Web Professionals

Carolina's Community of Digital Creators and Communicators

Category: Resources (Page 2 of 7)

Digital Asset Management Systems – October 2018 – Recap

October 16, 2018 /

Have a Digital Asset Management system?  Need a Digital Asset Management system?

Come and learn from a panel of your colleagues as we share what works, what doesn’t and what other options may be available for storing, organizing and/or sharing photos, graphics, videos and other digital assets.

There are a variety of different systems employed by units on campus. Hear about your colleagues’ experiences and share your own. You may identify some new solutions as we go!

Digital Asset Management Systems Panelists

  • Katie Costanza, Research, Communication & Program Manager, Center for Global Initiatives
  • Claire Cusick, Senior Content Manager, University Development Marketing
  • Gordon Palmer, Media Applications Analyst, School of Medicine Academic Technology Services
  • Ken Strayhorn, Web Manager, UNC Children’s Hospital
  • Rachell Underhill, Web and Information Systems Manager, The Graduate School

Digital Asset Management System PowerPoint Presentation (pdf)

Digital Asset Management System Resources

DAM Resources at UNC

UNC-Chapel Hill multimedia library (PhotoShelter/Libris)

UDO Marketing digital assets (Photoshelter/Libris)

HeelStream (Ensemble Video)

ibiblio:The Public’s Library and Digital Archive

School of Information and Library Science faculty under the Information Interaction area might have insights for both metadata and other organizational subjects.

Additional DAM Resources

Metadata resources

Recorded Discussion Notes

20181012 October Webmasters Meeting – Digital Asset Management Systems

Presenters

Notes – Presentation

  • Background
    • What is a digital asset?
      • Video, audio, logo, graphic files, spreadsheets, PDFs, pictures, CAD files
    • What is a DAMS
      • File sharing system with specialized tools for managing digital assets
      • Image/media specific tools
    • DAM Foundation
      • Criteria
        • Ingest
        • Secure
        • Store
        • Render
        • Enrich
        • Relate
        • Process
        • Find
        • Preview
        • Publish
      • DAMS at UNC (survey at UNC) – The uses
        • Mostly using a shared storage space
        • Many are using systems like Google Drive and Dropbox that are not actual DAMS, but work for collaboration
      • DAMS at UNC – The bad
        • Time-consuming
        • Unwieldy
        • Disorganized
        • Frustrating
      • DAMS at UNC – The wishes
        • Better viewing options, categorization
        • Sharing and external input
        • Student contribution
        • Storage capacity

