search

ushahidi / Ushahidi_Web

Ushahidi v2. A platform that allows information collection, visualization and interactive mapping, allowing anyone to submit information through text messaging using a mobile phone, email or web form.
http://www.ushahidi.com
Other
901 stars 623 forks source link

Ushahidi via CMS (WordPress, Drupal, etc.) #357

Closed DotDotJames closed 12 years ago

DotDotJames commented 12 years ago

Issue Premise - A key challenge with deploying Ushahidi is the lack of user and admin platform knowledge, especially in the context of a no-notice disaster, the de facto Crowdmap application for the Ushahidi platform.

Solution Proposed - Many end-users and administrators tend to be tech savvy, and in particular, familiar with content management systems (CMSs) such as WordPress, Django, Drupal, or Joomla. Thus, one approach to facilitating crowdmap deployments is to refactor the Usahidi platform into a combination of themes and plugins for one or more CMSs.

Given the relative ubiquity of WordPress and Drupal, these two CMSs are my recommended CMS platforms to begin exploring this alternate path for Ushahidi development. WordPress would likely appeal to a broader audience but may not offer as much functionality as Drupal. That said, one of the many themes that inspired this suggestion happens to be a WordPress theme by Templatic. This theme and other representative solutions are listed below (please note these are only themes sans the set of plugins that would likely have to be developed, e.g., to replace the faceted search functionality).

Disclaimer - this idea is also based on my experiences while leading the deployment of the MightyMoRiver project at http://mightymoriver.crowdmap.com & tech discussions with various Ushahidi core team members. Development of a WordPress &/or Drupal theme (I'd personally suggest doing both, at least to the prototype stage) might also garner increased attention for deployments of Ushahidi & Swift River in the commercial sector.

Related issue - use framework such as Genesis - http://www.studiopress.com/themes - or build completely from scratch.

Representative CMS Themes for alternative Ushahidi implementations

heatherleson commented 12 years ago

This was also a big request from the Harassmap team = http://wiki.ushahidi.com/display/WIKI/Community+at++ICT4D+%28March+14%2C+2012%2C+Atlanta%2C+GA%29

DotDotJames commented 12 years ago

Cool! Feel free to add link to my post to that wiki page.

-----Original Message----- From: Heather Leson [mailto:reply@reply.github.com] Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 1:30 PM To: aghilmort Subject: Re: [Ushahidi_Web] Ushahidi via CMS (WordPress, Drupal, etc.) (#357)

This was also a big request from the Harassmap team = http://wiki.ushahidi.com/display/WIKI/Community+at++ICT4D+%28March+14%2C+2012%2C+Atlanta%2C+GA%29

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub: https://github.com/ushahidi/Ushahidi_Web/issues/357#issuecomment-4645213

cypherinfo commented 12 years ago

Hello, may be it is useful to remember this: https://github.com/Kimnooij/Butterfly-Toolkit-No-1--Building-Bridges/ I'm a Joomla! webdev and ushahidi via CMS is a great way to join to a crowded community of developers and GPL features capable to enrich every crowdmap installation of all the functionalities needed without to develop them!

batje commented 12 years ago

I am an avid Drupaller and we were discussing inviting you over into the Drupal community with the Mapping and Location people yesterday. We would be very open to explore the possibilities of using Drupal for the Ushahidi functionality.

Drupal is a very broad platform, and it has basics for a lot of things that are happening in Ushahidi

And there is a lot of things that you get for free: flexible contenttypes & fields, multiple taxonomies, multilingual, themes, a very secure, scalable and well maintained codebase

And there is a big big big community of very helpful people http://drupal.org/community

DotDotJames commented 12 years ago

Thanks, Reinier - - best option to explore a Drupal version of Ushahidi would be to talk with Heather Leson, the Crowdmap community manager. Send me a regular email addy, and intro if you don't know her. Chris

-----Original Message----- From: Reinier Battenberg [mailto:reply@reply.github.com] Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 7:10 AM To: aghilmort Subject: Re: [Ushahidi_Web] Ushahidi via CMS (WordPress, Drupal, etc.) (#357)

I am an avid Drupaller and we were discussing inviting you over into the Drupal community with the Mapping and Location people yesterday. We would be very open to explore the possibilities of using Drupal for the Ushahidi functionality.

