my thoughts about design

[Ken Olum <kdo cosmos phy tufts edu>]

Here are some thoughts about what we need in an automated bapc system.

There are two parts: a calendar system and a system for sending weekly
emails.  The calendar system should allow people to enter an event on
the day that it will take place.  I don't use an online calendar myself,
but I take it there is a way to include calendars in other calendars, so
that a person who wanted could have all those events appear in their own
calendar.

Perhaps departments have their own online calendars.  Should we make it
possible for events in those calendars to automatically appear in the
bapc?  Then there be no extra steps and perhaps we would get more
postings.  On the other hand, probably each university is using their own
calendar system, so this might be difficult.

Should anyone be able to enter an event?  In theory this might allow
abuses.  But currently anyone can subscribe to the bapc and post events,
and there has never been a problem.

Should anyone be able to modify or delete an event, or only the person
who entered it?  We wouldn't want people malicious or mistakenly
deleting others' events, but probably this wouldn't happen.  It would be
unfortunate if someone learns that the speaker for an upcoming seminar
has had to cancel, but can't update the event because it was posted by a
different person.

There should be a system for weekly emails listing the events for the
following week, sent out Friday afternoon perhaps.  There should be a
mailing list of people who want those listings, and I'm happy to
maintain it.  There should also be a list to which to send last-minute
cancellations, and the like.  Maybe this should be the same list.
That's certainly easiest.

Right now a lot of people forget to send their seminars to bapc-events
in advance, and then when the weekly mailing comes out, they are
reminded and send the announcements to bapc-late, which is unfortunate.
Should they still do that?  The difference in the new system is that
they can now put their event in the calendar at any time.  But people
who don't read the calendar online but only get the emails will then not
know about it.  There are also events that are organized at the last
minute.  Should those be sent by email in addition to being put in 
the calendar?

The system should be set up so it can survive any of us.  So there
should be a some kind of administrator access that can be passed on from
one person to another and permits doing everything involving the system.

                                        Ken