I’ve just ‘finished’ doing a significant update for the website. Loads of work has gone on behind-the-scenes, and yet it feels like there’s nothing obvious here from me about it. This feels kinda odd. Even though everything is edited live – it feels like there’s something missing or as if there’s nothing to show for it, apart from the slowly evolving website itself… So I decided to write this post about where things are up to..
Originally I had intended for the signal chat groups to be only accessible to people who understood the Pirate’s Code. Then for a few reasons, I decided it makes more sense for the website to do this, mainly because its generally a much more fertile environment for communication.
The main thing I’ve done with this update is to create a set of forms which people can use to offer and request help within the 6 areas of the Cypher. The forms are hidden unless you’re logged in. They are designed to make it easier to ask for or offer help. They do this by breaking requests and offers down into chunks. This makes you think more deeply about whatever you’re doing. It will also help to line up all the different offers with one another .
When I filled out these forms for the first time, I went through them all. I found that was quite an overwhelming experience. They’re intended to be used one at a time. I embraced struggling to compose sentences, by just using lists of 3 or 4 words without worrying about grammar. That helped me to offload my ideas a bit more easily. Maybe that’ll help you when you fill them out…
No doubt you’re itching to see these hidden forms! Well there is one form that you can fill out without logging in… It’s the request for help with learning more about using the Pirate’s Code form – obviously! (oh, but it took me sooooo long to figure that oot!)
Send a request through that form, and you’ll be supported by the Scrolling Affinity Group to learn the Pirate’s Code. Once you can explain it to someone else who has never come across you’ll be all set-up to collaborate cohesively with Space Pirates in the remaining four Affinity Groups. Then you’ll be given your Space Pirate’s username and website login details.
I’m really pleased with the end result of all this hard work and while there’s gonna be a lot more work to come this has been fun. And its also been great to write this post about the whole thing too..
Now I’ve finished this stage, something inside me – probably my ego – expects hundreds of people to suddenly start registering immediately! As if I’ve just made a hole in the internet! I think it’s gonna work at a much slower pace though, at least to begin with.
I hope you’ll use the form to ask for help in learning the Pirates Code. Its available here at this snazzy URL:
https://411615.squat.net/#pirates-coding-requests
…and here’s that URL again in glorious technicolour…
411615.squat.net/#pirates–coding–requests