Overview

The CommonSpot content management system software, from PaperThin, runs in a ColdFusion environment on a Windows server, and uses an Oracle back-end database. It provides for template-based Web site construction, with access control at the site, subsite, sub-subsite, page, and page-element levels. Ohio University Web pages are being migrated into CommonSpot from a number of other servers, including the VMS Front Door server. Any of the more than 21,000 pages and documents that are still on the older, "VMS Front Door," server are accessed with such URLs as

"http://www.ohiou.edu/policy/"

while any of the more than 13,000 pages and documents on the newer, "CommonSpot Front Door," server are accessed with such URLs as

"http://www.ohio.edu/bicentennial/"

Any attempt to access a page from the wrong server will result in a redirect to the correct server.

New subsite pagemasters and content contributors should scroll down this page to the "Seminars and Documentation" heading, or use the link above to jump there directly.

News and Announcements for Page Authors

We will keep the most recent few items here, currently active and newest first. As problems are resolved, or other problems are detected, we will let you know by updating this page. Older items are available from our archive page.

Authoring Freezes Friday and Saturday Mornings, August 15 and 16

The Friday morning freeze will start at 5 am and conclude when the work is finished, probably before 7 am. This is the first freeze for the CommonSpot Overhaul project described in the next section.

The Saturday morning freeze will start at 1 am and conclude when the work is finished, probably before 8 am. This is the routine monthly installation of Microsoft patches.

CommonSpot Gets an Overhaul

We are re-implementing CommonSpot! With major upgrades to both hardware and software; you can expect to see a faster, friendlier system with a great new look. Early in Fall Quarter, new layout and design templates will be available, as will new elements and ready-to-use graphics. We will have a faster server for authoring and three servers sharing the load of public display (instead of only one "www.ohio.edu" server). At the same time, the CommonSpot software will have a major upgrade, from V4.6.1 to V5.0.2.

As usual for a CommonSpot upgrade, there will be two authoring freezes:

1. To make a complete copy of the current pages to test the new environment. This freeze will be during the early hours of Friday morning, August 15, 2008.

2. To bring the new environment into production, incorporating all the updates you did to your pages on the old servers after the first freeze. Because of the scope of these changes, the final work will require an extended authoring freeze: we plan to start the work at the close of business, perhaps on a Friday, but do not expect to restore authoring until several days later. So, catch up on as much work on your pages as possible, as soon as possible.

This page will be updated with more information, including links to detailed help for authors and editors, as work progresses. When we have something for everyone to explore, we'll let you know -- we'll be eager for your feedback!

July 28, 2008

We are sorry for the problems that have disrupted authoring this morning. They appear to be resolved, but authoring may well be slow for a while.

FireFox Issues

Version 3 of FireFox will not work reliably with CommonSpot on any platform (Macintosh, Windows XP, or Windows Vista). If you need to install FireFox (for example, if you get a new computer), start by going to the older-versions part of their site, at http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html, and scroll down to the "English (US)" line for Version 2.0.0.x, and click on the download appropriate to your computer.

Internet Explorer on Vista

PaperThin has confirmed that Windows Internet Explorer on Vista will not work reliably with the current version of CommonSpot. If you are using a laptop or desktop computer that is running Windows Vista to author CommonSpot pages, use the FireFox browser instead of Internet Explorer!

Delayed Updates

PaperThin staff have identified a problem that intermittently obstructs the transfer of updates from the authoring server to the public server. Once obstructed, all updates are stalled until we intervene manually. The system does not notify us automatically that updates are blocked, but we do have a tool that permits us to confirm such obstructions.

Therefore, if you submit a change, or an entire page, for publication on the authoring server, and your change is visible in Read mode on the authoring server, but the old version continues to be displayed unchanged for more than five minutes on the public server, please let us know right away by one of the following two methods:

• Phone the OIT Service Desk staff at 593-1222

• E-mail the OIT Service Desk staff at servicedesk@ohio.edu

Other Problems

If you encounter other problems with page authoring or access in CommonSpot, please report them promptly, so that we can work with you to resolve them.

