From newsletter_admin at netadventist.org Wed Oct 1 15:11:25 2008 From: newsletter_admin at netadventist.org (NetAdventist Newsletter) Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2008 17:11:25 -0500 Subject: NetAdventist News & Notes - Volume 3, Issue 17 Message-ID: [image: netAdventist News & Notes e-newsletter] *Vol. 3, Issue 17, Oct. 1, 2008* In this Issue: - Management of *net*Adventist Transfered to General Conference - Welcome to *net*Adventist version 3.0 - Earn Cash Prizes for Web Innovation in the Adventist Church - Create a Custom Design for Your netAdventist v3.0 Site - FAQ: How long before I will be upgraded to the 3.0 version? [image: News and Updates from netAdventist] News and Updates from netAdventist Management of *net*Adventist Transfered to General Conference Many of you may be aware by now that management of *net*Adventist has been transferred to the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters under the Office of Global Software and Technology. In this issue of the *News & Notes *e-newsletter, we have included a letter from John Beckett, director of this office, welcoming you and sharing the exciting news about the release of * net*Adventist version 3.0. This new version of *net*Adventist incorporates the latest in Web technology and offers cutting-edge tools such as mailing list management and RSS feed generation, as well as e-commerce capabilities that allow you to accept online donations or create an online product catalog. We will be sharing more in upcoming issues about all the exciting new features of v3.0 and helping you become more familiar with this latest version. Stay tuned to find out more in the weeks ahead! *Welcome to netAdventist v3.0!* A letter from the Director... Dear *net*Adventist user, I want to welcome all of you Web masters, server administrators, and software users who have just started using *net*Adventist v3.0 or who will be in the near future. I am excited about the opportunities this software gives our Church for spreading our message and nurturing our members. We are deeply indebted to TAGnet and the Zaparas for contributing this software for global Church use, as well as to the teams at TAGnet and Integrum for their time and expertise in creating it. I am happy to announce that on September 2 we celebrated the transfer of management for *net*Adventist to the World Church under the Office of Global Software and Technology. This office will facilitate *net*Adventist's use around the world and oversee future upgrades and improvements to the software. However, Web site hosting and support will be the responsibility of the local divisions and unions. If you need help with hosting and support, you can contact netAserve, an independent company made up of former TAGnet employees, at www.netaserve.com for information and pricing. We are now in the process of launching the 3.0 version of *net*Adventist. As we launch this new version around the world we want to assure you we remain committed to fix any problems that are encountered. Even the best software experiences challenges as it comes into wide-spread use. The team at Integrum is well equipped to fix problems quickly. Rest assured that training materials (such as an online manual and Help site) and documentation are on the way. We don't expect you to navigate 3.0 in the dark. We also encourage you to communicate with us during this process. We want to know if there is a way v3.0 can be improved to better meet your needs. If you find a problem with the software or want to request a feature, click here to let us know. Netaserve.com (and soon the redesigned netAdventist.org ) also links to the Bug and Feature Request Form. In addition, please note that we are working to expand the number of designers and developers who are able to work with this new software platform. If you are designer or a Ruby on Rails developer who wants to get involved, please let us know. Also, we are working on creating more channels of content that you can subscribe to in order to feed content automatically onto your site. I look forward to seeing the great ways this software will be used. A web site is only as good as the content each Web master puts into it. It's time to get busy! Sincerely, John Beckett Director, Office of Global Technology & Software General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists [image: Helpful Links, Applications, and Content] Shared Links, Content, and Applications *Earn Cash Prizes for Web Innovation in the Adventist Church* Professionals in the Seventh-day Adventist Church can now earn cash prizes for innovative Web content that helps the Church in fulfilling its mission. TAGnet and ASI have partnered together to encourage church members world-wide to create new Web-based applications, mission-oriented content, and methodologies that share Jesus utilizing Web technology. Danny Houghton, managing director for TAGnet, says, "Our goal with this new initiative, called netPrize, is to provide an incentive that will encourage church members to develop new strategies, applications, and content for the Web. More and more of our evangelism is being done via the Web, and we have to be on the cutting edge technologically to share the gospel with today's world. We also know there is a lot of talent in our church?as well as a willingness to use it for God's kingdom?and we want to tap into it. That is why we created netPrize." Beginning in 2009, prizes for 1st ($10,000), 2nd($5,000) and 3rd ($2,500) place will be awarded each year for three years in three categories?communication, education, and