Simple Social Networking With Ruby on Rails Justin Henry [email_address] http://greengaloshes.cc

Justin Henry

[email_address]

http://greengaloshes.cc

Look, Ma! I’m on the Internets! delicious/kapowee vimeo.com/bootstraps flickr.com/zappowbang twitter.com/jhenry upcoming.org/jhenry goodreads.com yelp.com linkedin.com brightkite.com friendfeed.com/puddlestomping

delicious/kapowee

vimeo.com/bootstraps

flickr.com/zappowbang

twitter.com/jhenry

upcoming.org/jhenry

goodreads.com

yelp.com

linkedin.com

brightkite.com

friendfeed.com/puddlestomping

Simple Social Networking With Rails What is a social network? Why build a social network? How might one build a social network? Hey, look, an example!

What is a social network?

Why build a social network?

How might one build a social network?

Hey, look, an example!

What is a social network? Context of web applications Wikipedia has more on the broader, sociological concepts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network

Context of web applications

Wikipedia has more on the broader, sociological concepts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network

What is a social network? Provides a Utility/Function (Content) Content is still king Content tends to be user-generated, controlled, and owned * Content interaction patterns (generating new content, sharing/republishing, modifying/remixing)

Provides a Utility/Function (Content)

Content is still king

Content tends to be user-generated, controlled, and owned *

Content interaction patterns (generating new content, sharing/republishing, modifying/remixing)

What is a social network? http://www.flickr.com/photos/vj_pdx/144902289/

What is a social network? It's People! user relationships are many-to-many a blog is one-to-many User interaction patterns (friendships, fans, friends-of-friends)

It's People!

user relationships are many-to-many

a blog is one-to-many

User interaction patterns (friendships, fans, friends-of-friends)

Why build a social network? What are you selling? Idea, product, theology, movement, etc. Why will your users come here?

What are you selling?

Idea, product, theology, movement, etc.

Why will your users come here?

Why build a social network? What channels do you currently reach with your customers? How are you interacting with your customers? How do your customers interact with each other? How do your customers interact with their customers and others around them?

What channels do you currently reach with your customers?

How are you interacting with your customers?

How do your customers interact with each other?

How do your customers interact with their customers and others around them?

Why build a social network? The evolution of the newsletter newsletters -> email lists -> blogs -> social networks?

The evolution of the newsletter

newsletters -> email lists -> blogs -> social networks?

Why build a social network? It's fun! Crowdsourcing Think small - it doesn't have to be the next Facebook. Put The Service and The Community back in community service Scratch that itch

It's fun!

Crowdsourcing

Think small - it doesn't have to be the next Facebook.

Put The Service and The Community back in community service

Scratch that itch

How do you build a social network? Join as many as you can! Get a feel for what others are doing Consider this an education in UX/UI Reading blogs or books will help you become a better writer, so... Using these applications will inform your development process

Join as many as you can!

Get a feel for what others are doing

Consider this an education in UX/UI

Reading blogs or books will help you become a better writer, so...

Using these applications will inform your development process

How do you build a social network? What will our data look like? Users Relationships (friends/fans) Content

What will our data look like?

Users

Relationships (friends/fans)

Content

Pre-Fab vs. Home Cookin' Building from Scratch It's not too far off from the build-a-blog in 5 minutes example Just need a few more models, right? Add in a few plugins....

Building from Scratch

It's not too far off from the build-a-blog in 5 minutes example

Just need a few more models, right?

Add in a few plugins....

Home Cookin' - Example Relationship Text create_table :connections do | t | t.integer :person_id t.integer :contact_id t.integer :status t.timestamp :accepted_at t.timestamps end Insoshi's connections migrations:

Home Cookin' - Example Relationship create_table :friendships do | t | t.integer "user_id" , :null => false t.integer "friend_id" , :null => false t.datetime "created_at" t.datetime "updated_at" t.timestamps end Daniel Fischer’s “Fischy friends” example:

Home Cookin' A few plugins and tools for consideration: Paperclip acts_as_commentable acts_as_taggable_on

A few plugins and tools for consideration:

Paperclip

acts_as_commentable

acts_as_taggable_on

Pre-Fabricated Refactoring other people's code is a great way to learn Leaves you with the time to focus on implementing features, etc

Refactoring other people's code is a great way to learn

Leaves you with the time to focus on implementing features, etc

Pre-Fabricated Community Engine "plugin" Insoshi platform Ning (furniture included!) Bort, etc (just the walls, please)

Community Engine "plugin"

Insoshi platform

Ning (furniture included!)

Bort, etc (just the walls, please)

Enter Insoshi Advantage: a lot of pieces are pre-biult galleries, forums, blogs, messaging, activity feeds, events Disadvantage: a lot of pieces are pre-built may be lots to change or retrofit

Advantage: a lot of pieces are pre-biult

galleries, forums, blogs, messaging, activity feeds, events

Disadvantage: a lot of pieces are pre-built

may be lots to change or retrofit

Inshtalling Insoshi To sphinx or not to sphinx? installing sphinx on OSX is a pain - need to add symlink, i.e.: $ sudo ln -s /usr/local/mysql/lib /usr/local/mysql/lib/mysql To install without sphinx, just skip that part of the install process.

