cgregan@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
I agree, how it would work out eventually is something to consider. Micro payments towards projects, sponsoring sections of the website or individual project listings, perhaps putting some money into a pool that could be used to sponsor well-known bloggers that would bring more traffic and visibility to the site. I agree that anyone should be able to present a listing, and opportunities mentioned above could allow these organizations to differentiate themselves and stand out while offering something to SchoolForge that would benefit the community overall.Justin,Great! I think a listing like this would offer a value to SchoolForge members. As for the details:I think these are important, especially the projects themselves. We would not have all of this great software without the project people providing it. (In most cases, without making a dime) If a support network could somehow be leveraged to help the projects with a micro payment scheme, or something along those lines eventually, I think it would be a boon for education based developers. Schoolforge has a lot of combined knowledge, we should look to ways it can be used to its full potential.
That's about what I thought - but just in case anyone has had experiences with this, it's good to put out there.* Down the road, if SchoolForge becomes a non-profit organization, could this present any complications?I'm not sure how. The legal aspects of running a non-profit would have to be worked out with a lawyer, but there is no law that says people cannot make a living working for a non-profit.* When the time comes that someone else is leading and working with SchoolForge, could this present any complications?Leadership changes are always tough, but if the site is pulling it's own weight I don't see anyone fiddling with the foundation. The key with anything is establish a stable footing then build up. A new leader might expand the offerings, but no successful leader would consider undermining a working system on purpose.
I have some ideas on how it could be implemented in Drupal and as an interface. It sounds like something that could be started once the Educational Software section is completed and the various input forms are all cleaned up and functional - so there is time to think about how this could be made as effective as possible.* Who's who? What should be the threshold for presenting a support organization? Maybe an endorsement by either a school or a FLOSS project?I think community reports are just great. An open referral service, if you will. I think anyone should be allowed to post their qualifications, but the more your services have been used and referred by X clients, the higher your rating will go on the site. Add endorsements from those who come to the group with specific questions, and you have a fairly robust way of promoting knowledgeable service providers that is self-policing. I'm not sure what tech could be used. The digg.com system works ok, or something like the Ebay seller ratings would work just fine.
Justin