Thursday, February 26, 2009
Don't put the ' character in photo file names
This has been causing photos not to display in the system. We're working on it, but at this moment, it is causing problems. so... john'sphoto.jpg is a photo name you should avoid for the time being.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Audio not uploading properly
In the article entry page, there is a way to enter audio files. These are to be used for podcasts, but many people have been uploading regular files associated with their stories. When the files don't appear, it confuses them.
Be aware that you should only post related media -- stuff you want to appear with articles -- on the save and add media page and not here.
We will be changing the way this works in the future to make it more intuitive.
Be aware that you should only post related media -- stuff you want to appear with articles -- on the save and add media page and not here.
We will be changing the way this works in the future to make it more intuitive.
Comment system improved
Users have been seeing other newspapers'/schools' comments in their comments queue. We pushed an update this last night that should take care of this. If you see it again, please contact support@asne.org
Intermittant video issues
We have continued to have some recurring video upload issues. We use a third-party provider for these and although they are responsive, sometimes these problems recur. We're exploring this with them.
First, we are going to increase the wait period we ask you to wait until your video is ready. Sometimes five minutes isn't enough. Make it 10.
Next, if your video doesn't upload, there's a possibility -- especially if it's an AVI file -- that we have a problem with it overall, not just sometimes. If you have an alternative to AVI, try that first.
If you try these things and fail, when you e-mail support@asne.org, please include the URL (Web address) of the article that contains the offending video. That helps us a lot.
If these problems continue to occur, we will change providers, but we're going to stick with them at least until the summer.
First, we are going to increase the wait period we ask you to wait until your video is ready. Sometimes five minutes isn't enough. Make it 10.
Next, if your video doesn't upload, there's a possibility -- especially if it's an AVI file -- that we have a problem with it overall, not just sometimes. If you have an alternative to AVI, try that first.
If you try these things and fail, when you e-mail support@asne.org, please include the URL (Web address) of the article that contains the offending video. That helps us a lot.
If these problems continue to occur, we will change providers, but we're going to stick with them at least until the summer.
It still displays the default look. Why?
In order for your themes to show, you must have some active content to display. Even if that means creating a token edition and story.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Trouble saving photos
Sometimes the system won't accept photos that you have uploaded.
The first thing you should check is the actual name of the photo file. Make sure that it:
* Has no weird characters in it (&/#@, etc.)
* Doesn't have spaces in it (this is generally NOT a problem, but no use taking chances)
* Has .jpg, .gif or .png at the end. Those are the photo types we support.
Sometimes, though, this is because the photos are somehow saved incorrectly, but the service is sometimes at fault, as well.
When this happens, you should first delete the existing photo.
Next, you should try uploading it again (there may have been a glitch at the moment you uploaded the first one).
If that fails, first delete the photo that just failed then try going to the original photo and resaving it, changing something slight about it as you save it. For example, you might change the photo quality from 6 to 5 in Photoshop. Also, make sure that the photo is being saved as RGB rather than CMYK. The key is to make the file different enough so that you're saving something new and not trying the same thing over again.
This often will fix the problem.
The first thing you should check is the actual name of the photo file. Make sure that it:
* Has no weird characters in it (&/#@, etc.)
* Doesn't have spaces in it (this is generally NOT a problem, but no use taking chances)
* Has .jpg, .gif or .png at the end. Those are the photo types we support.
Sometimes, though, this is because the photos are somehow saved incorrectly, but the service is sometimes at fault, as well.
When this happens, you should first delete the existing photo.
Next, you should try uploading it again (there may have been a glitch at the moment you uploaded the first one).
If that fails, first delete the photo that just failed then try going to the original photo and resaving it, changing something slight about it as you save it. For example, you might change the photo quality from 6 to 5 in Photoshop. Also, make sure that the photo is being saved as RGB rather than CMYK. The key is to make the file different enough so that you're saving something new and not trying the same thing over again.
This often will fix the problem.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Flag images and resizing them
The flag image size is 668 pixels wide x 150 pixels deep. Your image will need to be that size in order to work.
The system will upsize anything you give it to fill the space. For example, if you upload something that is 339 x 75, it will double it (and probably make it blurry). Likewise, if it is 1336 x 300, it will halve it.
