ITTS Update

Now that ALA Connect has launched and usage is growing, ITTS is going to begin planning for the shutdown of the old Online Communities service at the end of this year.

There’s been only one login on the old site in the last 30 days, which was an accident by someone who meant to use Connect instead. We’re not sure if anyone is still using Communities, so we need your help spreading the word. Please let your committees, discussion/interest groups, sections, etc. know about this upcoming change so that they have time to migrate any existing content they want to keep in to ALA Connect.

All content a group wants to save will need to be migrated manually before December 31, 2009. Files will not be retrievable from Online Communities after that date. If any of your groups need advice about how to do this or have specific questions, please have them contact me directly at jlevine [at] ala.org.

Thanks!
Jenny

Posted by Jenny under Online Communities | No comments yet»

It appears that the wikis.ala.org suffered from a hacker attack of some sort.  The exact methodology is not yet clear, but the miscreants placed links to an attack in the .ru (Russia) domain into various files.  I believe i have removed all of the offending links, and have asked Google to review the domain.  Until then, you will get a browser security warning when attempting to reach any of the wikis hosted at wikis.ala.org.

This is a good time to remind everyone of how vital it is to monitor any wikis you have running.  Letting a wiki go unwatched for a long period of time is a formula for this sort of trouble.  We are fortunate that this is the first time a spam or hack attempt has triggered this sort of warning from Google.  Extra vigilance is called for.  Also, let me know if you have a wiki that needs to be retired, so I can erase it permanently and remove one more potential attack point.

Posted by Matt under Uncategorized | No comments yet»

1. ALA Connect (Sheila)

ALA Connect was upgraded from Drupal 5 to Drupal 6 version at the end of July. This upgrade paved the way for phase 2, which includes the mentoring network (now available), an opportunities exchange (due end of October), expanding member profiles, and improving member searching capabilities. The opportunities exchange will allow a member to tag their interests in their profile and then Connect will send a notification when new opportunities are posted.

Opportunities include:

a. Assistantships

b. Awards

c. Fellowships

d. Grants

e. Internships

f. Publishing

g. Residencies

h. Scholarships

i. Speaking

j. Volunteer Opportunities

Email subscriptions were streamlined to allow users to select notifications by community or group all from one page. Email frequency options were enhanced, and a ‘temporarily on vacation flag’ was added to suspend communications while you are away.

New Member searching capabilities will be added to allow members to find an ACRL member in IL who likes Gaming.

Sheila then demonstrated the mentoring network showing views of a mentor and a mentee. The mentoring network is an opt-in feature and has a separate MentorConnect profile. There is a feedback area for discussion between the mentor and the mentee. All discussions between the mentor and the mentee are private. Some members have set up a private community in Connect to use other ALA Connect tools to communicate.

2. Quick Tour of Google Statistics (Matt)

The tour was postponed because ITTS ran into problems with the latest upgrade. The upgrade could not be performed without significant down time using our old Google server in its current configuration. A different path is being discussed and further details will be shared once the new plan is worked out.

3. Collage Maintenance Schedule (Sherri)

A proposal went out to all web content developers asking that the last Thursday and Friday of the month be reserved for Collage maintenance. Several web content developers had issues with having lockouts for updating content prior to the beginning of each month. An alternate proposal for the second Thursday and Friday of each month was confirmed. It was also noted that ITTS might not need this time every month and that ITTS will send a notice to all web content developers with details of proposed maintenance when it does occur.

4. Online Handbook (Sheila)

Sheila showed the new display of committee information pages. An example of the new page can be found at Website Advisory Committee information page. The non-member view will show committee name and term, and the member-only version will contain preferred address information. Sheila also gave a quick demonstration of how to create and update this page in Collage.

5. ePetitions Update (Donavan)

Donavan showed the new interface for the new ePetition system. The ePetition application was started as a directive by the ALA Board. Traditionally members used paper to gather signatures manually to petition for leadership positions or to propose a charge. This application presents a method to do so electronically on ALA’s website. The new system will allow members to create new petitions and sign existing petitions online based on their current membership(s). The system is scheduled to launch in a few weeks.

Posted by Sherri under ITTS Update meetings | No comments yet»

The time is finally at hand for us to upgrade ALA Connect from Drupal 5 to version 6. This will happen Wednesday night, July 29, 2009, from 8:00-10:00 pm CST (6:00-8:00 PST, 9:00-11:00 pm EST). During that time, you won’t be able to access Connect, but no data will be lost, and the site should look pretty much the same when it returns in its new 6 self.

The best place to watch for updates during that time is the AC Twitter account at http://twitter.com/alaconnect. However, we’ve integrated lighting lots of candles as an early step in the upgrade process, so we’re hoping it will go pretty smoothly. We also had some great beta testers who we think found all of the bugs so you don’t have to.

Because some of the Drupal 5 modules either don’t exist in Drupal 6 or have changed a little, a few things will be different in the new version. We’re not introducing any major new features yet, though, so you shouldn’t have to learn any major new tricks to keep using Connect the way you have been. Here are a few of the things that will be different when the site comes back online Wednesday night.

• The biggest change is to the “notifications” setup. In the current version of Connect, you go to each group to turn on email notices, unless you’ve manually set the default email preference in your profile to “send all” or “send none.” In the new Connect, you’ll have a new “subscriptions” tab on your profile where you can set all of your group email preferences from one page. Here’s a sample screenshot.

  

  In addition, you’ll be able to set a default interval for email notices so that you can receive a daily digest if that’s your preference.

  

• Your network will display by type of contact, although it will still default to “all.” Here’s a sample screenshot of how it’s broken out in the new version.

  

• A new “lock” icon appears next to “protected” content to indicate it’s not publicly viewable.

  

• For the time being, we won’t be able to include information for instant messenger accounts in your profile because that module hasn’t been updated yet, but we’re still exploring our options for returning this feature in the future (along with expanded options to include services like gTalk).

As you can see, there aren’t any major functional changes, but please let us know how the new version works for you after we flip the switch Wednesday night.

Posted by Jenny under ALAConnect | No comments yet»

ALA Connect got a warm reception during the ALA Annual Conference earlier this month, and we’re seeing increased usage as a result of the marketing push. The dust had finally settled a little from Annual, so this past weekend we flipped the rosters in iMIS (our member database), which means the rosters in Connect got flipped, too.

What does that mean? It means that anyone whose appointment to a committee ended on June 30, 2009, is no longer part of the roster for that committee in Connect. So if you log in and find that you suddenly don’t have access to a specific group anymore, it’s likely because your appointment has ended and new people have been added to the roster.

Conversely, if you log in and see a new committee showing up in “My ALA Groups” or on your profile, it’s probably because your appointment to that group started on July 1, 2009.

We performed some magic behind-the-scenes to make the switch happen after Annual in order to give working groups the ability to access their space in Connect during the conference, but now it’s time for the new roster to work in that space.

If you believe that an affiliation is missing from your profile in Connect or that you’re on a group you shouldn’t be on, please leave a comment here, email me at jlevine [at] ala.org, or use the contact us form on the Connect site. Even better, if you *know* you should be listed on a specific committee, contact that committee’s staff liaison (or “admin” in Connect), because that’s the person who can add you in the member database so that Connect reflects your participation.

ALA staff members who receive questions about committee appointments from members should first check iMIS to make sure the appointment dates are correct there. If you’re still experiencing problems with rosters in Connect, feel free to call or email me. In fact, it’s a good idea to check your rosters in general to make sure that they’re accurate, as we only flipped dates for appointments that ended on June 30 or began on July 1.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to ask!