Notes – Discussion

  • Katie Costanza – UNC Center for Global Initiative
    • Tools: SmugMug and Google Drive
    • Smug Mug
      • Features
        • Galleries
        • Permissions per Gallery
          • Share a gallery with password protections for visitors
        • Organization
          • Drag and drop/GUI interface
          • Collections
            • Organize images into multiple collections
          • Shows image previews making reviewing/finding images much easier
        • Tagging
          • Allows metadata to be associated with a digital asset
        • Cost is generally low
        • No worries about space limits given their current usage
        • Challenges
          • Managing the tagging system
          • Managing organization of massive amount of images
        • Works with Flickr and Lightroom
  • Claire Cusick – Senior Content Manager at University Development Marketing
    • Overview
      • Video producing is a large part of her job
      • Tools: External hard drives, Dropbox, PhotoShelter
      • Department is tasked with helping campus
        • Galleries and other media are open to campus community
        • Most galleries are available, but if you cannot get access, send email and they will work with you.
        • Open to sharing content, just need to reach out
      • They receive photos from various photographers on campus
    • Photo shelter
      • Only image assets, video costs more to manage
    • DropBox
      • Mostly for sharing video
      • 1TB option, ~$100 annual cost
    • External HDDs
      • ~$100 per
      • Sitting under her desk, and backups in safe
      • Challenging logistics to manage
    • We Transfer
      • If you don’t have Dropbox and don’t want to pay large money, use this
      • Can transfer files up to 2 GB
    • Asset Library
      • Has campaign assets and other useful media
  • Ken Strayhorn – School of Medicine
    • Overview
      • SoM always worries about security with HIPPA concerns
      • Issues with wild-west mentality with DAM processes
      • Needed to get things in a consistent, reliable shared space
      • Spend about 3K on the hardware and software to provide the service
      • Host on premises due to HIPPA
    • HeelStream
      • System created by SoM for asset management
      • Place to manage video assets
      • Place to go to upload videos into libraries
      • Can manage playlists
      • Can assign security rules to video or playlist
      • Shared as links, embedded into websites
    • Warpwire
      • ITS managed service
      • Developed by a company in Durham
      • Free for use at UNC
      • Upload content and it transcodes the content for streaming
        • Makes streaming easier
      • Can allow users to download videos
  • Gordon Palmer – Web Manager at UNC Children’s Hospital
    • Overview
      • Uses primarily PhotoShelter
      • Full professional account ~$300/yr.
      • Very happy with the product, worth the cost
    • PhotoShelter
      • Ad-hoc gallery on the fly, send URL and password to external user and they can view
      • Backend for performing analytics
        • Can see usage, downloads/access
      • ~4000 stock photos
      • Multiple stock galleries for organizing images by some criteria and sharing with others
        • Ex: Really nice images for internal uses, decent images for brochures
      • Issues
        • Bulk uploader only works on PC
  • Rachell Underhill – Web & Information Systems Manager at The Graduate School
    • Overview
      • Have 29K+ photos in their system
    • Resource Space
      • Open Source
        • Will likely need a developer to help you
        • API functionality
        • Plugin library and user base
      • Customizable
        • Can manipulate it to meet your needs if you are PHP savvy
      • They have paid plans for helping with customization
      • Designed for OXFAM originally
        • Functionality for photo requests
        • Library feel to it
      • Works well with massive number of photos
      • Have on separate server due to size
        • Want to be sure it has enough resources
      • Not folder based – Keyword based
        • Must train users to think of things this way
        • Can make collections and groupings
          • Can be user specific
        • Need to think differently about organization when uploading
      • Can display external galleries
      • Can store videos

Questions

  • How to allow public to submit videos, images, documents?
    • How to acquire media?
    • Answers
      • Submittable
        • Expensive, prices constantly going up
        • Does not talk well with other programs
        • Works, but not the best program
      • Is anyone using large storage solutions?
        • How to handle massively expanding storage (5,10,20TB sizes)
      • Do we know if the UNC libraries have a plan or system to aggregate UNC media?
        • Do we have any expertise we could leverage from somewhere on campus?
        • Answers
          • SILS projects
          • ibiblio
      • How To Move Large Media Files Without FTP?This is not for storage, but a resource for sending huge media files, if this is a need for anyone. Pricey also.If you download the white paper, you will likely start getting lots of emails with that for a while. If you prefer to avoid that onslaught, here are two links to the product information.

Digital asset management systems + short survey

September 5, 2018 /

All,

We need your help preparing for our next discussion which will focus on digital asset management systems (a.k.a., image management systems) on campus. The term “digital asset management system” refers to any application that provides tools for storing, organizing, retrieving and/or sharing digital assets such as images, videos, illustrations and/or other media.

If you have experience implementing or managing a digital asset management system in your unit, or if you are considering options for digital asset management for your unit, please be sure to respond to our short digital asset management system survey.

We want to hear your thoughts, experiences, and questions!

Our next meeting, focusing on digital asset management systems, will be announced soon.

November 2017- Everything you need to know about HTTPS – Recap

November 19, 2017 /

Join the webmasters November 16 at 2pm to learn important information about migrating to all-HTTPS websites and what this means to you and your users. William Earnhardt, Web Architect from ITS Digital Services, will join Rachell Underhill, Web and Information Systems Manager from The Graduate School, in presenting this topic and will answer your questions about how the HTTPS switch will affect campus WordPress sites.

