Transitioning to the new Stake and Ward Web site Tools

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FullmerCB
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Transitioning to the new Stake and Ward Web site Tools

#1

Post by FullmerCB »

FAQs for transitioning to the new Stake and Ward Web Site tools can be found here:

[font=&quot]https://tech.lds.org/ldshelp/index.php5 ... ition_FAQs[/font]
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aebrown
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#2

Post by aebrown »

Chadf wrote:FAQs for transitioning to the new Stake and Ward Web Site tools can be found here:

[font=&quot]https://tech.lds.org/ldshelp/index.php5 ... ition_FAQs[/font]
Stakes and wards should encourage members to use the new Directory right away; but should continue to use the existing Stake and Ward Web sites for 2010 and 2011 calendaring. Stakes and wards should plan to use the new Calendar for their 2012 events. Leaders wishing to help test the new Calendar during 2010 and 2011 should do so with private calendars (interviews, presidency meetings, etc).
Wow, that is a bombshell dropped with no fanfare. Everything I've heard up to this point indicated that we could use the new Calendar in 2011. Now we're told we should wait a whole year longer. That's a big change in my plans for my stake.

But I certainly do appreciate hearing the news now, rather than two days later, since we were just about to kick off our 2011 stake calendar process.
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kisaac
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#3

Post by kisaac »

Alan_Brown wrote:Wow, that is a bombshell dropped with no fanfare. Everything I've heard up to this point indicated that we could use the new Calendar in 2011. Now we're told we should wait a whole year longer. That's a big change in my plans for my stake.

But I certainly do appreciate hearing the news now, rather than two days later, since we were just about to kick off our 2011 stake calendar process.
We also were making plans and coordinating with our stake about using the new system for 2011, and not just based on rumor, but based on suggestions from previous new.lds.org transition pages, now re-written, but I had saved the "old text" and it is quoted in part, below. I'm not complaining, because I know it is in beta, and I also know that schedules change- just wondering why it was ready a few weeks ago but not now?

"old Transition page wording"
>Wards and stakes can begin transitioning to the new calendar at any time.
-----------------
> Question: How long will the previous calendar remain operational?...
>
> The previous calendar will probably remain operational until the end of
> 2011. However, the new calendar is now available for use in 2010. In
> October, at least 100 stakes will begin using the new calendar as their
> official calendar for all 2011 events.
I wonder if "we" are waiting for the promised "missing piece of the puzzle?"
The ability to import events will be available in 2011 to support a smoother transition to the new calendar.
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aebrown
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#4

Post by aebrown »

kisaac wrote:I wonder if "we" are waiting for the promised "missing piece of the puzzle?"
The ability to import events will be available in 2011 to support a smoother transition to the new calendar.
I hope that wasn't the main reason, since I have no intention of ever using such an import.

The way the old calendar handled repeating events was so inflexible (no exceptions allowed) that I often created lots of individual events or had multiple instances of the same repeating event where the series had to be interrupted by an exception. I don't want any of that ugly data imported into the new calendar, which handles exceptions to repeating events much more gracefully.

There's also no way that an automated import can put events on the correct calendar in the new system, so I would have to move events manually to the correct calendar after an import anyway. I'm quite sure that I would be creating most of the new calendar by hand anyway, so an import is the least of my concerns.
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#5

Post by russellhltn »

Alan_Brown wrote:There's also no way that an automated import can put events on the correct calendar in the new system,
I only half agree with that. If it were developed as a interactive tool or wizard, it could ask you which events go where.

I suspect the real reason for waiting until 2012 is the logistics of trying to transition all church units in the time remaining. They may not have wanted units to transition to the new calendar leaving the old one on LUWS.
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techgy
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Calendar Training Benefit

#6

Post by techgy »

Perhaps the best reason for not importing events in mass is that entering each event manually provides a greater degree of training for the user. You become more familiar with the features and what works and what doesn't and are thus better able to handle the maintenance of the calendar later on.

I wouldn't suggest that an import feature is not important, rather from my perspective at least, I'd much rather do things manually at least for the first time through.
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aebrown
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#7

Post by aebrown »

techgy wrote:I wouldn't suggest that an import feature is not important, rather from my perspective at least, I'd much rather do things manually at least for the first time through.
That's an excellent point about another virtue of manually entering events, even if an import is available. But once you've imported your events manually, there's no further need for the import -- it's a one-time procedure.

My guess is that I could manually enter an entire year's worth of events on our stake calendar into the new Calendar in about 10 hours. That's not insignificant, but such a small amount of one-time work is not daunting at all, especially when I consider that I would have to do nearly that much work to fix up the details the import didn't handle correctly. These include resource scheduling, which is integrated with event scheduling in the new calendar, but is totally separate on the old LUWS.
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#8

Post by techgy »

Alan_Brown wrote:That's an excellent point about another virtue of manually entering events, even if an import is available. But once you've imported your events manually, there's no further need for the import -- it's a one-time procedure.
This is true. One more thought on importing is that I've been burned too many time through the use of some automatic feature on a piece of programming. Good intentions aside, importing a years worth of dates from the old LUWS calendar to the new calendar would make me nervous. It would be necessary to review EVERY date entered anyway to insure it was imported correctly and then to manually assign a resource - assuming that this wasn't part of the import feature.

I would certainly give a big hand to the developers for their efforts in the calendar and I look forward to what's coming. But, regardless as to what's coming I would still prefer to enter the dates manually.
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kisaac
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Maybe time is needed?

#9

Post by kisaac »

techgy wrote:Perhaps the best reason for not importing events in mass is that entering each event manually provides a greater degree of training for the user. You become more familiar with the features and what works and what doesn't and are thus better able to handle the maintenance of the calendar later on.

------
One more thought on importing is that I've been burned too many time through the use of some automatic feature on a piece of programming. Good intentions aside, importing a years worth of dates from the old LUWS calendar to the new calendar would make me nervous. It would be necessary to review EVERY date entered anyway to insure it was imported correctly and then to manually assign a resource - assuming that this wasn't part of the import feature.
I was once handed an unfamiliar professional SLR digital camera 10 minutes before a family wedding and asked to be the "fill-in" photographer. I did this professionally many years before, back in the film days. When the bride and groom asked how they should pose, I responded "Where's the power button?" Neither of us had confidence...

While many of us have watched this develop, most wards and stakes are being handed an unfamiliar set of tools "10 minutes before" major scheduling is to begin for next year. Some may feel there is not enough time for all the admins to go through a "familiarization and training process" and then feel comfortable enough to tell their stake president "Let's Go Live!" for 2011.
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#10

Post by gregwanderson »

But the new calendar is sooo much nicer than the old one and the learning curve is minimal. I would think that after 10 minutes the average user would be tempted to make rude remarks about the old calendar (like I did) and wish they could use the new one exclusively (like I do).
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