If your image is not a proportion of the size specified, it will crop it to fit. To prevent this, in Photoshop or the equivalent program, you'll need to alter the image so that when it does crop, it will crop white space (or at least part of the image you don't care about) OR so that you can make it a variation of that proportion so it fits exactly.
One example I recently came across was 320 pixels wide by 49 pixels deep. In this example, you would need to make the image deeper -- to about 72 pixels -- before starting.
The system will upsize anything you give it to fill the space. For example, if you upload something that is 339 x 75, it will double it (and probably make it blurry). Likewise, if it is 1336 x 300, it will halve it.
If your image is not a proportion of the size specified, it will crop it to fit. To prevent this, in Photoshop or the equivalent program, you'll need to alter the image so that when it does crop, it will crop white space (or at least part of the image you don't care about) OR so that you can make it a variation of that proportion so it fits exactly.
One example I recently came across was 320 pixels wide by 49 pixels deep. In this example, you would need to make the image deeper -- to about 72 pixels -- before starting.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Large uploads
We were having an issue with large uploads this week -- PDFs and video. We have changed the "time-out" period that our server waits until quitting on you, which should resolve some of this.
Keep in mind that even if you are on a fast connection, your UPLOAD speed may not be as speedy as you think; often it's a fraction of the download speed. If you try to upload a 50Mb video file and you can only upload at 100Kb/s, it's going to take you a loooong time to upload that file -- up to 51 minutes.
If you don't succeed in the school environment, you might try it at home.
That said, here are some thoughts on how to make the file sizes smaller should this happen to you.
For PDFs, you should try to reduce file size. In Indesign, when you export to PDF, Web quality is one of the options and you should use it. Web PDFs are different from print PDFs -- images are smaller.
For video, every 1x1 pixel you go up in screen size, the amount of storage you require goes up exponentially. This means that smaller screen sizes usually translate into smaller files. Also, AVI files tend to be much larger than their cousins WMV and MOV; if it's an option to save in the other formats, try that. We're going to downsize them to our dimensions and convert them to Flash Video (FLV), anyway.
Keep in mind that even if you are on a fast connection, your UPLOAD speed may not be as speedy as you think; often it's a fraction of the download speed. If you try to upload a 50Mb video file and you can only upload at 100Kb/s, it's going to take you a loooong time to upload that file -- up to 51 minutes.
If you don't succeed in the school environment, you might try it at home.
That said, here are some thoughts on how to make the file sizes smaller should this happen to you.
For PDFs, you should try to reduce file size. In Indesign, when you export to PDF, Web quality is one of the options and you should use it. Web PDFs are different from print PDFs -- images are smaller.
For video, every 1x1 pixel you go up in screen size, the amount of storage you require goes up exponentially. This means that smaller screen sizes usually translate into smaller files. Also, AVI files tend to be much larger than their cousins WMV and MOV; if it's an option to save in the other formats, try that. We're going to downsize them to our dimensions and convert them to Flash Video (FLV), anyway.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Video fixed
We believe an issue we were having with video not uploading is now fixed. If you uploaded video in the last week, please try it again. Let us know if it fails.
Friday, February 6, 2009
You can subcribe to this RSS feed
So let's say you like this blog and want to see any updates to the my.hsj.org site as I update them here. All you have to do is tell your RSS feed reader to use http://myhsj.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default as the page to subscribe to and every time I update you should see it there. Not working? Look at this link.
New user guide for teachers and students
I forgot to mention this in my mass e-mail, but the user guide for both students and teachers has been updated. Be sure to check it out.
Period and commas return! Hooray!
An issue with the 2.1 push on Feb. 2 was that in index pages (the at-a-glance page and section fronts) was that periods and commas disappeared in the story summaries. Thankfully, this has been restored.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Share widget
Early in the development process, we introduced a share widget so you could share your articles and content on Facebook, MySpace, etc.
Search restored
In the Feb. 2 push, the search functionality was restored. It had been removed during the performance issues of December. We saw that the changes made to improve performance allowed it to return.
We hope to improve search over time.
We hope to improve search over time.
Performance improved
In December (early in this round of changes), performance issues were addressed. The way the site serves content was changed fundamentally.
Standalone video option created
In the Feb. 2 updated, we introduced a new article model: a standalone video.
This is intended for broadcast programs or stories where the video is the primary content.
