Inter-site functionality

The vision: International organizations can implement networks of sites that freely and securely share selected data (user accounts, categorization, content). Networks of drupal sites can discover each other through shared features and focuses, connect in webs of sites, and pool knowledge and contacts to weave isolated initiatives into strengthened movements for change.

If Drupal's fame for enabling collaborative communities was built largely on a single-site model, there's a good case to be made for the claim that it's connections among and between sites that will be the next big step.
In this session we will map out concrete next steps in extending the ability of discrete Drupal sites to link up and share information with each other - pooling user accounts, nodes, taxonomies.

Of course, we already have some good beginnings for inter-site pooling of information: syndication, blog-based protocols, the rudiments of remote authentication and networks of sites (drupal.module), and even Drupal-specific XML exchanges.

But there's a distance to go. Inter-site collaboration could include:

• Tightly integrated content categorization, lending itself to, e.g., organization/network-wide syndication feeds by category.
• Single user identity across organization/network.
• Pooled content/collective databases, reducing duplication.

Solution components

In the workshop we'll look at (at least) three different components of an overall solution. Here's an initial list, with some notes on existing solutions that may be relevant. How could each of these be adapted or extended to serve as part of a full-featured inter-site solution?

Distributed authentication and shared user accounts

• FOAF module
• Drupal module's authentication for external sites

Enable sites to discover and register with each other.

• The core Drupal module enables sites to register with a central server. Although used initially for maintaining a directory of Drupal sites, this functionality could be used to allow groups of sites to register with each other.

Collectively manage content and taxonomies among different sites

• SIOC module
• node import/export has an XML encoding for node data
• blogapi
• ditto for taxonomy import for taxonomies

Workshop outline

Our workshop follows directly on the related topic "Drupal Enterprise-Wide", and a number of people will participate in both. We will take advantage of this to continue discussions begun in DEW.

As we're a large session, we'll do most of our work in small groups.

1. Introduction and overview (5 minutes)
2. Organizing into small groups by topic (10 minutes)

   Suggested topics:

   1. Site network discovery and registration: how do networks of sites find out about each other and connect?
   2. Distributed authentication: how to users gain rights on multiple sites? how can a user logging into one site share data with another site?
   3. Pooled data: how can content and taxonomies be shared across sites?
3. Small group working sessions by topic (45 minutes)

   For each group we need:

   • facilitator: facilitate discussion, ensure balanced participation
   • summarizer: summarize relevant discussions from Drupal Enterprise-Wide
   • recorder: take notes, ideally on laptop
     • ensure you have everyone's contact information
     • pay particular attention to who is taking on what piece

   Small group discussion suggested format:

   • quick introductions: name, hometown, groups/companies/projects worked for, and 1 sentence on a question or interest you bring to the discussion. Example: "I'm Nedjo Rogers, I'm from Victoria, Canada, I work with CivicSpace, and I'm interested in how we can extend the Drupal module to be used for connecting up different sites."
   • Problem definition: agree on a basic description of the entended outcome of the solution component.
   • Status overview: discuss existing options or new initiatives, with an emphasis on what they do but what else would be needed.
   • Next steps: From the list of existing options or new initiatives identified, choose one or two for further development.
4. Report back (15 minutes)

Report back from each small group, focusing on action items

5. Wrapup (5 min)

Whole group discussion of conclusions and next directions