The CommunityGoals Blog

Lookout: Version 2 Is Coming

Based on feedback from users of the current (version 1) of CommunityGoals (CG), it has become clear that some things needed improvement! So, naturally, the CG crew* are busy designing and building version 2.

There are two big picture changes you’ll see in version 2:

• Many workflows are being rethought in order to make it easier to jump right in and get started.  You will be able to do more without logging in. Many of the steps will be streamlined.
• We’ve ditched the up-front listing fee. The current version (v1) has a listing fee of $5, and I think this was a barrier to adoption.  I listen when people tell me that they want to be able to explore and try it out for free.

Stay tuned for more details.

* Admittedly, we are a small crew: one full timer (me), an assistant, and some subcontractors from time to time, but we are hiring.

Explore - no sign up needed

I’ve opened up CommunityGoals a bit. You can now try out CommunityGoals without signing up.  This will give you a flavor for what it is about.

Proposal Voting is Ready

I recently completed the proposal voting page. It is designed to make it easy to vote. Here’s what you can do from the voting screen:

• review the proposals using an email-like interface
• drag and drop a proposal from the proposal list onto the ballot
• drag and drop ballot items to reorder them

Payment Processing is Live

I have integrated PayPal into the shopping cart. This means that CommunityGoals now works with real money. I can’t wait to see what people do with it.

Improved Infrastructure

CommunityGoals now uses Git for source control, which is a big improvement over the previous technology (Subversion) I was using. Why should you care? Unless you are a software developer, the details may not interest you.

However, everyone can appreciate good infrastructure, whether it be roads, electricity, or software. Good infrastructure of all kinds just makes other tasks easier.

Speaking of infrastructure, CommunityGoals itself provides infrastructure, though in a different sort of way. I hope that over time, lots of people find CommunityGoals to be a useful tool to help groups get things done. Let me know how I can streamline it for your needs.

A Brief Hiatus

I took a little break from CommunityGoals to work on a Ruby open source project. It felt good to work on something a little different. I gave a quick demo of the project (called Method Trails) to the DC Ruby Users Group. Now I’m refreshed and back and ready to get cranking again.

Upload Your Images

We now have image uploading. A good visual can really improve the impact of your goal. It is really easy, just go to your goal and click on “upload new image.”

PayPal Integration in Progress

Woah, there are a bunch of payment options on the Web. I examined some of them. I will begin with PayPal Website Payments Standard. In the future, I will consider other payment options if users request them.

So far I have spent a few days learning and coding; if things go smoothly I will need several more before CommunityGoals is ready to accept payments.

Updated Look

Thanks to P.J. who made some great recommendations on how to improve the look of the site.  I’ve made lots of small changes that should make the site easier to navigate and read.

Alerts Added

CommunityGoals now has alerts.  This means that you will be emailed when important events happen relating to your goals.  The alerts also show up on the “My Goals” page.