Posted by Jenny under ALAConnect | No comments yet»

Back in January, I got an early taste of the power of ALA Connect during ALA’s Midwinter Meeting while the Website Advisory Committee was beta testing it. I found the site to be a huge help, so I want to share some tips as we all head to Annual because if you’re lucky enough to have a laptop or web-enabled cell phone with you at #ala2009, Connect can be both useful and fun.

Useful:

• Being in a meeting and trying to figure out who else is in the room with you by looking at the group’s roster.
• Meeting someone for the first time and adding them to your network so that you can easily find them again later.
• Emailing someone whose address you don’t have handy at that particular moment (just go to their profile and use the “send a message” feature).
• For committees: entering your meeting notes as an “online doc” directly into your Connect workspace as you’re taking them so that you don’t have to worry about distributing them via email as Word documents afterward. Doing this also allows the whole group to make their own additions/corrections or add comments much more quickly

Fun:

• Seeing which avatar/picture your friends choose for their Connect profiles.
• Seeing which groups and communities your friends are active in.
• Watching which new communities are forming during conference.
• Watching the Connect tag cloud change as various groups add content from their Annual sessions.

More than 11,000 people have visited ALA Connect in the last month alone, so it’s a pretty good idea to make sure your profile there is accurate. To check it, log in using your ALA website username and password and click on the my profile link in the left-hand sidebar. If any information listed is incorrect, you can fix it by updating your profile on the ALA website and logging back in to Connect.

Even better, if you’re comfortable with the idea of posting a picture of yourself, add one in Connect in order to help your colleagues do the useful and fun things listed above. If you’re looking for a job while at Annual, you might also think about fleshing out your profile, making it “public,” and linking to it from your resume so that potential employers can see your professional affiliations. It’s a great way to use Connect to your advantage!

My member profile on Connect (friend me there!):

Posted by Jenny under Uncategorized | No comments yet»

There are a number of usability tests of the division websites scheduled at conference. Interested members should contact their division web content manager to volunteer.

Members are also needed to help with ALA Connect testing on Saturday for about an hour between 1:30 and 3:30 PM. Testers will receive gift certificates to the ALA Store. If you are interested is volunteering for a test, contact me at lgruenberg@ala.org as soon as possible. Note that this is a new time, the previous test was set for Sunday.

Posted by Louise Gruenberg under ALA Website & ALAConnect & Usability Study & Web Planning | 1 Comment »

1. ADP eTime Software (Sheila)

   Because this is browser based, ITTS can’t push out an icon for this. The site will go live in the next day or two.This link from the KM system will *ONLY* work from inside the office. You can’t use it from home.

2. New Security Certificates for ALA websites (Sheila)Will be re-issued on June 18, so you’ll see new prompts to accept these new certificates that use https instead of http.

   Only have to accept the certificate once per browser on any computer you use.

   Certificates apply to the staff wiki, TrackIt help site, and the KM system.

   ITTS will send out a notification on the 18th reminding staff to accept these certificates to gain access to these sites.

   Reminder about a link to the TrackIt help desk is always in the left column of the KM home page.

3. Usability Testing at Annual (Louise)ITTS is doing a series of usability testing focus groups of division pages, the interface for the awards database (if ready), and ALA Connect
4. ALA Connect Update (Jenny)- Email blast to members went out today, and we’re seeing a lot more hits on the site as a result2009 schedule for Connect:
   • June = migrate to Drupal 6
   • July = implement the mentoring network
   • August = implement the opportunities exchange
   • September = implement new search engine
   • October-December = implement new conference event planner for Midwinter 2010

   ITTS has scheduled drop-in Q&As every day at Annual, so tell your members!

   showed some statistics from May, will post new ones to Marginalia this week; 1600+ visits today alone due to the email blast

5. Intro to FriendFeed (Jenny)

   showed FriendFeed, a lifestream aggregator
   - ALA’s account
   - ACRL’s account

Posted by Jenny under ITTS Update meetings | No comments yet»

At the Midwinter Website Advisory Committee meeting, a subcommittee formed to help implement a new conference event planner in ALA Connect. This group has put together a survey to help us learn what members want improved/fixed/added/changed about the current event planner.

