ShareHistory needs a designer/developer who has a passion for history at best
or for handling large quantities of data. You will be intrigued by connections
that appear mundane, but shed light on other events. I need someone who has a
passion for improvement and is the sort of person who says, 'that is how it is
done now, but it could still be done better'. You will need
tobe creative in the presentation of data as
informationunderstand the importance of building strong
communitiesunderstand the importance of smooth user
workflowsbe open to the creative reuse of data.

  
As a Developer you will understand the importance of application design which
is driven by data. You will be comfortable working with data that is shaped to
mirror the real world and not shaped to fit inside a database. You will be
comfortable with the theory and practice of RDF, Linked Data
andData Driven Design.

  
As a Designer, you will be able to give examples of websites and applications
that are engaging because of their user interfaces. You will be able to
explain why the user interface works, and how it contributes to the user's
perception of the application and it's function. You will have an appreciation
of the psychology of user-generated content.

  
As both a Developer and Designer you are able to design the implementation of
the site features in such a way that they are easily movable and extendable.
You might use a framework or write code from scratch, but you understand the
value in well structured and documented code. You are also able to work in a
team and to deadlines.

  
**Current web situation**  
  
The current web site (www.sharehistory.org) functions in a rudimentary way,
i.e. it enables uploads, searches and presentation of an archive without doing
any of those things in an exciting or user-friendly way. The current site
underestimates the user, and while functional doesn't allow the user to really
make the most of the content they have uploaded, or discover anything new
about how their piece of history fits in with other people's.

  
In consequence while we can drive users to the site there is nothing to hold
them there or encourage return. The site is not engaging.

  
We are not wedded to the technical architecture of the site at the moment and
are looking to change this.

  
**Company Structure**  
  
www.sharehistory.org is the website owned by Share Our Past Ltd. This is owned
solely by Jane Smith who conceived the idea for the website. The purpose is to
attract history which is currently hidden. This might be history which is in
private hands or that which is hidden in libraries, museums and archives.
Contemporary is as relevant as ancient history. In all cases the content is
user generated.

  
ShareHistory is a website that allows anyone to upload a piece of history.
There are no constraints around time or around geography. When you think of
history you may think of yesteryear, but yesterday is also history. We all
have unique gems of history the secret is how to get people
to share them.

  
ShareHistory wants to build communities of curators around collections that
exist online. The communities might share knowledge and archival material.
They may want to use ShareHistory as a resource or more actively participate.

  
Intentions

  * A site with world wide content and will have a membership to match
  * To introduce a revenue stream, 'Find an Expert' to fund further development
  * To extend the media from text and images to oral history and video
  * To introduce additional 'pro' features to help people manage theircontent
  * The pro features will be a subscription based service
  * To provide a number of access methods for uploading content to the site, including mobilebased tools.
  
**Do you think you're good enough?**  
  
If you think that you can contribute to the next phase in ShareHistory's
development, then here's the deal.

  
Look at [http://sharehistory.org](http://sharehistory.org). What do you see?
Write a report that outlines the key things you would do differently if you
had designed the site. The report should include a description of the
technical architecture you would need to support your redesign.

  
Include in your report a breakdown of costings, to include your time, and any
other costs that you think will need to be met. We have a budget, but it is
not huge, and we'd like to know where it can be best spent.

  
If you can do your job well, we will know by reading your report whether you
have all the skills we are looking for.

  
**Timescale for project**  
  
We are excited about this project and want to get moving as quickly as we can.
However, we also understand the value of finding the right person. The sooner
you show us you're the right person, the sooner we can get started.

  
What's the prize?

There is no prize. But before you rush away shouting "Aw Shucks", any work
that you do for ShareHistory.org will be remunerated. This is your opportunity
to show us that we should remunerate you!

  
What happens if we pick you?

We'll set up a meeting to bring you up to speed on what we have and where we'd
like to be. We'll spend some time exploring your ideas and working out how to
implement them.

  
Where to send your submission

Email your submission to Jane Smith at [log in to unmask]



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