Pioneering Aggregated Blogging Communities
Ashton is a community network
application with underpinnings based on theories
surrounding Human Communication Networks (HCN). Ashton's purpose
is to strengthen and multiply the communication links between
members of
specific professional community using HC techniques and RSS (Really
Simple Syndication). The resulting increase in communication
flow among the network's members establishes a long-lived, vital
community.
Building systems customized for similar scenarios in different verticals
Unlike traditional
community portals, the Ashton-based network community is an aggregate
of conversations distributed among many web sites and resources
on the Internet. Our approach allows individuals to be involved
in the community in ways that are comfortable, meaningful, and time
efficient. Initial resources include blogging web sites and resources
on the Internet that provide RSS syndication feeds and authorize
the quoting and linking of the articles in those feeds.
Ashton Features
Our HCN based community fosters a culture
encouraging the utmost freedom
to express ideas. Content categories are organized by subject
matter suitable for the content. The content categories are
designed to address the unique needs of a community. The Ashton
community site offers a variety of network community features
that will facilitate a sense of community among its members.
Blogger’s Personal Page
Each member blogger has their own page on the community
site (For an example see: http://pdcbloggers.net/Bloggers/Attendees/Brian_Jackson.category).
The blogger’s personal page has have the following features:
▪ Their name in large type on the top of the page.
▪ A summary paragraph about the blogger that he or she supplies
upon registration.
▪ A link to their blog’s web site.
▪ A link to their blog’s RSS feed.
▪ Links to recent blog posts that appeared on the community
site.
Blogger Categories
The following event categorization is often used for the
bloggers when events "bootstrap" the community:
▪ Attendees
▪ Non-attendees (note: the name of this category is subject to
change)
▪ Press (Members of the Press with registered blogs)
▪ Speakers (Speakers at the event)
▪ Staff
▪ Publications (Web-based publications with RSS feeds)
Community Polls
Bloggers may choose to add polling to their blogs using the
Ashton polling technology. This involves registering for an
identity through Microsoft Passport® and logging into the Ashton
polling administration tool. The bloggers can setup a vote and
include a code snippet in their blog to integrate the voting with
his content.
Demand Generation Contest
Our staff works with you to create an
appropriate demand
generation contest to encourage the promotion of your community through their personal communication networks.
Virtual Press Room
The press has a unique interest in information presented on
the aggregated blog web site. The information can tell the
press what topics are hot and may provide exciting grassroots
stories. We furnish the press with a secured web page for information targeted for
the press. Additionally, the press is encouraged to submit
questions that may be distributed in through the Ashton polling
technology.
Structured Event
If you are aggregating blogs around an event we recommend
reserving time to officially recognize the efforts of bloggers. The suggested format would
be a panel and open mike discussion on the future of blogging
and its impact.
The Press
The press should be encouraged to attend all blogging events;
however, they should cover the event not participate as a
blogger unless they have a blog with an RSS Feed. Most
members of the press have a positive attitude towards blogs,
often using blog content to augment their fact-finding research. |
