Some Exciting Introductions!

Posted in The Cache

January 2025

Introducing the New Events Calendar

We are thrilled to introduce the LiveWhale Events Calendar platform, a significant step in modernizing how we manage and share events across the University. This launch represents the culmination of a strategic effort to address historical limitations in our previous calendaring system while preparing for the eventual migration of the top tier site to the NextGen codebase that is used by most other Georgetown websites.

Why the Change?

Our previous events system, a heavily customized plugin, faced numerous challenges, including:

  • Inability to update the plugin to the latest version that includes security updates.
  • Inability to edit or delete venues, leading to duplicate entries with misspellings.
  • Lack of RSVP functionality for events.
  • Issues with publishing co-hosted events across multiple calendars.
  • Limited customization of event submission forms.

After extensive research and stakeholder discussions, we selected LiveWhale as the ideal solution. Used by institutions like Brown, NYU, and U Chicago, LiveWhale offers a customizable, user-friendly experience and outstanding support from knowledgeable representatives.

All the event blocks in your WordPress sites have been updated to pull events from the new calendar so nothing is needed on your part. If you notice any problem with your event block, you can open a ticket with webservices@georgetown.edu.

Key Features and Improvements

  1. Centralized and Simplified Event Management
    A single, interactive calendar that aggregates all University events, providing a unified experience for visitors. Anyone with a NetId can submit an event, but only Event Managers have the ability to publish or approve events for their calendars.
  2. RSVP Integration
    Built-in RSVP functionality simplifies event attendance management.
  3. Venue Management
    Easily edit or delete venues to ensure accurate and consistent data.
  4. Different Calendar Views
    View Events by Day, Week, Month or Year.
  5. Email Notifications
    Receive email notifications to event managers about activity they’ve asked to be notified of.
  6. Past Events
    Navigate to access past events.

Looking Ahead

With the LiveWhale Events Calendar now live, we are entering an exciting phase of improved event management and engagement. Over the coming months, we will gather feedback from users to refine the platform further and ensure it meets the diverse needs of our campus community.

We’re proud to have achieved this milestone and look forward to seeing how LiveWhale will transform the way we connect through events. 

Accessibility Scores: Updates and Insights

We’ve updated Siteimprove to prioritize clarity in accessibility reporting. The accessibility overview page now shows the site target score by default. This offers a clear view of progress toward the university’s current standard of WCAG 2.1 AA confirmance. The old accessibility score included everything tracked by Siteimprove including AAA issues and recommendations

For example, a site with a target score of 99 means that it has addressed 99% of WCAG 2.1 AA issues. The same site may have an accessibility score of 90.3 since that also includes WCAG 2.2 issues, AAA issues, and Siteimprove recommendations. The latter will improve your site’s accessibility but are not required under the university’s accessibility policy.

Editors can toggle between these views, track progress over time, and use the dashboard to identify points needed to reach targets. These updates ensure you have the tools to make impactful improvements and create a more inclusive digital experience.

Introducing Our New Team Members

We recently had the good fortune to bring two new developers into the Web Services fold! Please join us in welcoming Blake and Elaine to the Web Services team!

Blake Darlin has been building the web for over 25 years. He prioritizes performance and simplicity in his work, while finding greatest satisfaction in innovation and empowering others. Outside the office, he enjoys reading, cooking, outdoor activities, smart home gadgetry, and horsing around with his kids. He holds a doctorate from the University of East Anglia in biographical writing, where his subject was Benjamin Franklin.

Elaine Shannon has built websites for a variety of companies and charities over the years, from the original H-E-B Grocery Curbside site to University flagships to Checks in the Mail. She lives in the Sunflower State with her husband, two kids, and a dog. She enjoys gardening, reading, tabletop gaming, crafting, and drinking hot tea.

We’re excited to introduce our talented new team members, who bring fresh perspectives and expertise to our projects. These additions come as we bid a fond farewell to legacy team members, Reed Piernock and Jon Halabii, who have moved on to pursue new opportunities and personal goals. We’re grateful for their contributions and look forward to building on their foundation as we embrace this next chapter of growth and innovation.

WordPress and Accessibility Office Hours

We will continue to hold both Web Accessibility and WordPress office hours every Tuesday afternoon over Zoom throughout the year.

WordPress office hours appointments are every Tuesday, 2:30–3:30 p.m. via Zoom. You can sign up for an appointment slot (for any future office hours date!) here. Please note that we are unable to accommodate unscheduled appointments. If you are currently experiencing an issue outside of office hours, or wish to submit a feature request, please use this form to capture that information.  

Web Accessibility office hours are every Tuesday, 2:00–3:00 p.m. via Zoom. You can talk through accessibility-related questions with Kevin Andrews, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Coordinator. Please schedule a web accessibility office hours appointment here.