The EGI Training Marketplace
Richard McLennan wants everyone to contribute to EGI’s new training pages and turn the site into a vibrant marketplace
The new EGI Training Marketplace (developed by a dedicated team at STFC) went live on 7 June. Now that we have tested it, viewed it, talked about it and changed just a little here and there, the time has come to promote this potentially great addition to the EGI tool box. Why only ‘potentially’? Put simply, the Training Marketplace is a shiny new tool still that needs us all, as users of the grid, to really start using it.
Using the Training Marketplace couldn’t be simpler. It has been set up using the Drupal open source Content Management System and is embedded into a frame of the EGI website. There are three routes in:
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Search. This function accesses over 9,000 records of past training events that stretch as far back as the EGEE project era. At the top level, the function provides a broad set of search results which can then be refined through a more granular advanced search capability.
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Browse. The new ‘Browse’ function provides users with four options, the most immediately visual of which is titled ‘Events’ and opens up a map of the EGI partnering nations. Training events that have been loaded into the database will appear in each country as the mouse pointer hovers over the map. The information is also displayed in the more traditional calendar and list formats. One important addition is the feedback function which now emulates the rating system increasingly common on the internet – users can now anonymously ‘Rate’ the training events they attend.
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Advertise. The ‘Advertise’ function naturally complements ‘Browse’ by providing a way for trainers and users to load training events, training-related resources, wishes and university courses into the system’s database. This is a completely new functionality and enables members of the EGI community to advertise training-related services for EGI and beyond. Training VOs, training portals, training CAs, training frameworks or any other item can be registered and offered via this new service.
Brilliant!
So we now have a training website that in many ways emulates the hustle and bustle of an old town’s market square. As managers in Virtual Research Communities, National Grid Initiatives or even as individual users, our task now is to promote this website to everyone who is planning a training event that is relevant to the EGI community and thereby turn it into a forward looking, popular and well used Marketplace.
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Is someone in your community preparing to run a training event or has something related to offer? Get them to publish it.
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Is one of your team searching for specialist training? Point them to the website to find a suitable course or to publish their training wish.
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Interested in a University course? The Training Market place may have something for you.
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Do you provide a training infrastructure, training portal or any other service that trainers could use? Advertise them in the marketplace!
Wherever and whoever you are within the grid’s many communities, please help by encouraging those around you to make this 'the world's largest collection' of grid training materials, events, resources and services… promoted by and for users like you and me.