Presentations

Presentation Part 1- Rachell Underhill (PDF)

  • What is HTTPS and why should we care?
  • How do web browsers notify users about a website’s security level?
  • What are some common pitfalls when switching to HTTPS?

Presentation Part 2- William Earnhardt (PDF)

  • HSTS Headers and migration strategies
  • How does the switch to all HTTPS affect campus WordPress sites?
  • Where and how to get SSL certificates for UNC websites?

Presentation and Discussion Notes

20171116 HTTPS Webmasters Presentation- Daniel Reeves (PDF)

Rachell’s Presentation

  • Push to move everything to HTTPS over the last 10 years
    • Cannot be ignored now with the changes
  • What is HTTPS
    • Secure
    • Way of confirming sites
    • Encryption of information passed to/from site
    • This is the standard being pushed by big institutions.
    • In past, only used for financial transactions or password related items.
      • Also, there were performance issues
    • HTTPS is the future
      • HTTP2 will be required for new calls here soon.
      • There are features that will only be available using HTTP2
    • Benefits
      • Google is prioritizing websites that use HTTPS higher than basic HTTP sites
      • Browsers are providing content warning messages to sites that do not use HTTPs
    • Browser User Notifications
      • New warning
        • Mixed content
        • Bad certificates
        • Form sent over HTTP
      • Not secure Notification
        • Chrome is displaying a “not secure” message in the browser bar window for any site not using HTTPS
        • Firefox
          • Provides an icon to denote if a site is serving content properly and providing secure information
        • Bad certificate
          • Provides a browser warning to user and does not display site by default
          • A user must perform extra actions to access the site.
        • Chrome form warning
          • When you start typing on field, if the page is not secure, the browser bar will notify you
        • Chrome in the Near Future
          • If the site is not HTTPS, a red warning will display to the users at all times
        • Common pitfalls when switching to HTTPS
          • Invalid or missing SSL certs
          • Mixed content
          • SEO Problems
          • JavaScript errors, API errors or broken websites
        • Mixed Content
          • Occurs when an HTTPS website pulls in not secure content
          • Protocol relative links no longer recommended
            • Now a security issue.
          • Find and fix mixed content on your source code or by using the browser error messages.
          • Chrome console will notify you of any warnings related to security
        • Redirects and SEO
          • Use a proper 301 redirect to push users form http:// https://.
          • Do not use 302 as it will affect search rankings
        • JavaScript or API errors
          • 3rs party content
          • Forms
          • iframes
          • Analytics tools
        • Resources
          • Qualys SSL labs
            • Can test the SSL validity of a site with details about what is working and what is not.
            • Will provide you with a letter grade for the SSL rating for your URL
          • BadSSL.com
            • Series of test pages so you will know how a browser will notify a user for various issues.
          • Why No Padlock
            • Basic analysis site
          • HTTPS checker desktop app and Mixed Content Scan
            • 2 sites for checking mixed content

