(Redirected from Civitas:About)Sunrosefor.us is the central website for Civitas. It is created with MediaWiki, open source software for collaborative, net-based websites. It is used to congregate, organize, and distribute information especially to members of Civitas.
The information on this page is, in places, very technical. Where possible, links have been included so that you can learn more about the technology that powers Sunrosefor.us on other sites.
Alternatively, if you'd like to skip the explanations and just see the technical information, you can check out our site version.
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Technology
Sunrosefor.us is powered at base by MediaWiki, but takes advantage of three main web-based concepts: the Wiki, the blog, and the forum.
Sunrosefor.us as Wiki
Technically, every page on Sunrosefor.us is a wiki page, and almost all are editable by any user. Currently, Sunrosefor.us uses MediaWiki version 1.16.1, and is extended by SemanticWiki, an extension that allows Sunrosefor.us to be more of a dynamic database.
We have chosen to use a Wiki because of the collaborative nature inherent in Wiki technology. A Wiki invites its users to participate, rather than simply read.
Sunrosefor.us as Blog
In addition, Sunrosefor.us is extended by Wikilog under the [Namespace] "Bulletin," giving this site the combined features of a blog and a wiki. This is a relatively new concept, sometimes referred to as a "bliki."
This means that special pages on Sunrosefor.us, those prefixed by the word "Bulletin:", act as blog homepages, storing articles written for the blog in chronological order, and giving users a chronological navigation.
On Sunrosefor.us, Bulletin pages are used for posting news, statements, editorials and other time-sensitive content that is not meant to be systematically edited to conform to changing times and conditions the way a Wiki article is meant to.
Sunrosefor.us as Forum
Sunrosefor.us will also act as an internet forum, which is generally easier to use as a discussion space than a standard Wiki. This will be accomplished with the Liquid Threads extension.
On Sunrosefor.us, the forum is used as a space for debate, discussion and questions separate from the Wiki articles, or possibly spanning many Wiki articles in content.
Design
Sunrosefor.us was designed visually by Christopher Luna. The design is meant to evoke a sense of hope, and to be reminiscent of the political imagery of the Great Depression and World War II, another era when Americans had to band together and make sacrifices for a greater good.
URL
Initially, Sunrosefor.us was registered for use as a political and philosophical discussion forum. Over the years, it has taken several forms, but it seems remarkably appropriate for Civitas. The .US makes our political affiliation clear, and the phrase "sun rose for us" is meant to evoke a group of people taking charge of their own destiny.
Site
A combination of modern, clean web design and the imagery of the early to mid twentieth century, Sunrosefor.us features a subtle sunburst watermark, and a color scheme based on the red, white and blue of the American flag. The fonts used on the site are open-source. Headers are done in Franchise, navigation in Sertig, the main font is Crimson Roman, and text input areas use the monospaced font Inconsolata.
Equal division has been given between red and blue in an attempt to further distance Civitas from affiliation with either party, or from affiliation with a political "left" or "right."
Logo
The red and white stripes, stylized as a sunburst, are meant to evoke the symbolism a sunrise and hope. The hands are black as a silhouette, excluding any definition of their skin color.
The hands themselves come from the Open ClipArt project, and are entitled "Ambitions."
