The Text Outline Project: Proposed Next Steps

What is the best way to get this project (this set of projects) off the ground?  Here are some thoughts, which is continually being refined into a more definite practical plan, as well as (in retrospect) serving as a record of what we have accomplished.  This is very much subject to discussion: please join the mailing list.

Stage One: primordial development (March-May 2006)

  1. Initial conceptualizing, writing, and talking (March 26-April 13)
  2. Finish draft of manifesto (April 18)
  3. Register domain name and get website hosted (April 20)
  4. Set up initial mailing lists (April 21)
  5. Edit initial documents to the point where they can be showed to a small group of trusted people (May 2)
  6. Ask for feedback from a circle of one or two dozen trusted people (Advisory Committee) (May 5)
  7. Create any easy-to-create screenshots (May 6)
  8. Introduce idea to and recruit among a larger group (~200 people) of known, trusted, smart people (May 6)
  9. Kick off the Textop mailing list (May 11)
  10. Refine documents in accordance with any feedback (May 13 and ongoing)
  11. Draft proposal for a wiki-based exploratory (test) project (May 14)
  12. Switch domain and mailing list hosting to a partner (May 15)

Stage Two: public introduction and pilot project kickoff (May-July 2006)

  1. textop.org is introduced to the public via a link on a Digital Universe page, Sanger's blog, and other sources (May 16)
  2. Draft outlining principles (May 17)
  3. Install Textop pilot project wiki (May 27)
  4. Ask current participants to circulate initial call for participation (June 1)
  5. Set up textop-en-phil (June 8)
  6. Get wiki ready for Collation Project pilot announcement (June 9)
  7. Post call for participation to philosophers (June 11)
  8. Plan scheduled discussions (June 20)
  9. Settle upon a set of first texts to collate (June 20)
  10. Start search for text editors (June 20)
  11. Start scheduled discussions (June 23)
  12. Do a great deal of thinking about funding proposals (late June, early July)
  13. Do a Skypecast tutorial (July 14)
  14. Finish "how to collate a text" (July 15)
  15. Prepare screen capture video illustrating how to collate a text (July 16-7)
  16. Actually start work on the Collation Project pilot (July 17)
  17. Finish converting work on Leviathan into wiki format (July 27)
  18. Post FAQ (July 28)
  19. Start cleaning up previous work done on Leviathan (July 28)
Stage Three: pilot project expansion, and gear-up for software project launch (July-September 2006)
  1. Draft proposal for executive committee (August 4)
  2. Draft Debate Guide Project guidelines (August 9)
  3. Begin prototyping of Debate Guide Project (August 9)
  4. Make a general call for participation
  5. Ask participants to recruit/network/nominate/research for leadership positions and for further high-quality participants
  6. Draft an essay arguing for the necessity of outlining vs. tagging
  7. Create new namespaces on wiki for subprojects
  8. Draft Community Charter (at least issues to be covered)
  9. Solicit participation for and kick off the Textop-OSS mailing list
  10. Draft "summaries" of three other projects
  11. Begin prototyping analytical dictionary entries
  12. Begin prototyping event summaries
  13. Ask for more sophisticated screenshots illustrating the concepts, based on prototypes
  14. Decide on larger set of mailing lists
  15. Select initial co-managers for future lists
  16. Create a full complement of mailing lists
  17. Train list moderators/managers
  18. Set up SourceForge account
  19. Set up a CVS or similar system
  20. Refine software development plan and requirements
  21. Internationalize website: design internationalization, and get translation of project documents done; to begin with, offer versions a dozen or so languages, such as English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese (depends on participants)

Items for later stages (fall, and winter 2006)

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