William’s Presentation

  • Overview
    • General process for switching site over
    • Helpful tips for making change
    • What is being done on campus sites
    • A couple of tools
  • HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS)
    • Mostly removes the need for redirecting users from http:// to https://
    • Makes browser always use an https:// connection
      • Even when clicking http:// link
      • Even when typing in the browser bar
    • Removes the ability for users to click through the warning about invalid certificates
    • Basic Implementation
      • Set a header with a max age
      • Policy is refreshed each time the page is refreshed
    • Strongest Implementation
      • Provides additional values
        • IncludeSubDomains
          • This forces all subdomains to conform to this rule
        • Preload
          • Will enable this inclusion to be in the browser preload list.
        • HSTS Preloading
          • Created/managed by Chrome security team
          • List of domains where this value is set by default
            • This is shipped with the browser and cannot be changed by the user
          • Chrome security team started and run it, but it is honored by multiple browsers
        • Migration Process
          • Install certificate(s)
          • Enable https:// but do not force redirectWeb.
            • Allow issue best connections
          • Live browser testing
          • Scan code using grep (or similar tools) for hardcoded http:// value
          • Possibly run a search/replace in the database for http://
          • Force redirect to https://
          • Turn on HSTS header
        • unc.edu migration strategy
          • Stop redirecting to http://
            • Can access sites from either one
          • Force all new sites to be created as HTTPS from the beginning
          • Write code to force sites that have been converted to HTTPS
            • Always redirect http:// to https://
            • Return an HSTS header with a short max-age value
          • One by one switch sites to HTTPS
            • Confirm certificate
            • Search-replace sites tables to fix images, links, etc. in the database
            • Crawl the site using Mixed Content scan tool
          • Increase the HSTS max-age value returned for migrated sites
        • unc.edu process
          • Roughly 45-50% complete with the migration
        • unc.edu migration plan
          • Overview
            • Will not start until sites.unc.edu is complete
            • Has to be automated with over 15K sites
            • HSTS on primary web.unc.edu site will have includeSubdomains
            • Some custom domains will not be migrated over
            • Changes to domain mapping process for the custom ones
          • Planned Project Tools
            • Content Security policy reporting of mixed content
              • Write mixed content error data into application logs
              • Use Splunk to aggregate and generate mixed-content error reports
            • Web-based site scanning tool for campus websites
              • Enter a domain and generate a missed content report for download
            • How to get a certificate
              • UNC InCommon License
                • Go to the software acquisition office
              • Lets Encrypt
                • Feed, depending on host
              • HTTPS resources
                • The HTTPs-Only standard
                • Mozilla Developer Network HSTS Documentation
                  • Link in PowerPoint
                • WordPress Tools
                  • WP-CLI
                    • Command line tool for search replace
                    • Will address serialized data in the database
                  • Search-Replace DB
                  • Better Search Replace Plugin
                    • Powerful WP Plugin

Questions

  • How does the browser store the HSTS?
    • In the browser structure
    • Per browser implementation

June 2017 – TOOL TIME: Share What You Love! – Recap

June 8, 2017 /
 Have you stumbled upon a new resource or tool that you find useful or cannot live without and are willing to share?  If so, you’ll definitely want to attend the next Webmaster’s session on Thursday, June 8th @ 2pm in the Graduate Student Center (211-A West Cameron Ave.)
 
We will be sharing and documenting free, cheap, or otherwise life-simplifying tools that improve your work on the web. Come prepare to share your personal favorites and gather suggestions of new tools that others find helpful. From photo editing to user testing, metrics reporting to code updates, this session will share a wealth of worthwhile tools.  Let’s learn from each other!

Tool Time Part 1, Links and Resources – Updated!

