Magazine to newsletter

wavesource · 2015-07-14 23:40:08

hcgtv wrote #293195:

Then there’s another tutorial where I take a WordPress Theme and txp:tagify it for the audience, I’m studying Twenty Fifteeen now.

Gee, it would really sting to convert the official included Wordpress theme of the year and make them available for free for download as part of that tutorial. I’d be happy to help out with that, that would really take some steam from Wordpress. 2016 rolls around, we just update – and maybe only keep the latest available so we don’t end up having a stack of older themes that might need maintenance. In short, a how-to, and the end result for demonstration.

People are sure to run off with the Wordpress TXPified clone, but as always, they’ll want to do more, and back they’ll come to read through the tutorial.

As a proof of concept that goes to the heart of the Wordpress user community, I would be interested to see the traffic drawn in. So I would agitate to ensure the newsletter signup is HIGHLY visible.

hcgtv · 2015-07-14 23:56:58

wavesource wrote #293197:

Gee, it would really sting to convert the official included Wordpress theme of the year and make them available for free for download as part of that tutorial.

5 years ago, before I fell off the Textpattern grid, I took Twenty Ten and started to make it a Textpattern Theme, I was astounded as to the relative small size of the Textpattern Theme versus the WordPress Theme. Halfway through it, that’s when I thought this would make an excellent tutorial, so I’ll begin anew with Twenty Fifteen, incorporating the last 5 years of Textpattern enhancements to it.

Less Code is Poetry

wavesource · 2015-07-15 00:02:36

and then ask them to load up Wordpress and TXP side by side with the same theme and compare load times. Backend and frontend. Ouch.

hcgtv · 2015-07-15 00:12:26

wavesource wrote #293200:

and then ask them to load up Wordpress and TXP side by side with the same theme and compare load times. Backend and frontend. Ouch.

Check out this thread, where I run benchmarks on default installs of Textpattern and WordPress.

bert@jessie:~$ ab -n 100 -c 10		OPcache on		OPcache off
Textpattern 4.5.7			1.696 seconds		4.867 seconds
WordPress 4.2.2				6.539 seconds		20.695 seconds

Without a PHP cache running, WordPress is dog slow compared to Textpattern.

wavesource · 2015-07-15 00:42:34

Nice to see that quantified. Will be very useful.

Destry · 2015-07-15 10:08:00

wavesource wrote #293165:

…this is not about TXPmag v2. … This is about a newsletter – a shorter, less intensive, more engaging format via email, posted to blog-like section with RSS on TXP.com, with Twitter riding shotgun. No author. Just a single anonymous voice. Simple stuff. Short and sweet.

Exactly what is needed.

Regarding the “no author” part, however, which I have no problem with, it does raise a bug flag to devs/Phil about the “open blog” plan, because it’s currently moving forward under the assumption that contributors do have their name at the top of their contributions (e.g., mine and Cooper’s are that way). So either that needs to back-pedal or giving contributors due credit remains. The latter might be better for attracting contributions to begin with, and we all know getting content to begin with is the real challenge in this community.

Re content…

…one third on how to use TXP, ie. unpacking tags, so it’s just a friendly rewrite of the stuff that’s already up on TXP.com

…another third to put forward [useful] plugins…

…the other third…make [it up along the way].

We content strategists would say an inventory of what’s out there is needed at some point early on (or at least a start on one that is kept running), because a lot of content related to the ideas you identify (tutorials, top plugins, etc and so forth) has already been written about at places (sometimes multiple times) other than at .com. Rather than reinvent the wheel in every case (since HR is a premium, as we know), it would be better to curate those select bits and point to them, or take them one by one and “re-write”, as needed, to modernize/update the information against new Txp code. Either way, you need to do know where that stuff is. Key places to look are:

.org
txptips.com
this forum (as you bring up later; it’s loaded with buried/locked info — one good example of thousands — and it’s a problem talked about many times over the years by me, but not only, for the sake of building better examples in tag doc pages, for example)
personal blogs (e.g., I have stuff I’ve written that’s been tremendously popular based on traffic but could do with some shortening and modernizing because it’s a little old)

So, an inventory/curation task against targeted topic types would be useful and something people can get started on immediately — easy as a Google Sheet — while the tech stuff is being hammered on.