• Urgent problems should be reported to the OIT Service Desk staff (593-1222 or servicedesk@ohio.edu).

• Less urgent issues can be reported to webteam@ohio.edu, or by phone to 593-1017 or 593-1016.

Form Issues

Please be aware that the "simple forms" features built in to CommonSpot do provide for the transfer of information from the reader of your page to you by e-mail, but that transfer is not secure. Therefore, never collect sensitive information, such as Social Security or credit card numbers, using such forms.

If you use an HTML fragment to create a form on your CommonSpot page using either of the generic scripts documented at http://www.ohiou.edu/pagemasters/memo85/append5.html, please be aware that the same statement applies, because the e-mails they send are also not encrypted.

Seminars and Documentation

The one-page CommonSpot Quick Reference Summary is available online as a PDF file.

Training for CommonSpot

Web Services is in the process of re-implementing CommonSpot, which will include re-working the training process, sessions, and reference materials. While that work is in progress, we will not be scheduling small-group seminars, but we will maintain the existing guides, linked below, and we will provide one-on-one training by arrangement. The materials linked below are available for reference and for use by those who have not yet attended training.

If you are intested in learning how to use CommonSpot, please contact the Web Team by E-mail to webteam@ohio.edu, or by phone to 593-1017 or to 593-1016.

New Pagemasters

This is intended for people who have not previously been responsible for a Web site. It does not include any CommonSpot-specific material. It does include basic guidance on organization and planning for a new site, and issues to consider when first becoming responsible for an existing site. This has been presented as one two-hour session. Our experience indicates that it is likely to take a bit less than the full two hours.

Intermediate Pagemasters

This is intended for people who have been maintaining a Web site, or who have recently learned the "New Pagemasters" material. It provides guidance for the migration process to bring existing sites into CommonSpot. It excludes extended discussion of the issues considered in the New Pagemasters seminar, which we would expect experienced pagemasters to have already encountered. When presented as a small-group seminar or in one-on-one format, there will be a combination of lecture and hands-on experience. This has been presented as two two-hour sessions, taken in the same week. The pages created during the hands-on parts of the first session will be used during the second session, so attendance at the full first session is prerequisite for the second session.

Advanced Pagemasters

This is intended for people who have already migrated a Web site into CommonSpot, or who have built a new site in CommonSpot. It provides guidance for the process of sharing the site maintenance work with other people, who will have taken the "Content Contributors" seminar, and includes more information on some of the advanced features of CommonSpot. We anticipate that this could be one two-hour session. We are gradually accumulating the documentation for this seminar in anticipation of its pilot offering.

Content Contributors

This is intended for people who will be responsible for maintaining one or more parts of a CommonSpot Web site that has already been set up by the pagemaster. The content overlaps to a large extent with the Intermediate Pagemasters course, but it is presented with a different emphasis and pace. This has been presented as two two-hour sessions, taken in the same week. The pages created during the hands-on parts of the first session will be used during the second session, so attendance at the full first session is prerequisite for the second session. Our experience indicates that the second session is likely to take a bit less than the full two hours.

Other Resources

Once you are logged in to the CommonSpot server, you should be able to access the on-line documentation, at http://author.admsrv.ohio.edu/docs.cfm. The documents linked from that page are PDF files, some of them quite large (hundreds of pages when printed)!

Credits

The original work developing these pages, including team-teaching the first several months' offerings of the Intermediate Pagemasters and Content Contributors seminars, was done by Sarah Rist (then Sarah Lude) and Dick Piccard. Zeenath Sheikh wrote the first version of the Quick Reference Guide and worked with Dick Piccard to teach many offerings of the Intermediate Pagemasters and Content Contributors seminars. Tasha Knutsen assisted multiple offerings of those seminars, and Peg Ratajik taught both series of seminars multiple times.

Dick Piccard revised this file (http://www.ohiou.edu/pagemasters/commonspot/index.html) on May 22, 2008.

Please E-Mail comments or suggestions to"webteam@ohio.edu".