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Planning for Calendar 2.0

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:09 am
by techgy
JohnShaw wrote:Original Post was June 20..... Is there going to be a beta at some point?? :)

A beta WOULD be helpful. We're 4 months from the end of the year. With the Classic Sites disappearing at that point, it would be a mess trying to deal with the change-over as well as the major changes that v2.0 brings into the mix.

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:35 am
by aebrown
techgy wrote:
JohnShaw wrote:Original Post was June 20..... Is there going to be a beta at some point?? :)
A beta WOULD be helpful.
The beta is certainly still planned -- recall that the original post of this thread said:
jdcr256 wrote:In the next several weeks we hope to release the new application into a type of sandbox environment where you can get access to try it out.

Note that it said "next several weeks". I'm sure that vague wording was intentional, since there could not possibly have been certainty back on June 20 as to just how long all this would take. Patience, patience.
techgy wrote:We're 4 months from the end of the year. With the Classic Sites disappearing at that point, it would be a mess trying to deal with the change-over as well as the major changes that v2.0 brings into the mix.
This is just speculation on my part, but I'm betting that the Classic sites will continue well into 2012. Note that the Calendar 2.0 was first supposed to be in March, then June, and still isn't out in August. Note that we haven't even seen a hint of a release of the rest of the Classic site functionality. I know the current documentation says that the Classic sites will be retired at the end of 2011, but I don't see how the new site (Calendar 2.0, News and Information, home pages, missionary info, etc.) can be released and solid by then.

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:39 am
by johnshaw
Looks like it's time to update the 'current documentation' - Let's also understand, we are all as anxious and excited for the new technology to be implemented as those writing it. I think we all waited for the ...next several weeks.... which have come and gone, and doubled, and added a week. I work in a large data center environment, I understand the why's etc, believe me....

But it is important to keep wards and stakes updated (These are your clients, we are your clients) this is called being service-oriented which I know the church departments are striving towards. Let me give you an example....based on the then known information, I made a case to our stake Presidency that we should hold off on converting to the new calendar stake-wide, because I understood a major version change was coming in June (knowing it could slip a bit - no worries there for me). I didn't want to go through the training, just to do it again in case things were that much different. I'm at a position again (I get asked questions EVERY week about it) of needing to know if I should do the training and get everyone migrated, or wait. This directly effects the callings and work of a large number of people in each of our stakes, we are all waiting on pins and needles, because, yes, we are excited about it... we're not nagging, we're eager. at least that's how I see it.

Additionally, let's not forget... Stakes are planning for next year, wanting to put a calendar together for 2012 by the end of September.... so that Wards and Branches can do their planning in Oct/Nov... The technology is a major part of that planning - just a quick updated is all we really need.

I don't think there is anything wrong with wondering if/when it is going to happen, or to request a better timeline about the release schedule.

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 11:27 am
by russellhltn
JohnShaw wrote:Stakes are planning for next year, wanting to put a calendar together for 2012 by the end of September....

Keep in mind that we're waiting for a beta. One that may not be open to the whole stake. And any information will be lost at the end of the beta.

Somehow, I don't see 2.0 going live by that September deadline.

aebrown wrote:This is just speculation on my part, but I'm betting that the Classic sites will continue well into 2012.

I'm not so sure. I don't see anything that would prevent the directory and calendar portions from being shutdown. Effectively turning on the redirect for everyone.

You could be right, but I'd be cautious about basing any plans on that theory.

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 2:38 pm
by aebrown
RussellHltn wrote:I'm not so sure. I don't see anything that would prevent the directory and calendar portions from being shutdown. Effectively turning on the redirect for everyone.

You could be right, but I'd be cautious about basing any plans on that theory.
I certainly wouldn't want anyone to make plans based on my speculation. But if the Calendar 2.0 beta keeps slipping, then the Calendar 2.0 release will also keep slipping. Many stakes do their calendar planning in September and October.

If the Calendar 2.0 is not released in time for stakes to do their planning using the new system, then it doesn't seem very kind to turn off the Classic calendar before there is a suitable replacement that has all the features in the Classic calendar that many stakes have come to depend upon. We have heard on this forum of some stakes who are still using the Classic calendar because they depend on the stake being able to see ward calendars, or some other feature that the Classic calendar has, but the new Calendar does not have and will not have until 2.0 is released. The logical conclusion of this is that a late release of Calendar 2.0 will put such stakes in a major bind if the shutdown of the Classic calendar still happens at the end of this year.

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 3:23 pm
by russellhltn
aebrown wrote:If the Calendar 2.0 is not released in time for stakes to do their planning using the new system, then it doesn't seem very kind to turn off the Classic calendar before there is a suitable replacement that has all the features in the Classic calendar that many stakes have come to depend upon.
True. But before the produce managers come to that conclusion, they'd have to recognize that:
- there are some "deal killers" in the current 1.x version for some stakes
- when it becomes too late to introduce 2.0 for the new year

The last one especially might be a subjective judgement.
aebrown wrote:I certainly wouldn't want anyone to make plans based on my speculation.
And that's my point as well.

My stake has been holding back hoping to avoid training on 1.x. But I think there's going to be a point where that becomes the "lesser of two evils" given the possible outcomes.

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 8:14 pm
by heyring
I would recommend that you move forward with migrating over to the calendar that is available now. Our Stake converted over within 1 week of release and it has been a great blessing to us. Our building schedulers now all have the ability to work together to see availability of all the buildings in the Stake.

We are able to utilize the automatic email notifications for events.

We are able to view the calendar on our mobile devices easily and with improved efficiency.

The "1.x" Calendar is leaps and bounds above what was available in the classic version. The conversion was simple... The learning curve was nothing that our leaders were not able to figure out with a few different training sessions I conducted.

As a member of the High Council over facilities and technology in our Stake, I can assure you that you can support the members of your Stake sufficiently with the excellent documentation (help file) that has been put together by the tech folks.

Come on in! The waters fine!

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:14 pm
by russellhltn
I'd like to at least see the new beta first. If it's 1.x with fixes, that would be one thing, but I got the impression that they tweaked the "model". I just want to know how different it will be.

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:59 pm
by techgy
RussellHltn wrote:I'd like to at least see the new beta first. If it's 1.x with fixes, that would be one thing, but I got the impression that they tweaked the "model". I just want to know how different it will be.

I would agree that I'd like to see more information on what's coming before I jump in with both feet into v1.x.
Many of the wards in our stake ARE using v2 now, but I know that many of the members are still depending upon the classic sites where news items can be posted. The classic sites also still offer the ability for a stake administrator to send out Emails to the members of the stake, which v1.x of the new calendar only supports if your calling permits it - and unfortunately the STS isn't among the priviledged few who can do this - at least not yet.

If anyone in the "know" at CHQ is reading this it would be very helpful to see a list of new features that are being implemented in v2.

So we're still leaving the Classic Sites enabled for a while longer. Alan may have a valid point - that the dates COULD certainly slip a bit. Let's hope.

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:10 pm
by russellhltn
techgy wrote:I know that many of the members are still depending upon the classic sites where news items can be posted.

How does the redirect work now? I'm thinking the classic site won't go away at the end of 2011, but rather the redirect may become mandatory.