All subject to TXP approval

Segue to next response…

Destry · 2015-07-15 10:09:47

gaekwad wrote “#293154”:./viewtopic.php?pid=293154#p293154:

Docs, support triage, translations, marketing, evangelism, QA, code that Makes Things Better, pick an issue and solve it.

One thing I’ve learned from the last 6 months is that no permission is needed to work on this stuff.

That’s not entirely true and deserves a response so everybody in this community is on the right page.

Helping people in the forum, contributing to code (if a competent enough dev), and starting your own Txp-related pet project elsewhere for “evangelical” purposes is something you can do without waking Robert up, yes.

But if you’re focused on helping with anything that concerns “family” real estate (.com, .net, .org, txpmag), or communicating anything via those properties that leadership must be responsible for if shit hits the fan, you definitely do need approval.

Magazine? That would not have happened without Txp acquiring the domain, Stef’s backing of the effort, my invite from devs to be editor, and Robert’s approval of my publishing plan (there’s even a Gdoc with his signature of approval on it). I can only imagine any future changes must get similar approval, especially as even the blog article I recently wrote at .com had to await approval before the idea of a international magazine could be shared. Why? Because it concerns them in terms of tech, ownership, and reputation. (For the record, I’m all for David being new mag editor if he’s up for that challenge, but getting content from the community, not editing it, is the problem, which I know zero can attest to with his efforts on TXPQ. But we know at this point David has sensibly chosen a better path for getting involved.)
Docs? .net (the server) has been closed to all but Robert and Phil’s access (as I understand it) for a while now, and the new docs on Github are still too barricaded for it to be worth anyone’s time contributing there. Maybe when the Jekyll site is launched it will be worthwhile to give attention to documentation again (I would like to), assuming the contributions process is relaxed a bit.
.org? I can only imagine.
.com? An “open blog” plan is in the works, thank goodness. Apparently it still needs some thinking about execution, however.

And now a newsletter can be folded into that marketing/evangelizing process, as soon as it’s clear when and how (technologically speaking).

None of this is to say it’s impossible to help on project real estate; it is possible, if the plan is sound and you get a thumb up on it. Robert is a reasonable guy. I’m simply responding to your statement, Pete, that anyone can just jump in at any time on any ol’ thing. That’s not true. There are bottlenecks aplenty. Systems security and quality control of content are good things. This long thread is largely the result of some people being concerned about the latter.

Hard as it may be to see or accept, there are some efforts that do need attention, input, and backing from project leaders if there’s going to be any help with such things at all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I’m sure a project leader/owner/dev will correct me if I’m wrong. And it’s clear from what Bloke has shared that there is indeed various levels of access to these things, even among devs.

As a final thought, which is not in response to you, Pete, but from something brought up earlier in this thread: Communication by committee is never a good idea. The last time the .com website was redesigned is testament to that fact, and notably with respect to content (because the design part was sensibly closed). Some things should not be left to the whims of a hundred opinionated people (one or two with experience in the matter is enough). Content is one of them. A shortage of contributions does not justify a mob approach to message. The wiki is a perfect example, or docs would still be open to the mob. A horse by committee approach to content goes nowhere fast and ends with sub-par results. Likewise, someone has to be in place to edit/maintain that content over time (e.g., at .com). These role questions need to be answered to if all this forward momentum is to be worthwhile over the longer run.

hcgtv · 2015-07-15 10:31:29

Destry wrote #293229:

These role questions need to be answered to if all this forward momentum is to be worthwhile over the longer run.

Crickets …

wet · 2015-07-15 11:20:07

Assuming that I somehow “lead” this project or my sign off is required for anything anybody wanted to do to regarding Textpattern is no more than a misconception. I am simply the guy who has managed to stick around while the other veterans left for greener pastures, or burned out, or made a career in financial IT ;)

So, y’all: If you are waiting for my stance just do as you please. Scratch your own itches, like I scratch mine.

