HumaniNet Collaborative Workspace:
Project History

by Matt Blair
Posted: 8/1/2005

In Phase 1, we:

Assessed our own needs, and evaluated a few basic Open Source options for online information sharing and collaboration based on our assessment.
Ran trials of WordPress (a blogging tool) and Plone (a more fully featured content management system aka CMS)
Chose Plone as the best option, and implemented several basic sites including our main project center, a satellite communications center, and a tsunami relief coordination center, which were used by dozens of non-technical NGOs users, in both field and HQ situations.
Tested the feasibility of distributing content editing and basic administration tasks among non-technical users.
Gathered feedback through detailed interviews with half a dozen NGO managers and IT professionals.
Explored the feasibility of customizing and enhancing Plone to fit project needs more precisely, and secured funding for the next phase.

In Phase 2, we will:

Engage in deeper research into specific Plone features and add-on capabilities.
Design and implement an enhanced 'community center' to facilitate HumaniNet's internal collaboration and publishing process, as well as projects with and for other organizations through hosted project centers.
Create a "quick-deploy" project center, a pre-packaged bundle designed for humanitarian relief NGOs that will be published under a license such as GPL or similar.
Share our "lessons learned", how-to notes, and implementation strategies with the open source and non-profit communities.