Communication Services and Information Technology 

In a post quite a while back I addressed some issues relating to fonts.  Over the weekend I watched an interesting documentary about the font Helvetica. (Yes, I am PBS-watching documentary-loving geek.)

Helvetica is either the greatest font ever designed - a marvel of simplicity and readability, or a plague of ubiquitous mediocrity.  For communicators, the film is an insightful look into the power of a type face. It can be seen on the program Independent Lens on PBS and is also available through iTunes.

And the NPR program On The Media featured an update on the use of federal stimulus funds to bridge the digital divide(s).

This news segment is 6 minutes in length.

The following announcement from UCD Adobe Connect Pro administrators was edited to apply to ANR users.

UC Davis' Adobe Connect Pro server has moved to a vendor-hosted solution. This announcement is about the migration off of, and shutdown of the campus Adobe Connect server (http://breeze.ucdavis.edu).

As a result of recent hardware issues with the campus Adobe Connect server, the plan for retiring the campus-hosted Adobe Connect service on December 4, 2009 has changed. Please review the following information carefully if you have hosted sessions or created recordings using the campus Adobe Connect service. This announcement does not apply to Adobe Presenter users.

CAMPUS-HOSTED RETIREMENT TIMELINE

* Monday, January 18 will be the last day to use the campus-hosted Adobe Connect service to host on-line meetings. Everyone in the ANR Directory already has an account on the new Adobe Connect Pro server hosted by Adobe. Go to your ANR Portal (http://my.ucanr.org) and click on Adobe Connect under My Links. Updated information about ANR's use of Adobe Connect Pro will always be available there.

* The campus-hosted Adobe Connect server will be unavailable from Tuesday, January 19 through Friday, January 22.

* After January 22, you will have access to migrate or offload data from the campus server upon request only. Send requests for access to connectpro@ucdavis.edu.

MIGRATING/OFFLOADING RECORDINGS

For help migrating and offloading contact between now and January 18, or after January 22, please send email to connectpro@ucdavis.edu.

If you have recordings you do not wish to migrate or offload, please send an email to connectpro@ucdavis.edu stating that you authorize IET to permanently delete the materials you have stored on the Adobe Connect server. If we do not receive this permission, IET will create an archive of your meeting recordings, and after June 30, 2010, there will be a labor charge to recover files.

Academic Technology Services
ats@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-2133

For assistance from ANR Communication Services, please email anrconnectpro@ucdavis.edu

 

As most of the ANR Web environment goes through a makeover, I thought that this post on writing great copy deserved sharing.

If you're looking at changes to your Web site, remember to keep the end user in mind rather than your own needs or an explanation of a new structure.  It's easy to get wrapped up in what's happening internally.  Keep the focus on the product and programs.

The question "What have you done for me lately?"  has never been more relevant.

This is a quick read - Does your Web copy pass the seven tests?

This new on the SEO front - it appears that Google is strongly considering adding page load speed into their search algorithm.  This was announced in a presentation by Matt Cutts from Google at the PubCon Search Engine Conference in Las Vegas in November.

The best place for the latest information about Adobe Connect for ANR's use is right here. 

If you are a current user of the old UCD server, you are using a fatigued piece of equipment on borrowed time. The old "breeze" server will be retired either by its complete failure, or by choice in early 2010. The campus operators have asked that everyone begin using the new Adobe-hosted server immediately. Access information is on your ANR Portal under My Links, Adobe Connect.

What about the recordings or published Adobe Presenter content? Those items on the old server are currently available on a virtual server and will continue to be accessible until the transfer is complete. A process is being developed to transfer old content to the new server at http://ucanr.org/connect  (aka http://uc-d/na.4/acrobat.com) 
Powerpoint, MP3, JPEGs, SWF and FLV files that you have uploaded will not be transferred. They reside in specific meetings on the old server and you'll need to re-upload them after you create a new meeting room.

Where do I publish my Presenter files?  "Author" rights are no longer affordable ($150/per person/year) on the new server. As a result, users of the Adobe Presenter add-in to Powerpoint will need to publish to one generic account set up for that purpose. For details, please contact ANRConnectPro@ucdavis.edu for access information.