Drupal is a very broad platform, and it has basics for a lot of things that are happening in Ushahidi

And there is a lot of things that you get for free: flexible contenttypes & fields, multiple taxonomies, multilingual, themes, a very secure, scalable and well maintained codebase

And there is a big big big community of very helpful people http://drupal.org/community

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub: https://github.com/ushahidi/Ushahidi_Web/issues/357#issuecomment-6200185

heatherleson commented 12 years ago

HI folks, I'd like to get some help on writing two wiki articles and/or resources on how to use Ushahidi with Drupal and joomla (separate ones). There was a forum post asking for help. Would you like to help me get an outline going of what is needed? They we can ask the community for more help. https://wiki.ushahidi.com/display/WIKI/Ushahidi+Administration+guide

Heather

rjmackay commented 12 years ago

As far as I know the only thing you can do at the moment with Ushahidi + a CMS is embed Ushahidi.. You might want to wait until the embed work @kamaulynder is working on lands in 2.6 before doing any detailed write ups.. think thats being done in #630

cypherinfo commented 12 years ago

Here is a forgotten article on the ushahidi blog: http://blog.ushahidi.com/index.php/2011/06/03/a-toolkit-for-the-other-90-ushahidi-for-joomla/ I wonder how ever has been forgotten? I strongly suggest to integrate ushahidi in Joomla! for all of the features may be embedded (forum, database map search etc.) and for joining all of the crowded developers community that may be enthusiastic to join the ushahidi project. Wordpress, I'm using for some web sites seems son unstable when you install several plugins!

Thank you.

heatherleson commented 12 years ago

Hi Cypher, it isn't really forgotten. I share the link often.

I will keep monitoring this topic. It sounds like it is closer to being on the roadmap

Heather

heatherleson commented 12 years ago

Hey, I found this: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ushahidipress/

I'll add it to the Ushahidi weekly report.

cypherinfo commented 12 years ago

Every web search may confirm that Wordpress is unstable (it is about its blog framework genesis) with many plugins installed. It lacks of some basic features like a database plugin (the one available it is not comparable to the relational one of Joomla!); its inner framework is not designed to be CMS; it is a blog forced to behaves as a CMS!

Thank you.

ehersman commented 12 years ago

And yet, despite all that, it's still the most popular blogging platform and could be considered the most successful CMS. :)

Erik Hersman

www.ushahidi.com | www.iHub.co.ke www.afrigadget.com | www.whiteafrican.com | @whiteafrican

On Aug 20, 2012, at 7:36 PM, cypherinfo wrote:

Every web search may confirm that Wordpress is unstable (it is about its blog framework genesis) with many plugins installed. It lacks of some basic features like a database plugin (the one available it is not comparable to the relational one of Joomla!); its inner framework is not designed to be CMS; it is a blog forced to behaves as a CMS!

Thank you.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub.

cypherinfo commented 12 years ago

Joomla! is the first used in the world for a scalable, stable and real CMS. Wordpress for all of those users in need of few simple features. Here all of the great brands using Joomla!: http://community.joomla.org/labels/joomla-portfolio.html

Thank you.

batje commented 12 years ago

I would have to concur with Eric here. Wordpress powers more than 10% of the internet. That's a lot.

Yes, if you need more fancy functionality other CMS's can serve you better.

BTW, Joomla is not growing anymore, if you want a more serious CMS, upgrading to Drupal might be a better option.

The stats: http://trends.builtwith.com/cms/Joomla! http://trends.builtwith.com/cms/Wordpress http://trends.builtwith.com/cms/Drupal

And for the mine-is-bigger-than-yours page http://websites.usandv.com/ filled with corporate Drupal examples (including the White House)

cypherinfo commented 12 years ago

Hello, mine it is not a marketing point of view. After a deep search in the Drupal web site for modules on: database and/or map search I did find nothing! Joomla! is able to offer all of the function you need from the easier to the more complex with stability and scalability mostly for free! Not to forget the crowded developer/user community available to help you for free! Once again in terms of: complex functions (you may add as needed), scalability and stability it is the first for now!