Here's how to use it.
* Create an article.
* Place it in an edition and add categories as you would other articles.
* Check the standalone video option. It will say this: "When you choose this option, video will be the primary display. You will upload it after you click on 'Save and proceed to media gallery' below. The article field will be used as the caption. The credit and caption fields on the media gallery page ARE NOT USED. You should not upload any additional media."
The instructions are pretty self-explanatory.
The standalone video will appear in the index pages and its own article page.
This is intended for broadcast programs or stories where the video is the primary content.
Here's how to use it.
* Create an article.
* Place it in an edition and add categories as you would other articles.
* Check the standalone video option. It will say this: "When you choose this option, video will be the primary display. You will upload it after you click on 'Save and proceed to media gallery' below. The article field will be used as the caption. The credit and caption fields on the media gallery page ARE NOT USED. You should not upload any additional media."
The instructions are pretty self-explanatory.
The standalone video will appear in the index pages and its own article page.
E-mail this article page issues
When you e-mailed an article, it would send the wrong URL to the recipient.
We believe this is fixed in the Feb. 2 update.
Please let us know if it isn't.
We believe this is fixed in the Feb. 2 update.
Please let us know if it isn't.
National Edition logo
Content appearing in National Editions created since Nov. 20 now have the National Edition logo again.
Profanity filter issues
One of the two issues with the profanity filter has been addressed.
The profanity filter was including the word harass in its filter because the last few letters are a bad word. We have adjusted it to look for a leading space.
The e-mail alerts some people are getting are currently false alarms and can be safely ignored. If there is no flag, then it's OK.
The profanity filter was including the word harass in its filter because the last few letters are a bad word. We have adjusted it to look for a leading space.
The e-mail alerts some people are getting are currently false alarms and can be safely ignored. If there is no flag, then it's OK.
Image widths
It has been a while since we introduced it, but the thumbs on the index pages and the "premiere" images have both been adjusted.
The thumbs to show the whole image. The premiere images to display not more than 400 pixels wide, but less if the photo is narrower.
We are still working on caption issues here.
The thumbs to show the whole image. The premiere images to display not more than 400 pixels wide, but less if the photo is narrower.
We are still working on caption issues here.
Polls
We have studied putting up our own poll offering and found that it would be more effective for users to use a service that utilizes Javascript to post polls.
Services like PollDaddy are well suited for this.
To use it, do this...
* Sign up for PollDaddy. It's free.
* Create a poll using the questions you want and the stylings you want.
* Get the Javascript code.
* Create an article. Write any introduction you want. Click Basic Text Box. Click HTML (below the article entry box).
* Paste the PollDaddy code.
* Click back to Rich Text Editor and continue adding stuff.
When the article is previewed or displayed, you will see the poll. The only downside is that there can only be 100 responses on PollDaddy polls.
Services like PollDaddy are well suited for this.
To use it, do this...
* Sign up for PollDaddy. It's free.
* Create a poll using the questions you want and the stylings you want.
* Get the Javascript code.
* Create an article. Write any introduction you want. Click Basic Text Box. Click HTML (below the article entry box).
* Paste the PollDaddy code.
* Click back to Rich Text Editor and continue adding stuff.
When the article is previewed or displayed, you will see the poll. The only downside is that there can only be 100 responses on PollDaddy polls.
Article posting improvements
We have worked hard to improve the article posting behavior of the site.
1. We have studied hard the Word paste functionality to make sure that a lot of the invisible garbage that Word brings in is not displayed.
2. It is possible to put HTML into the article if you wish. Click on basic text and then HTML. This is a good way to insert things like < embed > material or stuff like PollDaddy polls.
We are working on other improvements in this area.
1. We have studied hard the Word paste functionality to make sure that a lot of the invisible garbage that Word brings in is not displayed.
2. It is possible to put HTML into the article if you wish. Click on basic text and then HTML. This is a good way to insert things like < embed > material or stuff like PollDaddy polls.
We are working on other improvements in this area.
Link to blog
A link to this blog has now been placed on the Dashboard of the site. This is the first place we will post material important to users.
