[Envolution-devel] Envolution Official International Website Policy

[Scott K. <sc...@ki...>]

This announcement is to inform the Envolution Community how we will be
implementing navigation to our International Support Sites and how those
websites interact with each other based on the input and feedback from
the organizational meeting held Aug 2, 2003.

The Envolution International Network of websites is just that, a
network. So as a network there are some guidelines and requirements to
be considered an Official Envolution International Website.

To create a network which functions in a similar manner and provides a
clear and concise image and web presence to the public at large our
community has voted to implement these changes in policy toward
networked Envolution websites. Once again, these policies do not affect
non-official websites or enthusiast websites they are specifically for
Official Envolution International Websites.

1) This section will describe URL naming conventions and how navigation
and forwarding to Official Envolution International Websites will take
place. I will use an example to illustrate how we will be implementing
this.

Stefan K=C3=B6hler is the webmaster of the Official German Envolution
International Website. He currently manages the envolution.de domain.
People who wish to access support in the German language will still be
able to acces that site with the familiar domain name envolution.de, so
nothing in regard to that changes.

We will however place the envolution.net domain seperate from the
envolution.com content. The envolution.net domain is defined by the .net
top level domain designation which is an internet standard for
identifying networks.

We will place a single webpage up on the envolution.net website that
lists each Official Envolution International Network Website
individually. Information will contain contact names for each Official
Envolution International Website along with a brief welcoming message=20
in the language appropriate to each website. Links will be provided for
the Official Envolution International Website in this format:

http://www.germany.envolution.net
http://www.germany.envolution.com
http://www.germany.envolution.org
http://www.germany.envolution.info
http://www.germany.envolution.biz

All five of the Envolution top level domains need not be listed if that
is not preferred by the Official Envoltuion International Website
Manager. But they can be.=20


2) This section will cover the requirements and guidelines for being
appointed an Official Envolution International Website.

a) All Official Envolution International Websites will be required to
maintain a similar look and feel. That is to say that each Official
Envolution International Website must be running the Envolution CMS.
They should have the same theme but may have different colors and such.
For example of this take a look at http://www.germany.envolution.net. It
has the same theme as the Envolution.com website...yet still maintains
it's own identity by the use of different graphics and colors.

b) All Official Envolution International Websites will also designate
someone who can interact with the main Envolution.com staff to
coordinate news and translations of news. The primary contact from
International Websites to the main Envolution.com website should be
coordinated with the Project Manager ApathyBoy.

c) All Official Envolution International Websites will need to provide
reciprocal links back to other Official Envolution International
Websites, including the main Envolution.com website using the same URL
naming conventions described above in section one.

The reasons for this policy implementation is to help overcome
communication barriers between all the different cultures and languages
our community uses. By providing the reciprocal links we truley will
become a network of international websites. It also gives a constant URL
naming convention for visitors to use that still identifies the
Envolution brand and allows individual maintainers of the websites to
concentrate on support and development instead of DNS issues.=20

It also does not lock Envolution into a particular server should an
Official International Website change. If for example the current
Official Envolution International Website becomes inactive or chooses
not to support the Envolution project we can simply redesginate the
domains to a website that will take it's place. This policy protects the
community and preserves the ability of individual official international
websites to act independantly of the main Envolution.com website to
better serve the support and language needs of their constituants.

These policies were discussed and voted upon in the Organizational
meeting on August 2, 2003 without objection.