 |
Teambldr
User
Sep 10, 2002, 10:22 AM
Post #1 of 5
(1990 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Syndication Feature Change Idea
|
Can't Post
|
|
Currently the syndication is either open or closed. Accessible or not accessible.
Would it be possible to create a more defined and controllable situation by adding in "membership" or assigning site ID's to sutes that want to show your syndicated content?
Something along the lines of setting up a writer. Where the account can be activated, placed on hold or deleted?
Any thoughts?
Brian
|
|
| |
|
InSite
User
Sep 10, 2002, 8:46 PM
Post #2 of 5
(1980 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [Teambldr] Syndication Feature Change Idea
[In reply to]
|
Can't Post
|
|
The syndication feature was one that attracted us most to Article Manager when we purchased it for our site. However, it's the one feature that we havent started using yet!
Not having any control over who can use our newsfeeds is a bit of a bummer. It means we cant effectively stop ANY site using our news if the feature is enabled. This therefore means that we cannot control our site "branding", protecting the valuable resource that is our news reporters. This is the reason we have yet to use the feature.
I love Article Manager, it's the best bit of software I've bought for my site in terms of support and feelgood. I have installed the free add-on for the "Discuss this article" option, and almost feel guilty having not paid for it, as it adds a dimension to the program that I thought I had sacrificed with this purchase!
If the Syndication was to do everything that I wanted, ie site user accounts, moderation, account termination, etc, then I think this would push the boundaries of the software to beyond what I originally paid for. I like IT, they are a great company, and I dont want them to go bust! So what I'm saying is, either include this in an upgrade, and charge for it, or SELL your add-ons, and release the "professional" syndication as an option. I'd pay for it if I could afford it 
|
|
| |
|
Dave
Staff
/ Moderator
Sep 10, 2002, 10:56 PM
Post #3 of 5
(1976 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [InSite] Syndication Feature Change Idea
[In reply to]
|
Can't Post
|
|
Tell us more about how you'd like the newsfeed system to work. The issue with signups and such is that in the end, a site is just including a tag in their page that loads a javascript file off your site. So there's not really a lot that can be done as far as security. We could add a referer check (make sure it's coming from a specific domain) but that would be bypassed as well (although, not without a lot of hassle).
As per branding, you can have it display whatever you like on the top and bottom of the newsfeed, including graphics and links to your site. I'm not sure if I completely follow.
In any case, give us some more details on what you'd like to be able to do and perhaps we'll be able to make some suggestions, or, at the very least, add some ideas to the requested features list for future versions. : )
Thanks.
Dave Edis - Senior Developer
interactivetools.com
|
|
| |
|
InSite
User
Sep 11, 2002, 1:23 AM
Post #4 of 5
(1971 views)
Shortcut
|
Re: [Dave] Syndication Feature Change Idea
[In reply to]
|
Can't Post
|
|
Hi Dave,
I was a bit unclear there. When I say "branding", I didnt mean the obvious "Provided by MySite.com" tag which we can put in already. What I meant was branding in a sense of sponsorship, which sites we are associated with, and having the ability to protect our assets by controlling who can use them. If Joe Public can use my headlines for free without me even knowing about it, then I cant really try and place any value on them when I try and set up a sponsorship deal, or sell them to BigCorporation.com.
What I'd love to see this feature turn into is a "professional edition" add-on. NOT something you give away free - what you have done already is fine for a most of sites! But a fully paid for option which vastly improves the features of the syndication part of Article Manager.
For this new add-on product, you could include the following features: - Sign up screen for webmasters, collecting name, email, website address, account password, etc
- Admin section for Webfeed Generator Pro which allows you to control "subscriptions". This should include the ability to list all subscribers in order of name, status (active, pending, disabled) and referrer (number of hits, or similar)
- Tracking system in admin section that displays information on a per user level, saying how many times the script was called on a daily / weekly / monthly / yearly basis, and how many conversions (click-throughs) there were to the full article. (Note: While you add this feature, you could also use the tracking system for Article Manager 2, providing statistics on page views for articles. Feedback is always great for reporters).
- Optional sign-up routes: Free version with banner ads and linking to my site for stories, or paid for version with no ads and ability to customise more features (including pulling the whole story to their site, rather then feeding them to my site).
- Unique control panel for subscribers, allowing them to cancel their account, upgrade services, edit features, contact support team (me), see their statistics, etc.
That's all I can think of for now!
I'm no programmer, so excuse me if this suggestion about controlling access is simplistic, but maybe when a subscriber signs up, they can be generated a unique account number, with an ID embedded in their javascript code. Then when the script is called, it can be checked against an access table to verify the account is valid and active? You could then try your HTTP_Referrer thing to ensure it matches up with their subscription details, but at this point I'm lost and just babbling 
May I emphasise that I am not asking for the above features for FREE. IF you were to make a paid-for addon, these are the kinds of things that would let me justify spending money 
(This post was edited by InSite on Sep 11, 2002, 1:24 AM)
|
|
| |
|
Dave
Staff
/ Moderator
Sep 12, 2002, 11:48 PM
Post #5 of 5
(1951 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Re: [InSite] Syndication Feature Change Idea
[In reply to]
|
Can't Post
|
|
InSite,
Thanks for your suggestion. I'm not really sure how popular this would be, or even what the best way to implement it would be, but it's an interesting concept and I'm going to give it some more thought.
In the meantime, I've come up with a partial solution you might find of interest. You could hardcode a list of "valid" domains into your webfeed javascript template file. Then only "authorized" domains would be able to include the feed. You'd have to manually update the template for each new site you added, and it wouldn't support category restrictions, but it might be a start. If you're interested in that let me know and I'll post some sample javascript for you to use.
Also, I'm curious what sort of content you have and how you're market it? Most sites like more links because it brings them more traffic? You must have something interesting to be able to charge people just to link to it. : )
Dave Edis - Senior Developer
interactivetools.com
|
|
| |
| | |
|
