June 2015 news - the italian connection

Hey there, friends of wikiloops :)

High time to catch up with some wikiloops engine room news - truth is, I've been too busy to blog lately.

So, let me try to run thru the most important facts of recent wikidev:

As some may have noticed, we added an italian interface to wikiloops recently - "we" being [b]jstef[/b] (Stefano) from Milano and me on the technical end of things.
Imagine two guys sitting a lot of miles apart turning over every stone of wikiloops to see if there is some hidden untranslated word left.
Jstef found a lot of them, and also some not well-functioning parts, so while he was translating to italian, I had the honor to clean up a zillion minor things which we came across on the way.
Talk about four weeks of intensive work there.

I did a little "interview" with Stefano after we had finished which I'd like to share with you today:

Q: [i]So you have been down to the wikiloops backstage areas for some time - what was the most unexpected thing you came across there? Has the experience changed your view of what wikiloops is in some way?[/i]

[b]jstef[/b]: You bet it did! :)

So here’s one thing, maybe not so unexpected: how easy it is to provide a (BAD) translation!
English is such a smart language, just as much as Italian is a beautiful and rich and “musical” one.
Still, we tend to pick similar words and use them in similar sentences which would sound weird, to say the least, in written and spoken Italian. This is often true for dubbing as well!

Next one is, how many different instruments can people on the ‘loops play, in a zillion of different lineup |AND| styles |AND| measure |OR| time = well you got the idea :)
Whatever you’re looking for, you’re not going to be disappointed.
This place is REALLY a place for everyone!

Last, digging every possible option for the platform user, I’ve been impressed by the attention put on social/psychological issues when it comes to decide which ones are actually made available to the Community and what is better not to.

And of course, yes, once you’ve had a glimpse of its beating heart, you will never look at the ‘loops with the same eyes again :) !


[i]Q: Would you do it again?[/i]

[b]jstef:[/b] Sure I would! I wish I mastered russian or chinese :(

[i]Q: Most people have very little idea of what operating a website like wikiloops means in terms of work. After collaborating with dick for some weeks, how would you describe your experience?[/i]

[b]jstef:[/b] Well, I’d like to know what kind of batteries/fuel does he use to get along :) I want some of that!
Wikiloops.com IS constantly improving, thanks to members’ feedback but also continuous work in the engine room.

About my personal experience, I can only confirm what I stated in my own profile: musicians ARE special people, easy & fun to work with! :)
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Besides the overly due thanks to jstef for his incredible volontary work and above interview (package is in the mail, stef!),
I really feel like mentioning Mr.OliVBee, Mr.Rukkers, TheUloisius, a certain Kimbo and Proffessore Bleymehl once more, who have all added thought, feedback, moderate moderation or bug reports while Stefano and me were chewing on the update.

Now, to point you at some improvements which have been implemented on all domains, let me just give a short list:
- playlist tab on profile: Track order can be arranged by drag & drop now,
deleting whole playlists is now possible
- messages: the display of "more..." conversations on the messages page has been improved, single messages may be deleted if you do not want to keep them (default is "keep forever")
- help section: all help sections have been reviewed to adopt interface changes.
We also added a very nice short article on "How to use bb-Code" - for all who have been wondering how to make links clickable in shoutbox, or how to create smilies, embed pictures etc etc.
- the entire Fanware supply thing (wikiloops shirts and such) had to be redesinged after our former america partner went out of business unexpectedly - and without any notification to us.
While finding a new supplier on american grounds, we also opened a third production base for fanware located in australia, so our friends down under won't have to pay more shipping cost for a shirt than for the shirt.
- last but not least, wikiloops now offers its 29th instrument category: the Bandoneon has made it on the list yesterday :)

To those expecting the details on the upcoming wiki-meeting: I will do my very best to get them to you as soon as possible!

Last, let me offer my sincere thanks to all who chose to donate or who keep sending support for the wikiloops project.
Besides all the fun stuff mentioned above, the backup job needed for a weeks additional 10 gigabyte of new music (!) is increasingly time intensive, and same must be said about the amount of paperwork needed to keep the project in business -
which are just two of many reasons for saying:
It wouldn't work without your ongoing support!