To sphinx or not to sphinx?

installing sphinx on OSX is a pain - need to add symlink, i.e.:

$ sudo ln -s /usr/local/mysql/lib /usr/local/mysql/lib/mysql

To install without sphinx, just skip that part of the install process.

Building on top of Insoshi Yaay, I've got tests, yaaay! Users and relationships already exist Choose a model(s) to repurpose as needed (i.e. for custom content) Build new model(s) for custom content and interactions

Yaay, I've got tests, yaaay!

Users and relationships already exist

Choose a model(s) to repurpose as needed (i.e. for custom content)

Build new model(s) for custom content and interactions

Example App - MyEventCarbon App for attendees/promoters of local events: See the carbon footprint of their events Organize carpools Suggest bus routes and other alternatives

App for attendees/promoters of local events:

See the carbon footprint of their events

Organize carpools

Suggest bus routes and other alternatives

Example App - MyEventCarbon Repurpose Insoshi's nascent event model Use Gmaps api for geocoding AMEE for carbon calculations (amee.com)

Repurpose Insoshi's nascent event model

Use Gmaps api for geocoding

AMEE for carbon calculations (amee.com)

Example App - MyEventCarbon Plugins ym4r for embedding google maps rspec_response_enhancer - add more descriptive output to rspec Floppy-amee - for interacting with AMEE data

Plugins

ym4r for embedding google maps

rspec_response_enhancer - add more descriptive output to rspec

Floppy-amee - for interacting with AMEE data

Example App - MyEventCarbon

Example App - MyEventCarbon

Example App - MyEventCarbon

Example App - MyEventCarbon

Example App - MyEventCarbon create_table "event_attendees" , :force => true do | t | t.integer "person_id" t.integer "event_id" t.string "origin" t.string "distance" t.string "carbon" end schema.rb

Example App - MyEventCarbon belongs_to :person has_many :event_attendees has_many :attendees , :through => :event_attendees , :source => :person , :select => "event_attendees.origin, event_attendees.distance, event_attendees.carbon, people.*" app/models/event.rb

Example App - MyEventCarbon Carpooling? How to build a carpooling feature in? What would schema look like?

Carpooling?

How to build a carpooling feature in?

What would schema look like?

Example App - MyEventCarbon create_table "communications" , :force => true do | t | t.string "subject" t.text "content" t.integer "parent_id" t.integer "sender_id" t.integer "recipient_id" t.datetime "sender_deleted_at" t.datetime "sender_read_at" t.datetime "recipient_deleted_at" t.datetime "recipient_read_at" t.datetime "replied_at" t.string "type" t.datetime "created_at" t.datetime "updated_at" t.integer "conversation_id" end You could modify an existing model: ... but that could impact other parts of the system.

Example App - MyEventCarbon class CreateCarpools < ActiveRecord::Migration def self.up create_table :carpools do | t | t.integer :person_id t.integer :contact_id t.integer :event_id t.integer :status t.timestamp :accepted_at t.timestamps end A new table might be more appropriate: Duplicate the connections table, add an event_id and whatever other fields as needed.

Example App - MyEventCarbon Next steps Carpooling offering/accepting/tracking “Live” carbon calculations Pull events from other services (upcoming, eventful) Import ical files, RSS, microformats (hcal) Adding to activity feed backchannel integration

Next steps

Carpooling offering/accepting/tracking

“Live” carbon calculations

Pull events from other services (upcoming, eventful)

Import ical files, RSS, microformats (hcal)

Adding to activity feed

backchannel integration

Moving forward Your homework: Join some more social networks and start using them. They work best when people you know (that's us) are using them with you Join me! Some of my networks are listed at http://friendfeed.com/puddlestomping

Your homework: Join some more social networks and start using them.

They work best when people you know (that's us) are using them with you

Join me! Some of my networks are listed at http://friendfeed.com/puddlestomping

Sourced/Resourced Wikipedia article on &quot;Social Network&quot; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network Jim Neath > Building a Social Network Site in Rails: http://jimneath.org/2008/04/25/building-a-social-network-site-in-rails/ MissingMethod > How To Build a Social Network with Ruby on Rails: http://www.missingmethod.com/2007/01/08/how-to-build-a-social-network-with-ruby-on-rails/ Friendship model examples & self referential models: Dan Fischer > Fischyfriends: http://github.com/dfischer/fischyfriends/tree/master Josh Susser > Self-referential has_many :through associations: http://blog.hasmanythrough.com/2007/10/30/self-referential-has-many-through Installing sphinx on OSX: http://www.sparkboxx.com/sparkboxx/2008/10/installing-ultr.html

Wikipedia article on &quot;Social Network&quot; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network

Jim Neath > Building a Social Network Site in Rails: http://jimneath.org/2008/04/25/building-a-social-network-site-in-rails/

MissingMethod > How To Build a Social Network with Ruby on Rails: http://www.missingmethod.com/2007/01/08/how-to-build-a-social-network-with-ruby-on-rails/

Friendship model examples & self referential models:

Dan Fischer > Fischyfriends: http://github.com/dfischer/fischyfriends/tree/master

Josh Susser > Self-referential has_many :through associations: http://blog.hasmanythrough.com/2007/10/30/self-referential-has-many-through

Installing sphinx on OSX: http://www.sparkboxx.com/sparkboxx/2008/10/installing-ultr.html

Thanks [email_address] http://greengalosh es.cc