v0.0.2 - WIP on conclusions

Start work on the conclusions (1-3).

D2.3-UF.md

@@ -48,38 +48,38 @@ ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 This document is a deliverable of the Sci-GaIA project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration under Grant Agreement (GA) Nb #654237.
 
 <br>
-
-<!-- TOC depthFrom:1 depthTo:6 withLinks:1 updateOnSave:1 orderedList:0 -->
-
-- [Executive Summary](#executive-summary)
-- [Glossary / List of acronyms](#glossary-list-of-acronyms)
-- [The need for a user forum](#the-need-for-a-user-forum)
-	- [The need for a _new_ user forum](#the-need-for-a-new-user-forum)
-	- [Design Criteria](#design-criteria)
-	- [Sci-GaIA's choice of Discourse](#sci-gaias-choice-of-discourse)
-- [The forum as part of Sci-GaIA's engagement strategy](#the-forum-as-part-of-sci-gaias-engagement-strategy)
-	- [The forum as means to drive identity federations](#the-forum-as-means-to-drive-identity-federations)
-	- [Online Engagement at Offline Events](#online-engagement-at-offline-events)
-- [The user forum in numbers and figures](#the-user-forum-in-numbers-and-figures)
-	- [Users](#users)
-		- [User Acquisition](#user-acquisition)
-		- [User Provenance](#user-provenance)
-	- [Trust levels and community leaders](#trust-levels-and-community-leaders)
-- [Communities supported on the forum](#communities-supported-on-the-forum)
-	- [Research groups](#research-groups)
-	- [Other communities](#other-communities)
-		- [DARIAH](#dariah)
-		- [Emergent communities](#emergent-communities)
-- [Novel uses of the forum](#novel-uses-of-the-forum)
-	- [Discussion site for online learning](#discussion-site-for-online-learning)
-	- [Questions and Answers](#questions-and-answers)
-	- [As part of  the Open Science Platform](#as-part-of-the-open-science-platform)
-	- [Community pilot](#community-pilot)
-	- [Comments engine for the website and blogs](#comments-engine-for-the-website-and-blogs)
-- [Conclusion and Recommendations](#conclusion-and-recommendations)
-	- [Sustainability of the forum](#sustainability-of-the-forum)
-- [Appendix](#appendix)
-- [References](#references)
+<!-- TOC depthFrom:1 depthTo:6 withLinks:1 updateOnSave:1 orderedList:1 -->
+
+1. [Executive Summary](#executive-summary)
+2. [Glossary / List of acronyms](#glossary-list-of-acronyms)
+3. [The need for a user forum](#the-need-for-a-user-forum)
+	1. [The need for a _new_ user forum](#the-need-for-a-new-user-forum)
+	2. [Design Criteria](#design-criteria)
+	3. [Sci-GaIA's choice of Discourse](#sci-gaias-choice-of-discourse)
+4. [The forum as part of Sci-GaIA's engagement strategy](#the-forum-as-part-of-sci-gaias-engagement-strategy)
+	1. [The forum as means to drive identity federations](#the-forum-as-means-to-drive-identity-federations)
+	2. [Online Engagement at Offline Events](#online-engagement-at-offline-events)
+5. [The user forum in numbers and figures](#the-user-forum-in-numbers-and-figures)
+	1. [Users](#users)
+		1. [User Acquisition](#user-acquisition)
+		2. [User Provenance](#user-provenance)
+	2. [Trust levels and community leaders](#trust-levels-and-community-leaders)
+6. [Communities supported on the forum](#communities-supported-on-the-forum)
+	1. [Research groups](#research-groups)
+	2. [Other communities](#other-communities)
+		1. [DARIAH](#dariah)
+		2. [Emergent communities](#emergent-communities)
+7. [Novel uses of the forum](#novel-uses-of-the-forum)
+	1. [Discussion site for online learning](#discussion-site-for-online-learning)
+	2. [Questions and Answers](#questions-and-answers)
+	3. [As part of the Open Science Platform](#as-part-of-the-open-science-platform)
+	4. [Community pilot](#community-pilot)
+	5. [Comments engine for the website and blogs](#comments-engine-for-the-website-and-blogs)
+8. [Conclusion and Recommendations](#conclusion-and-recommendations)
+	1. [Recommendations to other initiatives](#recommendations-to-other-initiatives)
+	2. [Sustainability of the forum](#sustainability-of-the-forum)
+9. [Appendix](#appendix)
+10. [References](#references)
 
