Aaron, Melissa, Georgette, Bill, Walt
Notes from Nov. 14, 2012 Web Meeting (GW)
Discussion topics: D7 migration and Drupal as a long-term platform for the Trail Conference
Re D7 Migration:
Walt: “This is going to work eventually.”
Aaron asked the following questions:
Why the decision to upgrade to D7?
• Answer: Know that Drupal community plans to launch D8 in 2013; support of D6 will then stop; TC does not want to be left behind.
Are there functional problems with current site?
• Answer: primarily one, re member/non-member pricing
Aaron’s recommendation: Continue with upgrade to D7, but don’t worry too much about the pace; likely a year or more before D8 launches and D6 will continue to be fine for some time after that.
Georgette: At last meeting Walt marked January 2013 as time to decide whether he would be able to configure the store and, if not, this would be the time to seek (again) outside paid help
Re Drupal as a long-term platform for the Trail Conference
This was less the issue addressed than was the matter of a staff IT person. Walt repeated his hope that such a position would be included in the budget for 2013;
Georgette: Walt needs to be prepared to make a case—why and what would such a new position do?
She asked if Walt and Bill plan to continue to volunteer as our webmasters in 2013. They both answered yes!
Bill noted his view that the organization needs to understand how important the website has become to its operations; he asked where it ranks as a strategic priority
Walt: noted that the last plan is dated 2009 and that it was never implemented.
Georgette: noted that in fact the strategic plan was never finished (interrupted by financial crisis)
Walt: board plans to do strategic planning in 2013; he is on the committee;
Georgette: this will be an opportunity to decide whether a big, dynamic website is a priority (and hence requires an elevated commitment of resources) or, to decide to create and maintain a more modest website needing more modest resources; we will need to collect lots of data (purchases, members, donations, volunteers) to support decision-making
Walt/Bill: A goal for this committee will be to get broad understanding of the role of the website in the organization’s operations and visibility
In the meantime, Walt & Bill carry on with D7 migration tasks