074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

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074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by Geoff » Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:41 am

074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"
Create an attractive tri-fold brochure using OpenOffice Writer that shows
how Joomla! is used by Schools all around the world.

Good source for finding appropriate systems is a Google Search or using the
http://JoomlaPlace.org examples.

Skills Needed

* Good communication skills.
* Creativity.
* Good Public Relations Skills.
* Good Open Office Writer and communication skills.

Difficulty

Basic.

Work Product

Attractive tri-fold that could be used by schools to learn and show others
how Joomla! can be used for that purpose. Use Joomla! logo and color scheme
http://www.joomla.org/content/view/259/70/ .

Licensing

Documentation written for this task must be made available under the
Joomla! Electronic Documentation License.

Extra Credit (Optional)

Interview site owners and include their comments on Joomla!.

Time Limit

2 weeks
http://code.google.com/p/google-highly- ... tail?id=74

In addition to creating a brochure, there is a chance that I will be giving a workshop to student leaders next year on creating websites school (with Joomla!). If I do get the chance to do the workshop, there will be up to 4 groups of 40 students attending (not including advisors). I will also be distributing my completed brochure to local schools in the area that do no already use Joomla!

Draft Attached. More formats will be available soon. 

Please comment, add suggestions, etc.

Update Log:
11/28/07 - rough draft; getting a rough idea. things are still changing.

Claimed Nov 28 Due: Dec 12

Google Task
[me=AmyStephen]Changed subject slightly for sorting all threads to match against Google resource  :)[/me]

Download/View File:
Note: File available in PDF format only. Sorry, ODT and DOC files got to big to post here.

Updated File: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic ... msg1113223 - 12/11

Updated File: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic ... msg1111627 - 12/10
Updated File: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic ... msg1108831 - 12/8
Last edited by AmyStephen on Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by mcsmom » Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:50 am

Great; if you do the presentation, definitely write it up and share any slides etc for extra credit. I'll take a look at your draft.
So we must fix our vision not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but upon the positive affirmation of peace. MLK 1964.
http://officialjoomlabook.com Get it at http://www.joomla.org/joomla-press-official-books.html Buy a book, support Joomla!.


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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by DanBollinger » Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:41 pm

You might want to read my pamphlet design concepts at: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic ... msg1100105

There are logos and logo style sheets at: http://www.joomla.org/content/view/259/70/

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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by Geoff » Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:56 pm

Community Feedback please.
Why joomla! panel needs a bit more work. Colors will be changed slightly to match Joomla! colors better.

File is in PDF format. ODT file is too big.

edit by igeoffi: attachment removed
See this post for most recent file: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic ... msg1098534
Last edited by Geoff on Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by AmyStephen » Mon Dec 10, 2007 4:44 am

Good start.

The extensions library is good - and talking generally about the types of extensions that area good for schools. I would rather not see any specific extensions listed.

I also think it's a good idea to show real school sites - at least three - look at JoomlaPlace.org.

Mention community - abilty to work with other schools on common solutions. De-emphasize the reduced financial cost a bit.

Love Big Site, Little Site heading.

Check those URLs - drop www  - there is no .com.

Thanks!
Amy :)

FINAL: Community feedback desired.

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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by Geoff » Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:05 am

Thanks. Will upload finalized copy tonight with recommended changes.
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by trombonechamp » Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:35 am

I like it!

The only thing I would suggest is to add some more content to the benefits section.  Yeah, Joomla! is gratis free, but there is so much more to it than that.  You don't mention any of the benefits of the GPL.  You also may want to target some more specific features.  Many of the readers reading this will be thinking, "What does Joomla! have that Plone and Drupal don't?  What makes this the best choice on opensourcecms.com?"  While you should avoid targeting specific products (Joomla! has this, but Drupal doesn't.  Drupal is also lacking in this and that etc.), you probably will want to focus on more school-specific features than just being gratis free.  I have worked with my district tech coordinators on integrating Linux into our technology system, and I can tell you cost is the last thing on their minds.  To show you know what you are talking about, I suggest redo that paragraph and start with something along the lines of, "While it is true that Joomla! is free of cost, the real benefit of using Joomla! will be the educational opportunities that will result from it.  Joomla! has...".  This is probably the most important paragraph on the brochure, so you will want to spend some more time on it.

Just let me know if you need some more help with the paragraph.  I could even send you my essay or some of my notes on "Open Source in Schools" if you wanted.

