With the end of 2015, the ACS Network has been upgraded
The primary changes to this upgrade are primarily to the header and navigation. In addition to updating the visual design to better match that of www.acs.org, the navigational elements have been significantly simplified. This and some of the other changes may help the ACS Network be more mobile friendly.
Specifically the changes include the following:
- We have eliminated the links and mega-menus for the upper level forums. They can now be found in a pulldown under Forums.
- There is now a "News" page which is where you can see your activity streams as well as streams for Top & Trending Content and Most Recent Content. This is where you would find any custom streams you may have set up previously.
- Messages, which include your Inbox, Moderation, and Actions are accessed through the alert icon (yellow circle with number) beside your name in the upper left.
- New to this area is a page called "Your View" which allows you to customize a page with content you want such as, Key Content and Places (groups or forums), Trending Content, Latest Blog Entries.
- New to this area is a page called "Your View" which allows you to customize a page with content you want such as, Key Content and Places (groups or forums), Trending Content, Latest Blog Entries.
- The upper right hand corner changes when the user logs in. This is where you can create a link, access an app, go to your inbox, and see your personal menu.
- The personal menu (the pulldown that appears when you click on your name in the upper right hand part of the page) has been updated to include links to Your Content and Your Places. You will need to go to your profile to see your Contacts.
For Group Owners:
If you own or manage a group, you should check the group to see how it displays. You may want to change the header to a more appropriate background and change the text so that it is more legible. We have found that titles on some groups and forums can no longer be read.
The navigation for the widgets has also been changed so that you may no longer need to display the Activity widget.
Why do we upgrade the Network?
This upgrade is partly driven by the fact that the ACS Network resides on licensed software provided by Jive Software. They require their users to upgrade on a regular basis so that support for the platform can be maintained. If you have been on the Network for any amount of time, the upgrades occur approximately every 18 months or so. Upgrading on a regular basis also gives us access to new and evolving functionality and provides our users with an ever-improving experience.
In an effort to make the upgrades cost-effective and more nimble, the ACS Network reflects much of the functionality and navigational layouts provided by Jive. Customizations (i.e. changes to the functionality of the platform) are resource expensive and often interfere with current and functionality, so we try to leverage the platform's native capabilities and limit the customizations as Jive is continually updating its platform.