CAP Web Operations - Your Input, Please

[SilverEagle2]

I don't think that squadron websites should be part of a wing's domain. It should have its own address and be easy to put on recruiting materials. However, it's be nice if all the information is hosted on the wing servers so that squadrons only have to pay for the domain name.

I disagree. Squadrons and Groups are subordinate units to the Wing and should be part of the Wings domain. This removes the burden of paying for the domain name. However, if properly maintained, each units webmaster would have full access to their OWN unit site and content with supervisory rights given to the Wing. This keeps consistency, fluid movement, control, and maintainability.

I see nothing wrong with a Unit.Wing."whatever"."whatever" domain structure.

Then again, I come from a 4 letter state and the URL would not be all that big.

I.e. Utah wing is www.cap.utah.gov and a squadron should be www.Bountiful_Senior.cap.utah.gov

If you are hosting on Wing space, then it should be on the Wing domain. So much easier to maintain, find, and support.

My 2 cents

[BuckeyeDEJ]

Squadron, group and wing Web sites should be set up hierarchically off both cap.af.mil and cap.gov, depending on what services are offered on the individual units' sites.

Examples:

Clearwater Comp Sq, Group 8, Florida Wing could be either clearwater.flwg.cap.af.mil or clearwater.flwg.cap.gov

And a wing headquarters could be hq.wvwg.cap.af.mil or hq.wvwg.cap.gov.

A region? ser.cap.gov or ser.cap.af.mil.

But every wing should go off a common domain for recognizability and organization. Some do, like in Great Lakes Region, but some -- including my wing, Florida -- don't.

After all, do you want to do a Google or Yahoo search to find a unit, or be able to click through to find it without doing a search... or be able to make an educated guess and come up with it?

[NIN]

Where have I heard some of these ideas before?

Or some other similar ideas.

Hey, run with it.

[PhoenixRisen]

Squadron, group and wing Web sites should be set up hierarchically off both cap.af.mil and cap.gov, depending on what services are offered on the individual units' sites.

Wouldn't the information on the average squadron website be a part of what can't be on the cap.af.mil site?  (Per your previous comment.)

PhoenixCadet: IIRC, everything was moved to the .gov because security requirements for the .mil domain were strengthened -- and the interactive stuff CAP wanted couldn't be on the .mil, so it was moved to .gov.

If that's the case, maybe it could be different if we had the simple "basic information page(s)" for each squadron.  I'd personally like to see the cap.af.mil domain be used as a main page versus CAP.gov (my personal opinion is the more we're like the Air Force, the better - again, just my opinion - please don't turn this into a discussion about that).

Edit: Correction of "mail" to "main".

[BuckeyeDEJ]

Squadron, group and wing Web sites should be set up hierarchically off both cap.af.mil and cap.gov, depending on what services are offered on the individual units' sites.

Wouldn't the information on the average squadron website be a part of what can't be on the cap.af.mil site?  (Per your previous comment.)

Well, yes and no. Depends on whether the content on the site meets with the level of security required for the .mil domain. If there's any sort of interactive feature outside of a link to someone's e-mail, I'd bet it goes .gov.

That's why e-services is on the .gov, if I remember correctly.

PhoenixCadet: IIRC, everything was moved to the .gov because security requirements for the .mil domain were strengthened -- and the interactive stuff CAP wanted couldn't be on the .mil, so it was moved to .gov.

If that's the case, maybe it could be different if we had the simple "basic information page(s)" for each squadron.  I'd personally like to see the cap.af.mil domain be used as a mail page versus CAP.gov (my personal opinion is the more we're like the Air Force, the better - again, just my opinion - please don't turn this into a discussion about that).

Bingo. That's why I left the .mil option open in my earlier post. Most likely, it'd be on the .gov, but hey, we can hope, right?

[PhoenixRisen]

Someone needs to infoltrate NHQ/IT and stop this madness, now!

[a2capt]

Have not these people ever heard of mirroring a domain?

Maybe they have.. and the same problem with .mil overtook the .gov content. If not, just mirror it. What the heck do we need to type, repeat, relay all that for? I know, come 15-Feb. a redirect will do most of that, tell folks "go to CAP.gov" .. but you can't relay a specific URL on a redirect, on a mirror you can.

Anyhow, the whole gocivilairpatrol.com site is WAY too much multimedia content and too much effing marketing to also be a functional, utility to perform everyday work, look up regs, etc.

It's just nuts.

..and they *STILL* have that BONEHEAD document storage system that has files given totally whack job names.

..and BTW, capnhq.gov still has the "business end" of things on it, so..

I've largely given up on wing level IT anyway with the squadron web site and have taken to just moving it to another host, when we're done with it, we'll put a redirect on our wing web space until such time as the wing puts in PHP and MySQL that they said over three years ago, was "coming soon".

I've even offered to help with the issues only never get a response. So many times.

[PhoenixRisen]

I've largely given up on wing level IT anyway.

I've given up on all of CAP IT, period (with the exception of a few webpages).  All levels from NHQ (with thier current problems), to wing (CAWG site sucks), to group (CAWG Group 7 site has had a "Site coming soon" tag on it for almost a year now.  I'm still "staying tuned" like asked.), to most squadrons.

Meh.