Good luck!
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by Geoff » Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:58 am

Updated version.
I should have taken into account all the recent suggestions. If not, sorry I might I have skipped it. Just remind me again. :)

Once again,
FINAL: Community feedback please. :D


edit by igeoffi: attachment removed
See this post for most recent file: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic ... msg1098534
Last edited by Geoff on Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by mcsmom » Tue Dec 11, 2007 9:29 pm

Geoff,

On the middle panel of page 2, make the url for the extensions site extensions.joomla.org (no www).
So we must fix our vision not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but upon the positive affirmation of peace. MLK 1964.
http://officialjoomlabook.com Get it at http://www.joomla.org/joomla-press-official-books.html Buy a book, support Joomla!.

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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by trombonechamp » Tue Dec 11, 2007 10:24 pm

-Under Flexibility, "Joomla! Extension director," should be "Joomla! extension directory," (add the y and don't capitalize the e)
-"Gone are the days where you have to spend countless hours creating extensions for your site to only find out that it does not work."  2 things:
1. since extensions is plural, "it does not work" should be changed to "they do not work".
2. "for your site to only find out" should be "for your site only to find out"

-You might want to consider cropping the mrdeis.com site, so that you have more of the actual page than just the sky-blue background.
-I like the new Benefits paragraph!!!
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by AmyStephen » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:08 am

I think the titles are not needed as the URLs are very descriptive; it clutters, I think.
Useful Links:
Help Site: help.joomla.org
Community Forum: forum.joomla.org
Extensions: extensions.joomla.org
Why Joomla!?
OK. One - is an opinion you can do with as you wish. The second is a call for truth in advertising. Joomla! did not take first place two years in a row. Drupal took first place this year. I realize you didn't say overall, but I think it's misleading. You could say PackT awarded Joomla! high honors two years in a row. That is absolutely true.

Opinion - saying "we are the best" probably isn't helpful. Saying Joomla! v 1.5 has a newly refactored Model View Controller application architecture built using object oriented programming concepts in PHP does say something.
Why Joomla!?
Of all the things out there why should you
use Joomla!? Simply because it's the best
solution available. Joomla! has taken first
place two years in a row in the Packt Awards.
Wording?
As more and more students spend more time
online, schools are no longer able to easily
connect with parents of students and
students. With Joomla!, this is all possible
once again.
Maybe something more like:
Today, families spend more time online.
They are Internet savvy and expect to
connect with school systems using
these technologies.
Then, the rest of what you say - community support - extensions, connecting people together - combine with registration restrictions and safe online environments - great, great, great!

Wonderful!
safe online
environment for students and parents to
connect together with educators.
I'd remove this on the front page:
the PHP open source CMS
What is Joomla!?
Change It's to Its
It's limits do not
Change to "Joomla! can be used to" (avoid passive tense- I struggle with that):
Joomla! has been also used to
Big Site, Little Site

Very strong - love this.

Add comma between need and quickly.
they need quickly and easily.
Flexibility and Extensibility

Couple points on this. First of all, most of the audience you are trying to reach never had such days. Secondly, that is scary! I think the point you are trying to make is the rest of the section. I would remove that part - the rest is very strong.
Gone are the days where you have to spend
countless hours creating extensions for your
site to only find out that it does not work.
Again, careful with passive:
Joomla! makes installing and managing
extensions easy with the extension
manager.
To:
Extensions are easy to install
and manage using Joomla's
Extension Manager.
The feel becomes lighter on it's feet - more positive!

director --> directory and get rid of the www
Joomla! Extension director,
http://www.extensions.joomla.org.
:-*
These
extensions were all created by the Joomla!
Community for the community.
:-* (get rid of also) (add v 2 behind GNU GPL)
Joomla! is also licensed
under GNU GPL which creates an easier
environment for schools to share
customizations with other schools.

Make this a new paragraph - but WOW!  :-*
While it is
true that Joomla! is free, the real benefits of
using Joomla arise from the educational
opportunities that can result from it. Using
Joomla!, schools can create a safe online
learning environment for students to learn
more from home. Students can also hold
educational discussions on discussion
boards on the site. Schools can also more
easily reach out to parents and better
communicate with them using various
extensions. As you can see, Joomla! is not
only cost effective, but it also helps create
educational opportunities.
You are really building a strong case for school districts to consider Joomla!. And, most importantly, a message that has integrity about it. Excellent progress!

If possible - make the images of the sites bigger - agree with previous comment about blue sky - and remove the website addresses. You could put Manhattan Country School as a caption, but let's not use the URLs.

