Put ideas/information sources for city profiles here!

**CandyApple** · 01-14-2007, 09:18 PM

Since admin is planning on doing a database, lets give him our ideas for how to make it GREAT!

Everyone loves the city-profiles section on city-data, but I think we can make it better than what they have there! Write about what you like/dislike about their profiles section, what you'd want in a profiles section, and what some good, accurate sources of information are here!

I'll go first (I wrote this on city-data):

I get so overwhelmed by all the choices here, that after sorting through a bunch of cities they all start to blend together. I like that they're separated by state/size, but maybe more options would be helpful?

Like, an advanced search with checkboxes and pulldown menus and things? Example search:

Search all states
Population between 30,000-150,000
Minimum average temp above 0
Yearly snowfall over 12 inches
Windspeed under 5mph winter, over 7mph summer
Median renting price under $700
Average time since moving in above average
etc. etc.
Order results by 1. number of pictures, 2. renting price

Users could just click on the criteria that mattered to them and adjust it accordingly, leaving the rest blank. It would be neat to be able to search multiple states/regions, or just one. Maybe include distance from the mountains, beach, national parks, and other stuff too?
-------
Here's another idea: in the city data, the graphs are good, but could you also include yearly rainfall/snowfall in inches next to it? And number of days at or above certain temperatures and days at or below certain tempuratures? Like 80, 90, 100, 110 and 32, 0, -20, -40 farenheit? When I look at the data for Texas cities, I think, "low nineties isn't bad", but wonder how often it gets above 100/110! And looking at the Fairbanks temps, you wouldn't guess that it gets to -40 there, because it says the average is something like -15.

**CandyApple** · 01-14-2007, 09:19 PM

Also what I wrote on city-data:

I like how the pages on different cities link to posts in the forum that talk about them. But I think it could be even better by adding links to "city reviews" much like other sites have "product reviews".

Like when someone uplaods pics, there could be a button when a person is on a particular city's page to write a review. The writer should be able to check a box for resident, long term resident, visitor, or both. The writer should list when he/she was in the city and for how long, especially the last time they were there. They should also give a brief overall impression of maybe a sentence or two that says how/if they liked the city.

I don't think the review should have a strict format, but writers should be encouraged to comment on the aspects that they're most familiar with or what stands out most in their minds. Doesn't mean you can't give the writer some suggestions, though, such as asking the writer to say what part(s) of town they're most familiar with. Also, I think reviewers should be able to make changes or add to their reviews to improve them. If you're worried about people coming back and deleting them or adding baloney, you could keep the original up until the revised version has been approved.

It would be nice if there were links to the city reviews in the writer's profiles. (That would be one way for a writer to know they put the review in the right place, and to keep track of the places they've reviewed.)

For cities that only get a few reviews, it wouldn't be hard for a user to read them all or scan through them, but for places that get lots of people talking about them there should be a way for the user to sort through to find the most helpful review(s). Not sure the best way to do that, but maybe users could rate the reviews on whether they were helpful or something.
--
I think this would be good so that a person could give a thorough view on a city without it getting lost in the forum or having to tell people the same things about a city to thirty people. They could just point the person to their review and add any details that it doesn't cover.

Also, it would be good for people that know something about a few cities but don't want to hunt out people on the forum that might be interested in them (like me), but are willing to put some info up for anyone who's interested in a particular place.
----------
Another suggestion: States and some cities have detailed profiles, broken up into catagories like topography, climate, etc. This is nice if you're only interested in one or two things, but it would be good to also have something where it would show all the info at once on one page. It would be easier to scroll through than it is to sort through a dozen different windows or to keep hitting the "back" button. It could say "full profile" or "all" or something.

**Admin** · 01-14-2007, 09:35 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. I will keep them saved for future reference.

**CandyApple** · 01-14-2007, 09:54 PM

Here's another idea (not previously posted elsewhere):

We could have a FAQ section for different states/cities. It could be a locked thread stickied at the top of the relevant forum, and also linked to in the profiles.