You can help us out by completing the survey and giving us specific suggestions for what would help you. If you’ve ever complained about using ALA’s event planner (or even if you haven’t), now’s your chance to actually *do* something about it. Don’t just mutter under your breath – mutter to us. 

The survey will be open through July 19, 2009, and anyone can take it, including non-members. All of the feedback received will help us shape the new event planner, which we hope to implement for the 2010 Midwinter Meeting.

Thank you to WAC members Dave Hargett, Rebecca Jackman, Mary Popp, Jean Rainwater, and William Reed for their invaluable help with this project.

Posted by Jenny under ALAConnect & Web Advisory Committee (WAC) | 1 Comment »

1. ALA Connect Update (Sherri for Jenny)
The site launched April 6, 2009.   Overall the feedback has been positive.
Here are some statistics for ALA Connect for each of the last two weeks, as well as a combined total.
Week 1
———
880 logins, 759 ALA members + 121 non-ALA members
Non-ALA member accounts created: 159
Posts: 78
Online Docs: 93
Calendar Events: 100
Polls/Votes: 11
Discussions: 19
Images: 21

Week 2
———-
708 logins, 636 ALA members + 72 non-ALA members
Non-ALA member accounts created: 82
Posts: 46
Online Docs: 31
Calendar Events: 25
Polls/Votes: 3
Discussions: 13
Images: 3

Total
——-
1588 (1395 ALA members + 193 non-ALA members)
Non-ALA member accounts created: 241
Posts: 124 total
Online Docs: 124 total
Calendar Events: 125 total
Polls/Votes: 14 total
Discussions: 32 total
Images: 24 total

Division, Round Table, & Office web content management communities have been created in ALA Connect.  Please feel free to join them. The easiest way to find then is to search on the term “web” once you are in ALA Connect. (Louise)

ALA Connect Phase II (Sherri for Jenny)
We need to upgrade to Drupal 6 to improve the search engine and add other enhancements.
Phase II will include an advanced search for members, a Craig’s List-like exchange, a mentoring network, and an online Curriculum Vitae.
5. Web Services Health Check (Sherri)
ITTS has selected a Chicago-based company, Pathfinder Development, to perform the web services health check.  We are in the process of negotiating the master service agreement and the statement of work.  We plan to get this underway as soon as possible.

6. Trackit Update (Irene)

ITTS is a little behind in the implementation of Trackit so we extended the deadline to end use of the helpdesk@ala.org email address for staff.  ITTS will send out an email to notify staff when helpdesk.ala.org is no longer available to staff.  Members will still be able to reach us at helpdesk@ala.org.
Staff can start using http://help.ala.org if they’re not already using it
your login is your FirstInitialLastName (eg, jlevine)
contact Sheila for your password if you’ve never used Trackit before
7. Postini Implementation
Postini will become our new email transfer agent.  The agent will filter out messaging threats, including spam and viruses, before they reach our network. By routing inbound and outbound email through their data centers, we can activate robust security policies that will keep our organization secure and compliant.  This also reduces our inbound bandwidth needs by stopping the unwanted email before it reaches our network.  Staff will be able to log on to the Postini site to look at your Spam.  ITTS has one more piece to implement before we go live.  This piece will synchronize our address books so that email can be properly routed to either our email provider or our Sympa list server.

Microsoft Office 2007 Rollout (Sherri and Sheila)
ITTS has rolled out Office 2007 to Publishing and is about to contact the rest of the units to see if they are ready to move ahead.  Sheila is working on some basic documentation that explains what the differences are between 2003 and 2007.  Sheila demonstrated some of the differences.

PC/Laptop Rollout
ITTS is planning to lease the next batch of PC and laptops and will begin the rollout once the equipment is configured.

Posted by Sherri under ITTS Update meetings | No comments yet»