Thank you.

rjmackay commented 12 years ago

@cypherinfo there are several very mature mapping modules for Drupal. But this ticket isn't for discussions about which is the best CMS (Users will use their CMS of choice regardless) its for discussing CMS integration with Ushahidi. Stay on topic.

cypherinfo commented 12 years ago

There is not the one for the advanced map search in the official list. If ushahidi will be integrated with the most used CMS will be a great hit. The Joomla! is the one that may meet the most complex and scalable features.

Thank you.

DotDotJames commented 12 years ago

Gotta side with Erik on this one – Wordpress is powerful enough, esp. with a Ushahidi jetpack for plugins

& WP much more readily recognized than Drupal or Joomla, esp. during times of crisis when seeking tech talent.

Signed as the guy who opened up this very related thread - https://github.com/ushahidi/Ushahidi_Web/issues/357

Best,

Chris

Chris Augeri, PhD

Founder, ThoughtPuzzle LLC

What can you discover from your data?

Corporate – http://thoughtpuzzle.com http://thoughtpuzzle.com/

Philosophy – http://wetradedata.com http://wetradedata.com/

Email – aghilmort@thoughtpuzzle.com

Bio – http://about.me/aghilmort

From: Erik Hersman [mailto:notifications@github.com] Sent: Monday, August 20, 2012 11:57 AM To: ushahidi/Ushahidi_Web Subject: Re: [Ushahidi_Web] Ushahidi via CMS (WordPress, Drupal, etc.) (#357)

And yet, despite all that, it's still the most popular blogging platform and could be considered the most successful CMS. :)

Erik Hersman

www.ushahidi.com | www.iHub.co.ke www.afrigadget.com | www.whiteafrican.com | @whiteafrican

On Aug 20, 2012, at 7:36 PM, cypherinfo wrote:

Every web search may confirm that Wordpress is unstable (it is about its blog framework genesis) with many plugins installed. It lacks of some basic features like a database plugin (the one available it is not comparable to the relational one of Joomla!); its inner framework is not designed to be CMS; it is a blog forced to behaves as a CMS!

Thank you.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/ushahidi/Ushahidi_Web/issues/357#issuecomment-7875774 .

https://github.com/notifications/beacon/Ld0yYOuApOFw8kDIJzgWmJTrEM62QZFz__xkdudDZaIQ0dAVnSYVEDBoT8tIWh2b.gif

cypherinfo commented 12 years ago

Who has really used wordpress knows well that it is unstable with many plugins; so it is a big disadvantage in time of crisis when no fault is acceptable. Once again is not about which is the most popular but te most effective! More, is about the unique possibility Joomla! gives you to manage a complex relational database with ease along with - for example - an extension with a map search all of those for free and with all the free support of the user/developer community!

Thank you.

jetherton commented 12 years ago

CMS differences aside, why integrate Ushahidi into a CMS in the first place? Ushahidi is pretty much a geo-spatial CMS. If you want to have maps in a CMS, use a map plugin for that CMS. If you want Ushahidi in your CMS, use an iFrame http://johnetherton.com/2011/07/01/embedding-ushahidi/. If you want Ushahidi to act like a CMS, build a plugin for it. If you have super specific desire for Ushahidi and a CMS to be tightly intertwined, hire a developer.

And just for the record, i love WordPress.

mailto:john@ethertontech.com On 08/20/2012 02:33 PM, cypherinfo wrote:

Who has really used wordpress knows well that it is unstable with many plugins; so it is a big disadvantage in time of crisis when no fault is acceptable. Once again is not about which is the most popular but te most effective! More, is about the unique possibility Joomla! gives you to manage a complex relational database with ease along with - for example - an extension with a map search all of those for free and with all the free support of the user/developer community!

Thank you.

— Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub https://github.com/ushahidi/Ushahidi_Web/issues/357#issuecomment-7882498.

rjmackay commented 12 years ago

Thanks for the contributions everyone. I'm closing this issue, github issue are specifically for bugs and feature requests, not general discussion.

If you want to continue discussion please move to the forums: http://forums.ushahidi.com/

cypherinfo commented 12 years ago

The integration would be great! Many users may meet ushahdi and contribute for it. All the one of the CMS to be integrated. It would great to start building a web site around ushahidiwhere you may add (depending on your needs): a forum. a database, or everything else a crisismap may needs for that specific installation!

Thank you.