If this involves a need to mangle around with this server for which Joyent has me as a contact point: Holler, and we will see what we can do. That’s how Destry and txpmag got bonded.

gaekwad · 2015-07-15 11:27:31

wet wrote #293233:

Assuming that I somehow “lead” this project or my sign off is required for anything anybody wanted to do to regarding Textpattern is no more than a misconception.

[…]

So, y’all: If you are waiting for my stance just do as you please. Scratch your own itches, like I scratch mine.

You put it far more eloquently than I did here in act 1, scene 4:

[…] I’ve learned from the last 6 months […] that no permission is needed to work on this stuff. Just grab it by the proverbials and make it better.

Destry · 2015-07-15 11:36:23

wet wrote #293233:

Assuming that I somehow “lead” this project or my sign off is required for anything anybody wanted to do to regarding Textpattern is no more than a misconception.

Call it “steward” if you like, but you are the “lead” “caretaker” of the project by fact of your “seniority”. Dodging the limelight doesn’t change anything.

That said, it’s nice to hear we don’t need your approval, only your cooperation. ;)

hcgtv · 2015-07-15 12:28:19

ruud wrote #293232:

Did you really expect a response from the devs within 20 minutes?

The question Destry asked, was asked a number of times in this thread, and has popped up in other threads also, oh lookee Robert responds.

wet wrote #293233:

So, y’all: If you are waiting for my stance just do as you please. Scratch your own itches, like I scratch mine.

Ok, you know what’s been itching at me, the ownership of the Textpattern domains. Time and effort spent creating external sites, hanging out at these forums, telling the world of the wonder that is Textpattern, could all go poof in an instant (Where’s TextDrive?).

Ten years Robert, you joined this forum on 2005-06-06, and I joined it on 2005-11-29. I’ve had 4 long years to think about it, and I decided that I’m not going to throw away my time invested in this project, I’m not going to walk away and start using WordPress or Drupal or any other fill-in-the-blank CMS.

I was having a conversation with my wife about Textpattern yesterday, filling her in on the goings on. Dean wanting to go off-grid and grow vegetables, the so-called past leader of this project who quelled any uprisings, kept the status quo, and then vacated the premises for Automattic. Yes, we had uprisings in the past, Sencer, Alex, and others were none too happy, there’s a thread somewhere, buried in the archives.

You know what my wife started doing after we had the conversation, she began researching domain names, even she sees the writing on the wall.

wet · 2015-07-15 12:29:54

A good wife indeed.

hcgtv · 2015-07-15 12:37:30

wet wrote #293242:

A good wife indeed.

The best, we just celebrated 40 years together.

jstubbs · 2015-07-15 13:04:45

Having domain names under the control of Dean/Jason et al is not very sensible, is it.

Textpattern CMS support forum

#91 2015-07-14 23:40:08

Re: Magazine to newsletter

hcgtv wrote #293195:

#92 2015-07-14 23:56:58

Re: Magazine to newsletter

wavesource wrote #293197:

#93 2015-07-15 00:02:36

Re: Magazine to newsletter

#94 2015-07-15 00:12:26

Re: Magazine to newsletter

wavesource wrote #293200:

#95 2015-07-15 00:42:34

Re: Magazine to newsletter

#96 2015-07-15 10:08:00

Re: Magazine to newsletter

wavesource wrote #293165:

#97 2015-07-15 10:09:47

Re: Magazine to newsletter

gaekwad wrote “#293154”:./viewtopic.php?pid=293154#p293154:

#98 2015-07-15 10:31:29

Re: Magazine to newsletter

Destry wrote #293229:

#99 2015-07-15 11:20:07

Re: Magazine to newsletter

#100 2015-07-15 11:27:31

Re: Magazine to newsletter

wet wrote #293233:

#101 2015-07-15 11:36:23

Re: Magazine to newsletter

wet wrote #293233:

#102 2015-07-15 12:28:19

Re: Magazine to newsletter

ruud wrote #293232:

wet wrote #293233:

#103 2015-07-15 12:29:54

Re: Magazine to newsletter

#104 2015-07-15 12:37:30

Re: Magazine to newsletter

wet wrote #293242:

#105 2015-07-15 13:04:45

Re: Magazine to newsletter

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