++++

Now. You are at the point you could consider a way to jazz it up a tiny little bit without disturbing a very easy-on-the-eyes style you have going. For starters, the blue font you are using in the headings and links could be the Joomla! blue (look at the logo page to find the hex values.)

Something happened to the Joomla! letters at the bottom of the logo on page one.

Getting there - this is really going to be strong - thanks!
Amy :)

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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by Geoff » Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:29 am

Thanks for the input.
This time, Vista decided to restart while I took a break....it decided that updates were more important than all of my documents so I might have missed something. So, once again, I might have missed a suggestion so please bring it up again.

Thanks for your help.

Uploaded file attached

edit: Due Wed Dec 12.
I was planning on having this done in a two days (or at least most of it) but then Murphy's law decided to kick in and yea....downhill from there.  ;)


edit by igeoffi: attachment removed
See this post for most recent file: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic ... msg1098534
Last edited by Geoff on Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by AmyStephen » Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:38 am

PakT - PackT

Today, more families spend more time
online. They are Iinternet (capitalize Internet)

There are countless numbers of extensions --> There are thousands of extensions

Remove URLs - replace with Captions

the way they need quickly, and easily. --> the way they need, quickly and easily.

There are many different CMSs available on the Iinternet. (capitalize Internet)

Great!
Amy :)

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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by Geoff » Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:46 am

Remove URLs - replace with Captions
Sorry, not sure what that means. I'm assuming that you meant the URLs under the images so I changed those.

Thanks again.
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by AmyStephen » Wed Dec 12, 2007 6:52 am

Only missed on item --> PakT - PackT

Yes, that's what I meant by URLs and captions.

We need one more judge to sign off - but - I say this is good to go! Once you have the last sign-off, post to Google and we'll close the task there, too.

Thanks so very much for your contributions to the community. This will be a nice brochure for sharing with schools - at conferences - or parents who want to print this off and take it to their own districts.

I really appreciate your positive attitude, quick response, and sharing your time and intelligence with our community.
Amy :)

FINAL REVIEW: I approve.

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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by Geoff » Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:00 am

Thanks for helping me out! :D

PackT fixed in this copy. :)
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by trombonechamp » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:24 pm

I like it a lot!
Of all the things out there why should you
use Joomla!?
This sentence doesn't make sense.
benefits of using Joomla arise from the
Joomla! needs the exclamation point!
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by Chris Davenport » Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:08 am

Hi igeoffi,

This is really very good work!

The only slight change I would make is:
Joomla! has been also used to create personal sites,
should read:
Joomla! has also been used to create personal sites,
There are some Americanisms that made me cringe (like the word "extensibility") but I'll put those down to localisation (or localization).  :P

I'm happy to sign off on this task, so please feel free to post your final version on the Google issue tracker and we'll formally close the task.  You can then go on to claim another task if you wish.

Well done!  :)

Chris.
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by DanBollinger » Thu Dec 13, 2007 2:48 am

Igeoffi,  Good, clean layout. Ideas flow well from beginning to end.  Here are some ideas. Use them, or lose them.

The spacing around images varies quite a bit. Try to maintain the same spacing.

The last panel with the Manhattan image off-balance compared to the other two inside panels. The image is small and at the bottom. Move it up, and increase its size.

The paragraph line spacing is so wide it makes it difficult to read. Reduce this a bit, then increase your typeface size to fit the copy back into the same space.

Some of your headings are questions, and then the first sentence in the paragraph is another question. Get rid of the twin questions. I'm not a fan of people who answer their own questions. If you want to do a Q&A, then set it up that way, otherwise I would recommend getting rid of the questions altogether.

You use the abbreviation CMS, but don't define it anywhere. It is proper form to do a spell-out at the first instance the abbreviation is used (putting it in curved brackets).

Dan

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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by Geoff » Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:27 am

Final

Special Thanks to:
The following community members for their valued input, suggestions, and correction:
mcsmom
AmyStephen
DanBollinger
Chris Davenport
tombonechamp
--
Joomla! for creating this opportunity to partcipate
Google for creating this program
JoomlaPlace.org for list of Joomla! websites

(if I missed you, please tell me so I can fix it)
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Re: 074 - Create a tri-fold brochure entitled "Using Joomla! for Schools"

Post by AmyStephen » Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:07 pm

Thank you very much, igeoffi, for your contributions to the Joomla! community!

The task is closed on Joomla! and at Google. You are free to select another task, if desired.

Amy :)


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