Anyone aware of tools or plugins that will do a rudimentary content analysis on weblog posts? A plug-in for MT that calculates simple word frequencies in posts would be very useful in identifying potential categories.
Update: Found WordStats over at MT Plugin Directory. I’ll give this a shot this evening. Note to self, google before posting.
Joshua Kaufman – CSS Tabs. How to create tabbed navigation with CSS.
I really need to make a CSS category.
I’ve had a few questions lately about how to create a service such as KMPings in MovableType. The basics are pretty simple:
1. Set up a category in MT and enable Trackback pings. Note the Trackback URL that should be used to ping the category.
2. Put the code below into an index template in the MT template library. Edit the category name to match the one you want to use. Only index pages update on ping so you have to do this to show a current listing without manually rebuilding the site.
3. Publish the url that people should use to ping the category.
That’s it!
Atari is back. Well, Infogrames bought their IP and renamed themselves, but it is still fun to see that logo getting a new life.
Web-Based User Interface Evaluation with Questionnaires
Nifty perl script for collecting usability feedback via standard, research-based, questionaires. (Found via pixelcharmer.)
James Robertson: Where is the knowledge in a CMS?
Interestingly, the knowledge is not in the content itself. Instead, it’s in the processes and practices that surround a content management system.
This article puts forth the idea that the configuration and design for a content management system deployment contains valuable knowledge, more so than the raw content that is loaded into it. In order to deploy a complex system like this you have to learn about how your organization operates, what it is trying to achieve, and collaborate to develop a solution to support those efforts. Very valuable knowledge that should be preserved.
The lesson I take away from this: document your CMS deployment processes and research and archive it for reading later by those who follow you (or yourself five years later). You need to capture the ‘why’s of how you designed things since they may not be obvious to someone maintaining or updating the system who was not involved in the original project. A project blog would do this nicely.
How Search Can Help You Understand Your Audience
Analysing search logs allows us to predict what those queries will be, and work out how best to answer these queries to fulfill the users requirements without the need for them to understand the naming conventions, departmental demarcation or strategic aims. Instead we can use the interpretation of their actions to shape a better interaction with the site for future visitors, and we can use that interpretation to influence the content and navigation of a site to better suit all visitors, not just those who have resorted to search.
Another great article from Martin Belam that is based on his experience on the BBCi search team.
Fog Creek Software has released a beta version of CityDesk 2.0.
I use CD 1.0 to manage the non-blog portions of High Context. At work I have a couple of project sites set up with it and have deployed it in HR so they can maintain our employee handbook on the intranet. Very easy to train non-technical staff on how to use the software.
What’s new in this version? Go here to find out.
CMS Watch reports that the General Services Administration is licesensing Vignette, which they will use to offer CMS services to other federal agencies. Here is the award notice (over half a million $US).
It will be interesting to see how the internal service model will work for them. I think it is the right way to go but it’s hard to create change in the government, which this will require.
Matthew Thomas’ weblog specs. A good list of features although it omits Trackback support. I like the scheme for URI based on dates. (Found via RC3.)
C. David Gammel, CAE 