  1. CSS and Web Design
    1. Paletton
      1. Color scheme designer, with web page examples
    2. Adobe Color CC
      1. Color theme designer, integrated into Adobe Creative Suite
    3. Design Seeds
      1. Color palette inspiration
    4. CSS Zen Garden
      1. A demonstration of what can be accomplished through CSS-based design.
    5. Adobe Capture CC (mobile app)
      1. Turn any image into a color theme, pattern, unique brush, Look, or vector graphic that you can use in your creative projects on desktop and mobile devices.
  2. Mobile/Responsive Design
    1. Chrome Developer Tools
      1. The Chrome Developer Tools (DevTools for short), are a set of web authoring and debugging tools built into Google Chrome.
    2. Responsive Web Tester
      1. Quickly preview your responsive website designs at the dimensions they will be seen on popular mobile devices.
    3. BrowserStack – A cross-browser testing tool ($)
      1. Live, Web-Based Browser Testing
  3. Debugging 
    1. Chrome  Developer Tools
      1. The Chrome Developer Tools (DevTools for short), are a set of web authoring and debugging tools built into Google Chrome.
    2. The Web Developer extension
      1. adds various web developer tools to a browser.
    3. Regex 101
      1. Web based regular expression tester and debugger
  4. Accessibility
    1. WAVE Toolbar
      1. The WAVE Chrome and Firefox extensions allows you to evaluate web content for accessibility issues directly within Chrome and Firefox browsers.
    2. WebAIM: Color Contrast Checker
      1. Quick color contrast ratio tester for accessibility
    3. Colorable
      1. Take a set color palette and get contrast values for every possible combination – useful for finding safe color combinations with predefined colors and includes pass/fail scores for the WCAG accessibility guidelines.
    4. Tota11y
      1. tota11y helps visualize how your site performs with assistive technologies.
    5. W3C Markup Validator
      1. This validator checks the markup validity of Web documents in HTML, XHTML, SMIL, MathML, etc.
  5. Usability
    1. The Readability Test Tool
      1. The Readability Test Tool provides a quick and easy way to test the readability of your work.
    2. UXSort
      1. UXSORT is a card sorting tool that allows user experience professionals or marketing managers to plan card sorting activities, manage participants and cards, collect card sorting data, analyze data, and create a report.
    3. Qualtrics
      1. The Qualtrics Research Suite is a powerful online survey tool available to all UNC Chapel Hill faculty, staff, and students, for UNC-related projects.
  6. Image/Media management and analysis
    1. Aspect Ratio Calculator
      1. Calculate and adjust the size of objects while maintaining a specific aspect ratio. This is useful, for example, when resizing photos or video.
    2. MS Picture Manager info and download
      1. No longer part of official MS Office suite but still available
    3. Adobe Spark Post (mobile app)
      1. Create social media posts and images
    4. PIXLR
      1. Photo editing apps for web and mobile
    5. Canva
      1. Social media image and graphic design creator
    6. GIMP
      1. The Free & Open Source Image Editor
  7. Icons
    1. Icon Finder
      1. Search for free or premium icons
    2. Font Awesome
      1. Font Awesome gives you scalable vector icons that can instantly be customized — size, color, drop shadow, and anything that can be done with the power of CSS.
    3. Noun Project
      1. Nearly a million curated icons, created by a global community. Useful for identifying icons for concepts.
    4. Canva
      1. Social media image and graphic design creator
    5. Nucleo Icon Set ($)
      1. Search, Customize, Export 8387 Icons
  8. JQuery/JavaScript Extensions/Add-ons
    1. JQuery
      1. jQuery is a fast, small, and feature-rich JavaScript library. It makes things like HTML document traversal and manipulation, event handling, animation, and Ajax much simpler with an easy-to-use API that works across a multitude of browsers.
    2. JQuery UI
      1. jQuery UI is a curated set of user interface interactions, effects, widgets, and themes built on top of the jQuery JavaScript Library.
    3. JSLint
      1. JSLint is a JavaScript program that looks for problems in JavaScript programs. The JavaScript Code Quality Tool.
    4. React.js
      1. A JavaScript library for building user interfaces
    5. Zurb: Foundation
      1. A responsive front-end framework.
  9. Charts/Maps
    1. HighCharts
      1. Highcharts makes it easy for developers to set up interactive charts in their web pages
    2. MapBox
      1. APIs for maps, geocoding, driving directions, and more
    3. TileMill
      1. TileMill is an open source map design studio

April 2017–Web Accessibility

April 6, 2017 /

Inclusive technology

Great usability includes accessibility for all

Join us on April 6 to hear about UNC’s renewed focus on website accessibility and learn about some recommended tools/tips to ensure that your sites are accessible to people with disabilities.  We will mostly focus on WordPress websites, but many of the tools we cover can be used on any environment. 

Location: Graduate Student Center (211A W. Cameron Ave.)

Date: Thursday, April 6, 2017

Time: 2:00–3:00 pm (room reserved until 3:30 for follow-up discussion)

Speakers include:

  • Anne Fox (University Counsel) 
  • Tiffany Bailey (Accessibility, Resources & Services)
  • Phil Daquila (ITS Digital Services)

Presentation:

« Older posts Newer posts »

Meetups

The best way to stay informed of upcoming meetings and learn about topics important to your colleagues at UNC is by joining our Office 365 Team.

Learn More About…

© 2024 Web Professionals

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