Two changes to comment admin interface
Comments to articles have had two updates as of Feb. 2
1. It is now possible to look at all the information the commenter has posted before OKing the comment.
2. It is now possible to "unapprove" a comment after it has been approved. It is also possible to delete it.
1. It is now possible to look at all the information the commenter has posted before OKing the comment.
2. It is now possible to "unapprove" a comment after it has been approved. It is also possible to delete it.
Multiple media items can now be shown
When there are more than two videos associated with an article, any after the second was unviewable.
We believe this is fixed as a result of the Feb. 2 update. Please let us know if it isn't.
We believe this is fixed as a result of the Feb. 2 update. Please let us know if it isn't.
Media can be deleted/edited
A major accomplishment of the Feb. 2 update is allowing users to edit, delete and move media associated with articles. This wasn't possible before.
Students can edit stories
The Feb. 2 push has addressed one of the biggest issues users have complained about: students editing content. This is now possible.
Any student can edit any other student's content.
If everyone is using separate logins the audit trail at the bottom of any story will let you know who was last to change any article. If you are using a common login for students, you will not get this information -- only the time it was changed.
Any student can edit any other student's content.
If everyone is using separate logins the audit trail at the bottom of any story will let you know who was last to change any article. If you are using a common login for students, you will not get this information -- only the time it was changed.
Deleting yourself
If you delete yourself by mistake, contact Craig Branson and he will fix your login.
What will happen, though, is that going forward you will need to use the My Account pulldown and click on My Profile to edit your material. You won't appear on the staff edit listing any more.
What will happen, though, is that going forward you will need to use the My Account pulldown and click on My Profile to edit your material. You won't appear on the staff edit listing any more.
At-a-glance page doesn't act the way I expect
As you probably know from reading the manual, the at-a-glance page is not subject to the story list order used in other sections of the site, but is supposed to rely solely on the date/time of the story itself.
Sometimes the at-a-glance page has not listed the most recently updated content, but instead has listed things randomly.
We believe we have this fixed in the Feb. 2 update. If you find examples of it not working, please let us know.
Sometimes the at-a-glance page has not listed the most recently updated content, but instead has listed things randomly.
We believe we have this fixed in the Feb. 2 update. If you find examples of it not working, please let us know.
Punctuation missing on index pages
As part of the Feb. 2 push, front pages and section fronts had commas and periods removed. This should be fixed by the end of the week.
Appearance expanded
In the Feb. 2 update, we introduced two new appearance enhancements.
First, we introduced a new skin that puts the navigation on the right and the Google ads on the left.
Next, we added to the number of styles:
adventure
bears
broncos
bulldogs
clouds
college
cowboys
crayons
default
dragons
eagles
fall
mustangs
nature
paw
rams
soldiers
tiger
tiger2
vikings
We have plans for additional changes here, as well.
First, we introduced a new skin that puts the navigation on the right and the Google ads on the left.
Next, we added to the number of styles:
adventure
bears
broncos
bulldogs
clouds
college
cowboys
crayons
default
dragons
eagles
fall
mustangs
nature
paw
rams
soldiers
tiger
tiger2
vikings
We have plans for additional changes here, as well.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Google ads
We will be selling online ads in the future as a side to our existing http://highschoolads.org site and augmenting them with your ads and Google ads in the hopes of generating revenue for you. Until then, though, it's only Google. If you participate in one you have to participate in the other.
If you would like us to turn off the ads, please let us know.
If you would like us to turn off the ads, please let us know.
Content is missing
First, look at this post. Next, make sure you check your administration pages to see that the content is actually missing. Check Approved vs. Unapproved, on the edition view. Finally, make sure that your content is not backdated.
Appearance
As is outlined in the user guide, the site now has a lot of flexibility on appearance. This will increase going forward.
Old staff login doesn't work
Staff and student login information is now combined, which allows each staffer to have a login. For this reason, we disabled the existing staff login and did not include existing staff information. Each will need to be entered again.
Short URLs (Web addresses)
You SHOULD be assigned a short URL -- http://my.hsj.org/va/reston/asne rather than http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/newspaperid/856/Default.aspx, for example. If we have neglected to create a short URL for you please let us know.
We will need the http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/newspaperid/856/Default.aspx version.
The URLs we create will follow the pattern above: state, city/town name, school abbreviation.
We will need the http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/newspaperid/856/Default.aspx version.
The URLs we create will follow the pattern above: state, city/town name, school abbreviation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