 <!-- /TOC -->
 
@@ -97,8 +97,8 @@ We report on certain quantitative measurements collected over the period of the
  As the project has progressed, so we have ever sought to demonstrate novel and enabling functionality of the forum, and we discuss how the forum has been woven into the platform in support other services.
  We finally argue that the discussion forum is a crucial, often overlooked part of any e-infrastructure, and propose strategies for sustaining and growing the communities supported by it after the project has finished.
 
+The deliverable was projected for M23 (April 2017), but the publication has been delayed in order to take into account changes to the consortium during the course of the project, as well as ensure that inputs arising from the User Forum event were included.
 
-<!-- TODO add a paragraph on why it is late -->
 <br>
 
 # Glossary / List of acronyms
@@ -447,26 +447,32 @@ The goal was in line with our strategy of engaging users immediately on the foru
 
 # Conclusion and Recommendations
 
-The "African e-Infrastructures Discussion Forum" has been a key factor in realising the goals of the project.
-A critical discussion of the design critiera before commencement of the service was important to examine assumptions of how the project members  would interact with various communities.
-Given clear design criteria, a more objective decision could be made to choose the right tool for the job.
-Discourse has proven to be both a flexible, easy to use tool, as well as a very supportive community.
-The forum has been crucial to the execution of the Sci-GaIA educational activities in WP4 (Training), as well as supporting e-Infrastructure services (WP3).
+  * **Conclusion 1 : The decision to build a forum was the right one**
+    The "African e-Infrastructures Discussion Forum" has been a key factor in realising the goals of the project.
+    A critical discussion of the design critiera before commencement of the service was important to examine assumptions of how the project members  would interact with various communities.
+    Given clear design criteria, a more objective decision could be made to choose the right tool for the job.
+    Discourse has proven to be both a flexible, easy to use tool, as well as a very supportive community.
+
+    * **Conclusion 2 : The forum has directly supported other project activities**
+    The forum has been crucial to the execution of the Sci-GaIA educational activities in WP4 (Training), as well as supporting e-Infrastructure services (WP3).
+    The adaptability of the forum as a student support and feedback service, and later as a technical discussion site, promotes the formation of enduring relationships.
+    Students supported in the winter school, and later participants in the e-Research Hackfest and Bootcamps could better collaborate with their own peers in research communities, including those directly supported by Sci-GaIA in WP2.
+    The use of the forum as a comments engine on the website supported the work of dissemination in WP4.
 
-The choice to allow authentication exclusively via identity federation was an unusual one.
-It certainly had critics and represented a barrier to entry for those who would have like to join the community, but had no institutional identity provider.
-This choice has however shown to have greatly driven the demand for identity federations in areas where Sci-GaIA community members hail from.
-Such a radical choice was arguably necessary in order to break the Catch-22 represented by the lack of services and identity federations - demand for access to services drives development of the identity federation, but there is no development of federated services if there are no identity federations.
-By providing a reliable and responsive temporary arrangement in the form of the catch-all identity federation, Sci-GaIA was able to keep the door open to "homeless" users and in conduct discussions withi their home institutes aimed at developing identity providers.
+  * **Conclusion 3 : The forum is a powerful driver of identity federations**
+    The choice to allow authentication exclusively via identity federation was an unusual one.
+    It certainly had critics and represented a barrier to entry for those who would have like to join the community, but had no institutional identity provider.
+    This choice has however shown to have greatly driven the demand for identity federations in areas where Sci-GaIA community members hail from.
+    Such a radical choice was arguably necessary in order to break the Catch-22 represented by the lack of services and identity federations - demand for access to services drives development of the identity federation, but there is no development of federated services if there are no identity federations.
+    By providing a reliable and responsive temporary arrangement in the form of the catch-all identity federation, Sci-GaIA was able to keep the door open to "homeless" users and in conduct discussions withi their home institutes aimed at developing identity providers.
 
 
 ## Recommendations to other initiatives
 
 
 
-## Sustainability of the forum
-
 
+## Sustainability of the forum
 
 # Appendix