Ex. questions:- How hot is it, really, in Texas?
- How bad ARE the mosquitoes in Alaska?
- What annoying/dangerous animals/insects live in state? How likely am I to encounter them? Be annoyed/hurt/killed?

It should first list the objective facts on the matter, then follow up with some users' opinions on the subject.
--
Thinking about wikipedia and how the articles are all linked together- it's very integrated. City-data- the forums aren't very well integrated with the profiles, they're almost like two separate websites. Not sure how, but I think the database and the forum should be better connected together, in a helpful fashion.
--
I'm thinking there should be a "quickfacts" and a detailed profile for each city. It would be nice if you could change what you want listed in the quickfacts (standard and custom info) and compare the cities side-by-side (at least in the quickfacts section). Even better- quickfacts (standard and custom), detailed profile (standard and custom), and full profile (ALL info on an area).
--
One thing I would need is a midwife, should I ever have another kiddo. So I'd like to know what cities have midwives and in which places it's legal for a midwife to attend a home birth (or if it's legal everywhere I'd want to know that, too). I'm sure other people have specific medical requirements, so it would be good if they could get info on what doctors are in the city. It should also have the option of listing docs within a certain distance from the city. Driving 10 miles to the doc might be worth it for some.
--
As I'm not a fan of nuclear power, I'd like to know which cities have nuclear power plants so I can NOT live near one. It would be great if I could see a map of the US with the nuke plants drawn on the map. Also in the city profiles list "distance from nearest nuclear facility- X miles".

One that same subject, it would be nice if what is used to power the city is listed (coal, natural gas, etc.) and the typical rate for heat/electricity. Oh, and info on the practicality of "alternative fuels"- like how much sun power a locale could reasonably produce vs. theoretical maximum for an area vs. theoretical maximum for the sunniest spot on Earth at sea level.

That's all for now. Enjoy!

01-14-2007, 09:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
CandyApple Back Online! Join Date: Dec 23rd, 2006 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 313	Put ideas/information sources for city profiles here! Since admin is planning on doing a database, lets give him our ideas for how to make it GREAT! Everyone loves the city-profiles section on city-data, but I think we can make it better than what they have there! Write about what you like/dislike about their profiles section, what you'd want in a profiles section, and what some good, accurate sources of information are here! I'll go first (I wrote this on city-data): I get so overwhelmed by all the choices here, that after sorting through a bunch of cities they all start to blend together. I like that they're separated by state/size, but maybe more options would be helpful? Like, an advanced search with checkboxes and pulldown menus and things? Example search: Search all states Population between 30,000-150,000 Minimum average temp above 0 Yearly snowfall over 12 inches Windspeed under 5mph winter, over 7mph summer Median renting price under $700 Average time since moving in above average etc. etc. Order results by 1. number of pictures, 2. renting price Users could just click on the criteria that mattered to them and adjust it accordingly, leaving the rest blank. It would be neat to be able to search multiple states/regions, or just one. Maybe include distance from the mountains, beach, national parks, and other stuff too? ------- Here's another idea: in the city data, the graphs are good, but could you also include yearly rainfall/snowfall in inches next to it? And number of days at or above certain temperatures and days at or below certain tempuratures? Like 80, 90, 100, 110 and 32, 0, -20, -40 farenheit? When I look at the data for Texas cities, I think, "low nineties isn't bad", but wonder how often it gets above 100/110! And looking at the Fairbanks temps, you wouldn't guess that it gets to -40 there, because it says the average is something like -15.

