the new site is organised, but that shouldn't pose any problems ...

Keep up the good work!

[Scarlett]

How about something that's used on h2g2 (The official hitchhikers site), the article is submitted and is immediatly posted on the site but is not approved until an editor has glanced over it and (maybe) suggested corrections.
People could then search the official entries or the whole site. The advantage is that if an editor is away for a week, we don't have to wait for a week+ before the information is on the site.

Also could we have a list of requested topics/questions requireing answers so that if the main person is not availible then someone else could agree to pick up the topic. Obviously, you'd need to have someway to ensure that the person answering has the required knowledge etc.

Finally (and again back to h2g2) are we going to have a list of people who are allowed to post articles ? i.e. each person who wants to write articles for the site has a login to allow them to post to the specific area's that they have said the know about.

That said, you could put me down for billing systems and debt escalation. (but not the NTL billing system specifically, billing systems generally)