NANOSITE FAQ 1.0

WHAT IS A "NANOSITE"?

We've received lots of great feedback from our users asking for different ways to preview sites in their Shuffles (such as RSS).

As a result, we've decided to include "NANOSITES" in SiteShuffle. Traditionally, a NANOSITE is defined as a downloadable offline mini-website tailored for mobile phones via WAP, GPRS, WiFi or Bluetooth.

In SiteShuffle terms, a NANOSITE is a tiny Web site created by fans of a site that distills the key elements of the site.

All you need to do to include your NANOSITE and have everyone use it is to enter the URL for your NANOSITE into the form beside the NANOSITE browser.

Easy! Here's the NANOSITE that the user "w12zard" created for http://torrentspy.com

<p>Search Torrentspy:</p>
<form method="get" action="http://ts.searching.com/search.asp" name="frmSearch" target="_parent">
	<input type="hidden" name="h" value="7BA9ECB7FFB34FDCA450A5DD3D19798D">
	<input class="f_field" size="20" name="query" value="" type="text"/>
	<input class="f_button" src="http://images.torrentspy.com/submit_w.gif" name="submit" type="image" style="vertical-align:middle;"/>
</form>

Pretty sweet, huh?

This user "w12zard" made an editorial decision that the thing he did most with Torrentspy was search -- so using nothing but a text editor and some good old fashioned moxy he pounded out this NANOSITE in five minutes flat.

I know, you could probably do it a lot more quickly. Go ahead view the source. All he did was cut and paste the pieces of the original Torrentspy.com that make the form work into a new Web page and then he uploaded it to a cheap-ass hosting service.

You could also do the same thing with RSS. We have a little "RSS Helper" application that gives you a Nanosite with article titles, and a little scrolly bar thing.

The simple way to make this work is take this URL:

http://www.siteshuffle.com/microsite_helpers/microsite_rss?feed=

and add the RSS feed onto the end. So, if we were to do this for Boing Boing (which has a couple of Nanosites in the application right now), it would look like:

http://www.siteshuffle.com/microsite_helpers/microsite_rss?feed=feeds.feedburner.com/boingboing/iBag

We just added "feeds.feedburner.com/boingboing/iBag" to the end of the URL for the "RSS Helper" application.

You can also construct your own "RSS Helper" applications on the server side, and the code would look something like:

WHY IS IT SO SMALL?

That's a great question! And one worthy of a better answer than: "Because it is!" There a couple of reasons for the diminutive dimensions of the NANOSITES.

1. It fits above the fold. This thing has to look pretty;

2. We wanted the creators of NANOSITES to have a small canvas;
Having such a small area to work with means that NANOSITE creators will need to think hard about what they want to include -- meaning (we hope) that just the good stuff makes it into the field;

3. Loads faster; and

4. Makes our application more conducive to porting to mobile devices.

HOW DO I MAKE A NANOSITE?

It's just as easy to make a NANOSITE as it is to make anything else on the Web. Which is REALLY EASY!

If you can string together a complete sentence you are already way overqualified. If, however, you are still vague on the details of how this is accomplished, then it may be time for a brief introduction to Web site building or maybe just a quick refresher.

OK, I'VE BUILT ONE. WHERE DOES IT GO?

First you'll need somewhere to host your NANOSITE.

Then you need to enter the NANOSITE URL in the field provided beside the NANOSITE browser.

Then you'll need to enjoy using your new NANOSITE, or one created by another user. You can use the menu at the bottom of the browser to switch between all the different sites created by different users.

If you don't enjoy your NANOSITE, then fix it. It's not just here for you. There are others depending on the quality of your work. No pressure.

WHY AREN'T YOU HOSTING THESE NANOSITES YOU CHEAP BASTARDS?

Because we don't want to restrict the creativity of our best users in any way. Seriously. Hosting your own application means that you get to chose between the myriad different platforms available for expressing yourself on the Web.

Your NANOSITE can be a two-line Javascript that you made in Notepad, or it can be an n-dimensional cluster of quantum computers connected to a monkey brain that you have in a jar in your basement. Or not. You get the idea.