We would like to make all site owners aware of two important changes that are now in effect for our services:
- All site launches, including launches of new domains, now require two weeks’ notice. Requests for immediate launches will be denied.*
- If not already utilizing them, you must now request activation for the use of the following plugins:**
- Events Calendar
- Gravity Forms
- wpDataTables
* We’ve made some significant changes to our site creation and site launch processes on the back end that necessitate a new policy for your site launch scheduling. In the past, we allowed users to request their desired production domain upfront, when filling out a new site request. This allowed us to configure the domain for use in WiscWeb earlier on, but created numerous issues when users wanted to change that domain further down the road. To prevent our Web Hosting team from fielding so many time-consuming and multi-step domain change requests, we’ve decided to make this step part of the launch process, instead. What this means is that all production domains will be requested with site launch. Due to new domains taking up to two weeks to reserve and configure, we are now mandating that all site launches be scheduled at least two weeks in advance. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and ask that you please plan your site launches accordingly.
- Review WiscWeb’s Domain Naming Guidelines
- Review WiscWeb’s Launch Preparation Documentation
- Review WiscWeb’s Launch Request Form
** In an effort to improve overall performance of our service, we have been regularly reviewing our plugin list and testing out a myriad of changes. Traditionally, we had always had Events Calendar, Gravity Forms, and wpDataTables activated on sites, by default. This is called network level plugin activation. Network level activation of these plugins was not only unnecessary, but could be contributing (albeit slightly) to overall service performance. We have been working to site activate each of these plugins for the sites using them and deactivating them at the network level. This change means that site owners will now have to request activation of these plugins on a new site or an existing site that previously did not utilize them. For this, we ask that you fill out our Customer Support Form and choose the “Plugin Activation Request” option. You will be required to designate which plugin you wish to activate on your project. This option also includes other plugins discussed on our Plugins page.
As always, thank you for your continued partnership and support as we work through new changes to our service. If you have any questions or concerns about these changes, please feel free to reach out to us at cms-support@doit.wisc.edu.