[welmac-org] Web site migration and meeting planning

[David Empson]

Hi folks

I've had another busy weekend at home, continuing the unpacking 
process, so didn't have time to make much progress on the web site 
transfer.

Things are in motion:

- The automatic payment for HONEYcom (Allan Honey) to host the web 
site has been set up. Payments commence 1st August.

- Allan's server is configured to host our web site. Some adjustments 
may be required, e.g. to enable any additional features or install 
software we need, but we can start to build a web site now.

- Jo has set up temporary domain names to point to the new web site. 
During the development stage it will use the name 
"new.welmac.org.nz", which we will switch over to www.welmac.org.nz 
(or just welmac.org.nz) once development is complete.

Major items on the to do list:

- [DE] Finish setting up the mail server, so we can move mail hosting 
off iServe. I need to create all the required accounts and forwarding 
rules.

- [DE/JB] Adjust the domain names so that Allan's mail server takes 
over from iServe.

- Design and set up the new web site.

- Switch domain names over to the new site.

We need to have a meeting to start planning the new web site. The 
WelMac timetable for the next few weeks includes:

Monday 30th June (tonight): main meeting at Turnbull House.
Saturday 4th August: Help Desk at the Dentons.
Monday 6th: Kapiti meeting.
Wednesday 8th: Nominal New Media meeting. (I'm busy that night with 
another event.)
Tuesday 14th: Committee meeting at the Dentons (to be confirmed).
Tuesday 21st to Thursday 23rd: magazine preparation and labelling.
Monday 27th: main meeting at Turnbull House.

If all the interested parties are at the main meeting tonight, I 
suggest we have a brief meeting afterwards to start planning.

The "interested parties" include at least myself, Jo and Graeme, plus 
any others who would like to make a contribution or have input at the 
early stages of the new web site design. I'll be asking for 
volunteers at tonight's meeting.

My intention is to start with a fresh design using modern standards, 
rather than continuing to adapt our current "blue background" web 
site. Jo's previous new site design (exposed on the magazine download 
pages, for example) could be the basis of the new design, or we might 
start afresh, looking at other web sites for ideas.

We could potentialy have a followup brief meeting either before or 
after the help desk on Saturday.

I'd like to have a subcommittee meeting specifically for designing 
the web site, some time between the help desk and the committee 
meeting.

The afternoon of Saturday 11th or Sunday 12th August are possible 
candidates, if that fits in with most of the interested parties. My 
place (in Karori) should be available, but I'll need to confirm with 
my flatmates. I have plenty of Internet and WiFi.

Ideally, I'd like us to have a first draft of the new web site by the 
committee meeting, at least with the major structure in place. If we 
can get enough work done by the end of the month, we could switch 
over to the new site in time to announce it in the next magazine, but 
next month may be a more realistic target.

-- 
David Empson
dempson at actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand