https://www.aclweb.org/adminwiki/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=2012Q3_Reports%3A_ACL_Portal 2026-04-18T05:39:05Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.43.6 https://www.aclweb.org/adminwiki/index.php?title=2012Q3_Reports:_ACL_Portal&diff=1449&oldid=prev 2012-06-19T02:42:18Z

<p>New page: Report on the ACL Portal Robert Dale, 19th June 2012 The ACL Portal, at http://www.acweb.org/portal, was created to provide a web-based platform to house facilities for members that migh...</p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div>Report on the ACL Portal <br /> Robert Dale, 19th June 2012<br /> <br /> The ACL Portal, at http://www.acweb.org/portal, was created to provide a web-based<br /> platform to house facilities for members that might be seen as benefits to<br /> replace the CL journal (which, until it went open access and electronic<br /> only, was a major tangible benefit of membership). <br /> <br /> Over the last year or so, we have had the part time assistance of Josh<br /> Herring in maintaining the Portal, which is built on top of the Drupal<br /> content management system. The goal had been to provide Josh with a steady<br /> stream of interesting development work as well as routine maintenance, with<br /> that development work coming from the implementation of content and<br /> functionality that would provide member services. Unfortunately, no-one has<br /> had the time, energy or insight required to provide a constant stream of<br /> such developments, and consequently, Josh&#039;s main work has been making minor<br /> modifications to the software for managing memberships. <br /> <br /> We have reached a point where we need to commit to a decision one way or the<br /> other on the portal. The current model is not sustainable: we are<br /> providing Josh with so little work that he may easily decide to go and do<br /> something else, at which point the portal becomes unmaintained. This is a<br /> problem because currently it is the primary source of all our membership<br /> information.<br /> <br /> We have two alternatives: <br /> <br /> [1] Assign someone the specific task of working out an aggressive portal<br /> development plan, and then give them responsibility for managing the rollout<br /> of this plan. This might be the incoming ACL Exec Member who is to be the<br /> information officer, but it could be a separate role.<br /> <br /> [2] Wind down the portal with a plan to quietly removing it, returning the<br /> membership database to a simpler technology (probably the spreadsheet-based<br /> system that Priscilla used prior to the development of the portal).<br /> <br /> In my view, it is too big a risk to leave things as they are.</div>

Ahakim