Avanoo Museum place

A few days ago, I changed that language around how we "connect" to items on Avanoo from "connections" to "following/followers". The intention was to be clearer about what connecting does and also to parallel what is commonly understood from the Twittersphere.

But today at Journalism that Matters in Seattle, I met Matthew Stadler who suggested "listening". I immediately got very excited and took a break from the conference to make the change right then and there.

Thank you, Matthew! I look forward to more conversations.

The Avanoo website is currently running on a single server computer named "one". In addition to the one, there is a backup server that I use for testing new software before it goes live. The backup server is called love.

One love.

Interestingly, I did not consciously plan this.

First there was a server called love, which is what I used while redeveloping the website in November and December. We've always said that Avanoo was born from a place of love, so it was appropriate that it be reborn from love as well.

When I switched the site from dev.avanoo.com to www.avanoo.com, I set up a second machine with the new address. It's hard to top "love", but the new server had become #1.

This is how we rediscovered the one love. 

Avanoo is probably the only website in the world powered by one love. Ahhh...

                                                     
      made from disposables

I wrote and recorded this song right before we launched the first Avanoo application, called the Wisdom of Communities, in 2007.



"Avanoo" (2007)

What you gonna say? What you gonna say when you come face to screen
With the unseen reality... of our surroundings?
What's it gonna be? Is it gonna be everyday sunshine,
Everyday sunshine, every night moonshine?
You might like the lights of the avanoo.

What you gonna make? What you gonna love?
What's gonna make you grow?
And how well do you know this Hollyworld we live in?
Where you gonna be, this track you're on?
Fast forward, but turn the power all the way.
There's no more time to lose.
You're welcome, welcome here on the avanoo.
You're welcome, welcome here on the avanoo.

I've been trying to tune-in to what has been said, and at the same time bring back how I felt about Avanoo then and how I feel about it now. This is the story as I see it.

Previously, before March 2009, the way to organise posts (optional) would be through projects. To read about stuff, or post, on a certain topic we looked for projects that related to that subject and that was fine. If there wasn't one, and it made sense, we just created a new one. Some projects were personal, others communal. Most were communal. Alas, nowhere could we easily see if there was another project with similar information, or we knew there were two of a similar kind, but couldn't explore them in an easy way. Also, searching for the 'perfect' project to post to wasn't easy as all we had to go on was project names, and the majority were therefore left behind hidden in obscurity.

Then, Places and Things (same functionality as projects, just a different name) were introduced. Places added another dimension, and we could group/organise projects in places, like, for example, everything around music could be linked to a place called "The Music Store". In my mind a revelation! Finally there was a way to get to related information (same family) easily. If I was interested in listening to or reading about Kate's music, I could. Just as easily as I could listen to Ankher's mixes or Malechai's recordings. They were all just as easily accessible through "The Music Store". However, the functionality to browse wasn't there, and hence, the use of places didn't really take off.

Then Avanoo went into hibernation for a while. Upon re-awakening, projects and all the old content was removed. We were left with Places and Things. The majority of 'pre-hibernation' places are still there, but since all content once linked to these places has been removed it looks empty, like a deserted town, and we might ask ourselves why they are there at all...

So, back to today.

I agree that we shouldn't create empty containers (thanks, Ankher!), and that posts are the building block everything rests on (thanks, Kate!). Without posts there is no Avanoo. But at the same time, like with any database, the value of Avanoo will only be as good as the information in it and the ability to use that information.

Although posts are key to Avanoo, we must, in my opinion, have a way to organise them. We shouldn't build a whole town full of empty containers, but at the same time without places and things(projects) there will just be a long list of posts that no one will want to read through in the hope of finding something that is interesting. I want to be able to read about other people's experiences around a certain topic, and then if I enjoy someone's writing especially, I can always connect and read other stuff written by them.

I try and look at it through the eyes of a newcomer. Would it make sense? Avanoo is vast, there are no limitations. How will people find their way around? In what ways can we help people find their way around?

But, time to stop waffling and come to some sort of conclusion. :)

All in all, the way I see it is that nothing of the foundation that was there before has changed or should be changed. But I think that to facilitate easier access to content we need a way to find it (read: organise).

Thoughts?
:)