01-14-2007, 09:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
CandyApple Back Online! Join Date: Dec 23rd, 2006 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 313	Re: Put ideas/information sources for city profiles here! Also what I wrote on city-data: I like how the pages on different cities link to posts in the forum that talk about them. But I think it could be even better by adding links to "city reviews" much like other sites have "product reviews". Like when someone uplaods pics, there could be a button when a person is on a particular city's page to write a review. The writer should be able to check a box for resident, long term resident, visitor, or both. The writer should list when he/she was in the city and for how long, especially the last time they were there. They should also give a brief overall impression of maybe a sentence or two that says how/if they liked the city. I don't think the review should have a strict format, but writers should be encouraged to comment on the aspects that they're most familiar with or what stands out most in their minds. Doesn't mean you can't give the writer some suggestions, though, such as asking the writer to say what part(s) of town they're most familiar with. Also, I think reviewers should be able to make changes or add to their reviews to improve them. If you're worried about people coming back and deleting them or adding baloney, you could keep the original up until the revised version has been approved. It would be nice if there were links to the city reviews in the writer's profiles. (That would be one way for a writer to know they put the review in the right place, and to keep track of the places they've reviewed.) For cities that only get a few reviews, it wouldn't be hard for a user to read them all or scan through them, but for places that get lots of people talking about them there should be a way for the user to sort through to find the most helpful review(s). Not sure the best way to do that, but maybe users could rate the reviews on whether they were helpful or something. -- I think this would be good so that a person could give a thorough view on a city without it getting lost in the forum or having to tell people the same things about a city to thirty people. They could just point the person to their review and add any details that it doesn't cover. Also, it would be good for people that know something about a few cities but don't want to hunt out people on the forum that might be interested in them (like me), but are willing to put some info up for anyone who's interested in a particular place. ---------- Another suggestion: States and some cities have detailed profiles, broken up into catagories like topography, climate, etc. This is nice if you're only interested in one or two things, but it would be good to also have something where it would show all the info at once on one page. It would be easier to scroll through than it is to sort through a dozen different windows or to keep hitting the "back" button. It could say "full profile" or "all" or something.

01-14-2007, 09:35 PM	#3 (permalink)
Admin Administrator Join Date: Oct 12th, 2006 Posts: 461	Re: Put ideas/information sources for city profiles here! Thanks for the suggestions. I will keep them saved for future reference.

01-14-2007, 09:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
CandyApple Back Online! Join Date: Dec 23rd, 2006 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 313	Re: Put ideas/information sources for city profiles here! Here's another idea (not previously posted elsewhere): We could have a FAQ section for different states/cities. It could be a locked thread stickied at the top of the relevant forum, and also linked to in the profiles. Ex. questions:- How hot is it, really, in Texas? - How bad ARE the mosquitoes in Alaska? - What annoying/dangerous animals/insects live in state? How likely am I to encounter them? Be annoyed/hurt/killed? It should first list the objective facts on the matter, then follow up with some users' opinions on the subject. -- Thinking about wikipedia and how the articles are all linked together- it's very integrated. City-data- the forums aren't very well integrated with the profiles, they're almost like two separate websites. Not sure how, but I think the database and the forum should be better connected together, in a helpful fashion. -- I'm thinking there should be a "quickfacts" and a detailed profile for each city. It would be nice if you could change what you want listed in the quickfacts (standard and custom info) and compare the cities side-by-side (at least in the quickfacts section). Even better- quickfacts (standard and custom), detailed profile (standard and custom), and full profile (ALL info on an area). -- One thing I would need is a midwife, should I ever have another kiddo. So I'd like to know what cities have midwives and in which places it's legal for a midwife to attend a home birth (or if it's legal everywhere I'd want to know that, too). I'm sure other people have specific medical requirements, so it would be good if they could get info on what doctors are in the city. It should also have the option of listing docs within a certain distance from the city. Driving 10 miles to the doc might be worth it for some. -- As I'm not a fan of nuclear power, I'd like to know which cities have nuclear power plants so I can NOT live near one. It would be great if I could see a map of the US with the nuke plants drawn on the map. Also in the city profiles list "distance from nearest nuclear facility- X miles". One that same subject, it would be nice if what is used to power the city is listed (coal, natural gas, etc.) and the typical rate for heat/electricity. Oh, and info on the practicality of "alternative fuels"- like how much sun power a locale could reasonably produce vs. theoretical maximum for an area vs. theoretical maximum for the sunniest spot on Earth at sea level. That's all for now. Enjoy!