MP_08OCT10
Agenda
- Show off new tree features
- Latest stats
- Push for publicity, more content, more users
Notes
New Features:
Matt Hanlon demonstrated the new full screen and search feature on the home page. The full screen allows you to view a larger version of the tree. The search feature, which includes auto fill allows you to search the tree and the selected result will take you to the location on the tree.
Current Stats:
My-Plant.org currently has 199 users which includes 35 iPlant users
Push for publicity, more content, more users
We are looking at ways to add educational resources to the site. A suggestion would be to add a ‘common names’ search utility. This would help in making the site accessible to groups such as high school students. The addition of educational resources would also enable the team to engage educational groups about MyPlant and the benefits it could provide.
ACTION: Michael will send an email about integrating educational features and targeting education groups.
Increased Publicity – How to keep the community active? Find a way to link My-Plant.org to other networking sites specifically Facebook and Twitter. The goal is to avoid duplication of effort. With this feature a user could have their post in My-Plant automatically show up on their Facebook. It would be an opt in or out feature and the user would decide which posts would show on both sites. The value of this would be increased visibility and the opportunity to reach a wider audience. The feature if implemented would maintain the distinction between the professional and social network, what a user posted on their social account would not automatically post to My-Plant.
The World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010 will use My-Plant as their means to communicate with their group. Pam will speak at the conference and will also find out if they have any suggestions on useful features or ideas for My-Plant. The group’s My-Plant page can be found here https://my-plant.org/clade/gesneriaceae
ACTION:Pam and Rick will work together a spreadsheet of each clade, common names and species clade. Michael will check with Sheldon and Bill about the taxonomic name resolution service and how that can be incorporated
ACTION: Michael will send the group an email to solicit ideas on changing the layout of the site and ways to make the profile view more useful.