[Inconceivable: Have sent you my email.]
I haven't done any sort of update for some time on the new site structure. This thread is probably an opportunity for me to give you an idea of what I'm currently working on behind the scenes. To cut a long story short, I'm basically using a very structured thinking and planning process to see if what I have envisioned is possible. I haven't finished that process so don't have an answer yet.
Please bear in mind, I've worked very hard for over ten years straight now on brewing. I've worked my "normal" business however
all the time or money that brought me has gone into "exploring" brewing information. That was not a conscious decision, I simply found the whole area fascinating and very challenging. There are thousands of hidden posts on this forum, several thousand Skype hours and God knows how many tens of thousands of emails and PM's where I and others have found "individual" information problems and, with a hell of a lot of work, solved them.
Even after all that though, it wasn't until last year that I could see a way of bringing all this brewing information together into an elegant whole. I deliberately stopped work to solve this and with Sarah's help, and charts all over the walls here, the structure was solved.
BREWER.info, intends to be One Big Guide
Yes, if the process I'm working through atm shows what I have envisioned is possible, then BIABrewer.info, will change name to BREWER.info.
The structure and content of BREWER.info has been planned. For the user, it will seem very simple and easy to use - it will make perfect sense. Designing it that way has been an incredible task of combining thousands of components in layers that will appear to the user as they need them.
And, the same consideration has been paid to the forum/community/communication side of things. BREWER.info, I beleive, is a very elegant solution to a very complex information problem. I wrote the other day, as part of the current planning process...
“Elegance,” is an important word. It’s a word that is impossible to adequately define as it is really a summation of subtleties. It may help though to use the analogy of a prestige or “elegant” car. This vehicle is a congregation of care. Components, some complex within themselves, are combined to ‘simply’ form a car that is effortless and enjoyable to drive.
BREWER.info aims to be a prestige “information” vehicle for the home craftbrewer. Simplistically, it is a website that allows home craft brewers to “jump in” and embark on brewing journeys that fit their level of experience and needs. The vehicle can handle any terrain from the safe journey required for a new driver through to the exciting drive that may be desired by a seasoned driver.
Is it Possible?
BREWER.info
is amazing. It's a site of layers of information structured in a manner that totally considers the user.
We've created the solution, it's sitting there ready to go, but can it be realised? Well, that's what I'm currently trying to work out...
Current Doubts - IT
Most websites do not really seem to consider the user. And, most websites, when you look at them, have very little information to convey. Why is that?
And then we have big websites such as government ones that often actually don't work.
The IT side of things is a very big worry for me. I drained an incredible amount of money into it last year until I had nothing left. Bear in mind too, this was done with the motivation of just getting the quality out there. (You might be asking, "Why on earth did you do that?" Well, every week it seemed that just another week or two would solve the IT problems. I'm not an IT expert so why wouldn't I believe that?) My intention was to get the info out there first and, if it cost too much, put my thinking in to getting those dollars back after the job was done
Anyway, I know a lot more about IT now than I did 12 months ago. The most mundane or simplest of things seem to be incredibly difficult to solve. In fact, it's not the site structure that seems to pose a problem in implementing, it's incredibly stupid, little stuff that is, however, critical (e.g. email notifications.)
This is definitely the biggest area of concern for me as there are quite a few parts to the IT side. Even if we had $1,000 a week to spend on IT, I'm not confident, at this stage, how that would best be spent. For example, I can't seem to find one person that has skills across all the areas needed. If that is true, and several people have to be engaged, how do you co-ordinate that?
Other Difficulties - Communication/Co-ordination
The second big issue for me, personally, is that of communication and co-ordination. I try to contribute on the forum (under a different name) as much as I can and I enjoy that. Behind that though are many other communications. It annoys me that those who contribute the most here, I leave until last because I know I can. The rare occasions that I can just sit and write to them is an absolute treat for me.
Communicating as much as I should, I find extremely difficult - there are simply not enough hours in the day for me to communicate, with quality, to those who matter most.
As for coordinating communications, when we might be working on something behind the scenes, that, in the past, has stolen many hours, however, I think I do have a solution to that now.
Only Content Worries I Have...
The only content worries I have are with pictures and videos but I have seen some excellent talent buried on this site so I'm marking this problem as solved
.
We Have a Lot and Have Done a Lot
Hopefully once I have finished the thinking/planning process I'm working on, I'll have identified the resources we need and how to finance them. However...
If I conclude that BREWER.info is not possible, I'm fine with that. (I'll at least change the skin of the site. If we don't change it soon, even I will leave!) The founders and "unseen" members here have created a lot. BIAB brewing (unfortunately on other sites, the original concept is often lost) is now the most common method of all-grain brewing in the world. We've also done a lot of far less-known things - Clear Brewing Terminology and The BIABacus (which we might change to The BrewAbacus) will hopefully also become common-place one day.
The site was founded on a simple principle though; quality information from a quality community. Fingers crossed, I quickly find a less laborious way for members to access quality information. This way, our existing quality members will have more quality time to spend on newer members and the cycle will continue.
All the best,
Pat
P.S. I'll leave PistolPatch to write on the myths issue mentioned above
P.P.S. The below is one of many diagrams I've drawn up over the last month. (An older version as some money lines are not the right thickness etc.)
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