You can now add 'real' creative commons licensing in knotes blogs

07-March-2006

[ kind=how-to , development/knotes/weblogs/features ]
We've added a new feature to knotes. If you can manage a weblog, you can choose a creative commons license for it. That license will be applied programmatically to all textual content views (rdf embedding as well as human-readable notice with links to the appropriate cc deed).

We're great fans of the Creative Commons system for denoting open content licensing. In educational settings especially, the simplicity of CC licensing can cut through a lot of silly obstacles to sharing.

We've now made it very easy to add Creative Commons licensing to knotes weblog content. There are new links in the Manage sidebar for managing a CC license (you need manage role on a weblog to see that sidebar).

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If no license has yet been chosen, you see a link to "Add Creative Commons License". Clicking that takes you into a form delivered by the developer API at Creative Commons, which guides you through the choice. Click 'proceed' when done there to have the CC API contact knotes with the information about your license. The license you have chosen will then be rendered into all knotes views, both as machine-readable RDF and human-readable badge and link to the deed (see the screenshot for an example)

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Embedding the RDF - "properly" adding the license to your content - is vital to having the legal import of your choice of deed made "ert". For instance, google will note the embedded RDF and thus will include hits to your content when people search specifically for creative-commons deeded content in google's advanced search.

If you have already applied a CC license, the "Add Creative Commons License" link in the Manage sidebar is replaced by links to change or retract the license.

We hope this helps users to express their intentions to share content. Please let us know of any other features that would help in smoothing the sharing of content, especially in institutional settings.


Mike Malloch; 07-March-2006 04:12:33 forum (0)

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[OpenDock Project Weblog], I've added 'real' creative-commons license embedding to this weblog, 08-March-2006 10:36:37

Added icons / links for help in the 'what is this?' and 'contribute' sidebars

08-February-2006

[ development/knotes/weblogs/ ]
I've just added icons / links in the what is this?' and 'contribute' sidebars which will point to help content for navigating and contributing-to weblogs, respectively. The content still needs to be written.

You should notice 2 new icons in the main sidebars: [ Help for weblog navigation ] in the 'What is this? sidebar is meant to point to help content that explains what the user is looking at and how to do basic navigation. [ How to contribute ] in the Contribute sidebar is meant to point to help content that explains how logged-in members can post, reply, and set themselves up for making the most out of the weblog's features.

We still need to write the content for these help topics. My intention is that the help content will open in the quick-view area ( like the add-new-entry form does ). I think we can and should write quick-tips "cheat sheets" quite quickly, and then elaborate on these at our leisure. I'll be trying to get those cheat-sheets written today (though I have a stinking chest cold which is weakening the old brain-power).

Please note that these 2 icons/links join 2 that already exist - the little icon in the "posted info" pane under every blog entry points to a quick-tips sheet explaining the other posted-info icons and basic actions like replying, sharing a permalink etc ( this content needs updating ). And the blog_forum view has a prominent icon, intended to point to help for using the forum view; the content for this still needs to be written as well.

I welcome ideas about how best to approach creating the content to match these help topics / icons :o)


Mike Malloch; 08-February-2006 06:22:55 forum (0)