MODULE DETAILS:
---------------
Description:
Putting ATutor into the age of social networking. Allow users to share profiles
and activities, link OpenSocial gadgets and applications into their social 
learning environment, and network with others locally, on other ATutor 
installations, or on other social networks.

Version:
0.9 Beta

License:
GPL/ATutor

State:
In development. 
This version is primarily available for experimentation and feedback, 
leading up to a release of a stable version about June 09. Users are encouraged 
to make feature suggestions, report bugs, and get involved in developing the 
ATutor social network. Discussions can the started in the ATutor community 
forums http://www.atutor.ca/forum/16/1.html

Notes:
Also note that ATutor Social runs with or without the OpenSocial Shindig 
server. You may point to your own Shindig server if you have one (download 
from: http://incubator.apache.org/shindig/), or use the ATutor social network 
server at http://social.atutor.ca/shindig/php. See the Administrator's 
Networking Admin panel to setup a link to a Shindig server, and link to other 
netowrks and applications, or do not use Shindig to create a self-contained 
social network using only your local ATutor installation. 


INSTALLATION
------------
1. Login as ATutor admin, install this module.

2. Setup Shindig if you want to have your own local social container, for a 
HOWTO on installing Shindig, please visit the following site:
http://www.chabotc.com/guides/shindig_install/

A note on shindig installation, you will need to have the following PHP Extension enabled:
- curl
- openssl

If you don't want to setup your own Shindig, then you can use ATutor's Shindig server: http://social.atutor.ca/shindig/php
Log in as ATutor admin, click on Networking tab, and type http://social.atutor.ca/shindig/php into the URL text input field.

3. Done, now you can enjoy e-learning with social networking in your ATutor :)  


GADGETS:
-----------------
One of the greatest features of Opensocial, gadgets are applications that sits on your social networking page.
Similar to the gadgets on your iGoogle account. 

ATutor social networking module allows users to install any Opensocial gadgets.  Such gadgets can be found in:
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?synd=open or http://www.labpixies.com/

In order to install a gadget, click on the "Gadgets" link in the side menu, and copy and paste the URL of the gadgets' XML file.
ie. http://www.labpixies.com/campaigns/todo/todo.xml, http://www.labpixies.com/campaigns/horoscope/horoscope.xml
Then click "Add gadget".


FEATURES:
------------------
All Users

    * Search Network: Search for people on a network to display basic information about them. Login to add people as contacts.

Registered Users

    * My Contacts: Search the network for people you know and add them to your contact list.
    * People you Might Know: To help build networks, contacts of your contacts (i.e. friends of friends) are displayed making it easy to add common contacts to your own. Random selections of a few other's contact display each time a page loads.
    * Network Activity: Keep track of what other people in your network are doing by following their activities.
    * Network Groups: Create interest groups, or join an existing ones. Invite people to join groups you belong to.
    * Gadgets: Select from thousands of OpenSocial gadgets available around the internet to customize your social network to your specification. Once a gadget has been used on a system, it becomes available to others on your network to add to their social networking tools.
    * Privacy: Select from a range of privacy settings to control who sees what parts of your profile, and control which parts of your profile are searchable by others.

Instructors

    * Turn off ATutor Social: ATutor Social runs both inside or outside of courses. Instructors may choose to disable social networking in their courses.

Administrators

    * ShinDig Location: The ShinDig server acts as a hub for a social network. By default social.atutor.ca acts as the central hub for the ATutor social network. Administrators may choose to point to a different ShinDig server to create a private network.

Developers

    * OpenSocial Standard: Develop your own OpenSocial Gadgets that will plugin to ATutor, or into other OpenSocial container applications.
    * Public Source Code: All ATutor Social source code is available for public checkout from the Subversion version control repository.


TODO:
-------------------
- OAuth implementation
- Improve UI.
- Allows multiple ATutors to connect to each other, further expand the Social Network. 