mission/evangelism. There will also be an overall grand prize of $15,000. Cash prizes will total $75,000 for the first year. An application and additional information can be downloaded online at netprize.tagnet.org. The submission deadline for 2009 is April 15, 2009. A panel of experts will evaluate all applications. The winners will be announced at the Global Internet Evangelism Network Conference in Jamaica. Winners will be promoted for adoption throughout the world church and implemented in *net*Adventist v3.0. For more information, visit the netPrize site at netprize.tagnet.org. All submissions must be compatible *net*Adventist. [image: Tips for netAdventist v3.0 users] Tips for netAdventist v3.0 users *Create a Custom Design for Your netAdventist v3.0 Site* *net*Adventist v3.0 offers the ability to create your own custom design for your Web site, and you won't be limited to any certain layout like you were in *net*Adventist v2.0. To get started, visit the Design Center at design.netadventist.org. This online application provides a platform on which to build a unique *net*Adventist theme package. The Design Center will help you with the foundation of your design, the HTML and CSS coding, and if you're not very comfortable with coding, it has the option of choosing an existing theme to modify. The Design Center also allows you to save your work to be re-used as templates, redesigned later, or to be shared with other designers. Upon entering the Design Center you will go through four easy steps to create your new design. You can either start by modifying an existing theme and choosing from an online catalog of fully-functioning design templates already developed by the *net*Adventist design team, or if you don't see a template you like, you can create one of your own from scratch. To create your own design, you will need to have a graphics editing program. The most widely used program in the industry is Adobe Photoshop. A graphics or Web designer will usually have this program. Other program options can be found on this Wikipedia page. Once you create a design in the graphics editor of your choice, you will need to slice it up into individual parts for the Web site. Adobe Photoshop does a decent job with this, but Adobe Fireworks is dedicated just for this purpose and is more effective. Once you have your building blocks, you will need to code the framework using HTML and CSS. If you're not familiar with HTML and CSS, check out these tutorials to learn more (HTMLor CSS ). Now you're ready to integrate your design into the *net*Adventist v3.0 system in the Design Center. You can also have a custom theme developed for you by visiting netAserve. They offer Web design solutions and Web site support for *net*Adventist sites. [image: Tips for Using the Web for Evangelism] Frequently Asked Questions *I have a netAdventist v2.0 site. How long before I will be upgraded to the 3.0 version?* We are currently in "Phase 1" of the migration process for sites currently on *net*Adventist v2.0. For this first phase, only a handful of sites have been migrated to *net*Adventist v3.0, and they're helping us solidify the system for the next phase. "Phase 2" will come in the next couple weeks as soon as there are no known bugs in the system. This phase will involve several hundred sites who will use v3.0 for a few weeks and confirm that there are no bugs in the system before we move onto the final stage of the migration process?"'Phase 3." In the final phase, the thousands of remaining v2.0 sites in North America will be migrated to v3.0. This final phase will last one month with no changes to the existing v2.0 sites. Your new v3.0 site will have a default URL that is different from your existing URL so that your existing users will experience no difference, however, you will be able to access both sites at the same time. This final phase will allow you to get to know the new system and set it up just the way you want before you hit the "Complete Migration" button in the new Dashboard and all your users are moved over. Once this happens the migration to v3.0 will be complete. Please note that if you currently have a *net*Adventist support contract with TAGnet you will be automatically moved over to netAserve. Any new customers who would like to have access to toll-free phone support, email, and chat can sign-up for this service by visiting netAserve.com . ------------------------------ *To submit a question or an article idea* for future newsletters, click hereto email Nicole Batten. We also encourage you to share your user experiences with us. We may use your story in an upcoming issue. Great ideas and innovative content are meant to be shared! We also encourage you to share links, content, or applications that you think would benefit other *net*Adventist users. *To submit a change of email address* for your own subscription or to unsubscribe, click here. This newsletter is published twice monthly, on the first and third Wednesday of the month, for *net*Adventist users. *Publisher:* Office of Global Technology & Software, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists *Director:* John Beckett *Editor:* Nicole M. Batten *This e-newsletter is a service of netAdventist **and the Office of Global Technology & Software.* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.netadventist.org/pipermail/newsletter/attachments/20081001/68f218d9/attachment-0001.html From newsletter_admin at netadventist.org Thu Oct 16 00:25:47 2008 From: newsletter_admin at netadventist.org (NetAdventist Newsletter) Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:25:47 -0500 Subject: NetAdventist News & Notes - Volume 3, Issue 18 Message-ID: [image: netAdventist News & Notes e-newsletter] *Vol. 3, Issue 18, Oct. 15, 2008* In this Issue: - Creating Custom User Permissions in *net*Adventist v3.0 - Support Services for Your *net*Adventist v3.0 Site - FAQ: Are there any rules for using the name "Seventh-day Adventist" on my site? [image: Tips for netAdventist v3.0 users] Tips for netAdventist v3.0 users Creating Custom User Permissions in *net*Adventist v3.0 *net*Adventist v3.0 allows you to create and customize user permissions. As with v2.0, Web site visitors can register as users or members of your site. However, you can now place registered users into User Groups by assigning them a unique set of access permissions. There are three default User Groups already built into the v3.0 system: Member, Publisher, and Site Admin. You can view each individual User Group's permissions by clicking or highlighting the name in the User Access Groups screen under the User Admin tab in the Dashboard. To create a new User Group and customize its user permissions, click on the Add User Group button on the right hand side of the User Access Groups screen in the User Admin tab. Here you can enter a new User Group name and select what areas of your Web site you want this new User Group to be able to access. For example, you may want to create a new User Group called "Newsletter Editor" and select the permission boxes for accessing the newsletter template and mailing list. This insures your newsletter editor can ONLY access this part of your site. Or if you have designated photographers for school events, you may want to create a User Group called "Photographers" and only grant them access to the Photo Albums area of your site. You can place users in more than one User Group at a time. The permissions for each User Group display in green with a check mark beside them. Each of your users can have their own profile. This includes a photo of themselves and their contact information. In the User Admin tab of the Dashboard under User Profiles, you can easily view each user's profile and photo, as well as assign new User Groups to them and reset their passwords. [image: Helpful Links, Applications, and Content] Shared Links, Content, and Applications *Support Services for your netAdventist v3.0 Site* If you're looking for support for your v3.0 site, netAserve provides the help you need. Created in partnership with the developers of *net*Adventist v3.0, netAserve (an independent company) provides training and support for * net*Adventist v3.0 sites and their users. They also offer hosting and server administration services, as well as custom design services for creating a unique look for your *net*Adventist site. For more information, visit netAserve.com . Please note that if you currently have a *net*Adventist support contract with TAGnet you will be automatically moved over to netAserve. Any new customers who would like to have access to toll-free phone support, email, and chat can sign-up for this service through netAserve. Also, *net*Adventist will soon be releasing a Help site for its 3.0 version that includes an online user manual, searchable index, and video library. [image: Tips for Using the Web for Evangelism] Frequently Asked Questions *Are there any standards or rules for using the name "Seventh-day Adventist" on my Web site? * Yes, there are. It is important to remember that the name "Seventh-day Adventist" represents the Seventh-day Adventist Church, its institutions and organizations, and its local churches and members. The name and the logo are trademarked and registered identities. Trademarks and registration are important because they protect the name of an organization and prevent others from misrepresenting it. For the church to keep its trademarks, we must consistently use the correct name and appropriate trademarks. The Office of General Counsel asks that all denominational entities use the circle R trademark sign after the name Seventh-day Adventist and Adventist. Proper use looks like this: Seventh-day Adventist(R) and Adventist(R). Every denominational Web site should display appropriate trademark and copyright notices and symbols. The name Seventh-day Adventist should also always include the hyphen and a lower-case "d" for "day". Adventist or SDA are both considered appropriate abbreviations of Seventh-day Adventist. For more information on correct name usage and trademark guidelines, visit http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/guidelines/main_guide5.html . ------------------------------ *To submit a question or an article idea* for future newsletters, click hereto email Nicole Batten. We also encourage you to share your user experiences with us. We may use your story in an upcoming issue. Great ideas and innovative content are meant to be shared! We also encourage you to share links, content, or applications that you think would benefit other *net*Adventist users. *To submit a change of email address* for your own subscription or to unsubscribe, click here. This newsletter is published twice monthly, on the first and third Wednesday of the month, for *net*Adventist users. *Publisher:* Office of Global Technology & Software, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists *Director:* John Beckett *Editor:* Nicole M. Batten *This e-newsletter is a service of netAdventist **and the Office of Global Technology & Software.* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.netadventist.org/pipermail/newsletter/attachments/20081016/ed627d8f/attachment.html