[Eclipse]

John 8:7

[PhoenixRisen]

John 8:7

I'm hardly saying I'm perfect - but really, I can't do much about it except throw my ideas out there.  If they actually handed me the keys to the whole thing and let me get 'er done, that'd be a different story entirely.

[FlexCoder]

a2capt & PhoenixCadet,

Why fight the system, only leads to a deadend...select a good domain and let's walk instead of talk and develop a top notch custom unofficial National or Wing website.  I have access to a lot of new technology, biometric encryption, RIA interfaces, 3d interaction and so on.  And anyone else that wants to join our development team, invitations are open for cadets and seniors that are experienced or newbies wanting to learn. 

A lot of CAP IT's are run by old veteran communication officers and most of us know how difficult they can be to work with.  I have dealt with the same class of do nothings in Georgia Wing IT as well.   If you think California Wing website sucks, check out Georgia Wing website, it is worse.  I have offered help too and get the same repeated message "coming soon" or we already have enough volunteers handling it.   5 years and still nothing, except a worthless out dated website that is no use to anyone.   We are tired of certain officers in CAP not being held accountable and allowed to hold their positions for years that do little to nothing for the members.  And if one continues to offer help, you get the silent treatment.   Most of us just want to make a positive difference for the members and help CAP but instead get ignored.   

[Eclipse]

Start with a Unit website that meets the need of the local commander, has an elegant, easy to use design, and pushes the capabilities.

[FlexCoder]

Eclipse,

A unit website won't fulfill the needs of the members on a whole.  Developing a unit website would have no impact on the current situation whatsoever. 

[Eclipse]

Eclipse,

A unit website won't fulfill the needs of the members on a whole.  Developing a unit website would have no impact on the current situation whatsoever.

I don't recall the members on the whole asking for your help.  There are plenty of us who are fine with the way things are today because it allows us to excel if we see the need, but further, allows us to disengage if we don't.

Would I like to see some more coherent identity management, sure, but be careful what you ask for, because the answer you get may not agree with your opinion.

Developing a unit website would give you some credibility in terms of what can be done, and...wait for it...would give your unit a website.

The domain schema exists today, no need to fix it.  The last thing I want is to be strapped with a cumbersome domain like
unit.group.wing.cap.gov.  In a world where 1/3 of the users in the US still enter AOL keywords, 35-letter domain names and email addresses lose or confuse your customers.

The need is being fulfilled, it always is in CAP.  The rest is a nice, and the nice, generally doesn't get done in CAP because people have other things to do besides CAP.

If more members concentrated on making their personal AOR the best it could be, and stopped worrying about other  units, echelons, or trying to "fix CAP", we'd all be better off.

[FlexCoder]

Eclipse,

I don't know why you have to personally attack me in most everyone of my posts on here.  I am not out to get you!

There are plenty of us who are fine with the way things are today because it allows us to excel if we see the need, but further, allows us to disengage if we don't.  Would I like to see some more coherent identity management, sure, but be careful what you ask for, because the answer you get may not agree with your opinion

Why are their a lot of CAP website complaints posted on here from other members if it isn't a problem?    It's not solely my opinion but a combination of other CAP members fed up with the current situation.  "Coherent Identity Management" - If you would like to see more CAP branding, why wait for others, go out and get it done.   How can members focus on fixing their own unit sites when there is no direction, protocol or plan from the top. 

The need is being fulfilled, it always is in CAP.  The rest is a nice, and the nice, generally doesn't get done in CAP because people have other things to do besides CAP.

The need is not being fulfilled in regard to the CAP websites & IT project management/structure for the Wings & Units

people have other things to do besides CAP

I here that excuse quite often from one's who would rather just go with the flow than take a stand!  Many of us have devoted a lot of time & effort into CAP and only want the best for it. 

[FlexCoder]

"People are not excellent because they achieve great things; they achieve great things because they choose to be excellent."

Great Quote from SilverEagle2's Member Profile - Sums this up in a nutshell!

[CAPPAO]

The Southeast Region Web site is one of the best I've seen:

http://www.sercap.us/

In fact, 3 of the 6 Wings in SER have now adopted the same format:

http://new.flwg.gov

http://mswg.us/

http://www.prwg.us/

But for a real treat, check out the SER Twitter page and sign up!

http://twitter.com/SERCAP

[PhoenixRisen]

The Southeast Region Web site is one of the best I've seen:

http://www.sercap.us/

In fact, 3 of the 6 Wings in SER have now adopted the same format:

http://new.flwg.gov

http://mswg.us/

http://www.prwg.us/

But for a real treat, check out the SER Twitter page and sign up!

http://twitter.com/SERCAP

In regard to the actual visual design of the site, IMO, MDWG (and NCWG) have the absolute best.  (They're the same.)

http://www.mdcap.org/

It's somewhat similar to the AF's, yet distinctively different.

(Makes mental note.)

[SilverEagle2]

"People are not excellent because they achieve great things; they achieve great things because they choose to be excellent."

Great Quote from SilverEagle2's Member Profile - Sums this up in a nutshell!

And the man who said it was truely exellent! Hope he feels the same about me.

Good dialog here. I am in the process of seeing what we can do in Utah and glad you guys are giving some good ideas and thoughts.