stories from the front lines
DESCRIPTION
Tips, tricks and all-around survival guide for the less technically-inclined Plone server administrator from someone who has been running a Plone site in production since 2006. Highlights include how to unlock the power of Collections, third-party products: when and when not to use them, and the care and feeding of content owners/creators.TRANSCRIPT
Stories from the Front5 Years of Plone in Production
Stephen BollingerWeb Services Librarian, F.D. Bluford Library
North Carolina A&T State University
About MeGopher (Get off my lawn, etc.)HTML Since 1995™“Library” SchoolDotCom “Consultant”Information Architect Hired GunPublic LibrarianAcademic Librarian
About My Work
Plone ExperienceCapital Area District LibraryBegan Development in July 2006 (v2.1.3)Launched in November 2006 (v2.5.1)Relaunched in June 2007 (v2.5.3)Upgraded in December 2007 (v3.0.3)
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State UniversityBegan Development in May 2010 (v4.0b1)
•Launched in August 2010 (v4.0b4-ish)•Currently Running v4.0.4
You’re in the Army NowWhat a Veteran Would Like to Tell His Rookie Self
Lessons Learned the Hard Way
Don’t OverreachBackup, Backup, BackupControl is OverratedThe Care & Feeding of End-Users Is a Tricky ThingIt Takes Years to Learn a ToolContent Is EverythingReuse, Reuse, ReuseThere Is Help Out There
Image Credit: Dirt Road ©Ian Munroe http://flic.kr/p/6x4VJH CC BY 2.0
Pyrrhic VictoryWhen Your Reach Exceeds Your Grasp
The Dangers of Overreaching
Can You Support It, Long-term?The Shifting Sands Underneath Your FeetYour Credibility With Your End-Users“Gee Whiz” vs. Mission CriticalKeep It Simple, StupidThe Right Tool for the Right Job
Don’t Burn Your BridgesBackup, Backup, Backup & Backup Again. Then Try a Restore.
Why Restore Is So Important
Your Site Is Sick & You Don’t Know for How LongCan It Be Fixed Without a Restore?How Well Does Your Server Administrator Understand Plone?What Do You Stand to Lose?Will Your Users Understand?Do You Have Redundancy Available?Disaster Planning & Recovery, Off-Site BackupsUltimately, It Doesn’t Matter Unless You Can Restore
RETREAT!Why Control Is Overrated & Technology Alone Cannot Save You
Must… Not… Micromanage…
Our Workflow Collapsed:Managers Did Not Use the System Often EnoughContent Moldered in the Queue
When Somebody Finally “Went Rogue”:It Was an Approver/ManagerIt Only Happened Once in 4 Years
Supporting the TroopsA Bumper Sticker Isn’t Enough
More Than TrainingBe Careful Sharing Your Pain
Your Users Will Rebel If You Bad-Mouth Your CMSYou Are There to Support Them
Make Your Developer(s) (& Yourself) Interact With Your UsersThey Will Tell You What Isn’t WorkingEmpower Them to Help Themselves & Their Peers
Make Help Easy to FindEncourage Them to Cooperate, Share & CollaborateTrust Your Users
Image Credit: ©Mike Gifford http://flic.kr/p/o8jSA CC BY-SA 2.0
Confessions of a VeteranIt Took Years to Get Here
Enough With the SlidesLet’s Go Behind The Scenes
Plone Wishlist
I Appreciate Everyone’s Hard Work. Plone Is Vastly Improved. But It Would Be Really Nice to Have:
Robust RSS 2.0 In/OutA Safe Way to Delegate Control of Select PortletsThe Ability to Reuse the Same Static Text PortletA Better Backup Story for Windows Plone
THANK YOU TO:Windows Installer Creators/Testers/MaintainerSunburst Theme & Deco.gs Creators/Testers/MaintainersPloneFormGen Creators/Testers/MaintainersWebLionEnfold SystemsProduct/Add-On Creators/Testers/MaintainersPlone IRC Channel/Google GroupsEveryone Involved in the Plone Community
Thank YouQuestions & Answers
©2011 Stephen Bollinger Except Where NotedThis Presentation Is Licensed CC BY-SA 2.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/