About this site
On November 3, 2011, the Alexandria Harmonizers migrated their website from the Joomla platform to the Drupal platform using Groupanizer as a specialized content management system. So, what does that mean to you? Better tools! Nearly all of the functionality in the old Joomla platform are available in Drupal, and through the magic of the Groupanizer crew, available in a single location that includes calendars, attendance, learning track downloads and progress tracking, riser placements, news, etc. If it sounds like this product was designed just for Barbershop choruses, it was! Groupanizer was built by Tom Metzger with barbershoppers in mind. As a service provider to the Chapter, Groupanizer is responsible for maintaining all code and updates for the product. We no longer require an in-house IT guru to keep us "up."
Implementation of the new platform does take time and the Harmonizers have a crew working around the clock to make it happen. OK, not exactly that much... But a considerable amount of effort is going into the configuration of the site to ensure it is easy to maintain and use. Check out some of these great features:
- The ability to enable more timely updates of website content for the public and private audiences. Content can also be updated my multiple people (with the proper access, of course) each responsible for maintaining their own respective area of the site
- Integrated calendars and attendance tracking for performances (replacing Google Calendar and eVite)
- Integrated messaging to the Chapter members, Performing Chorus members, sections, etc. (replacing Yahoo Groups)
- Emergency text messages (to notify Performing Chorus members of urgent changes to rehearsal and performance plans)
- Riser placement charts (replaces the infamous Chorus Manager white board)
- Document repositories to store Board Meeting and committee minutes, rosters, recruiting documents, press-packs, etc.
- Repertoire management to enable Performing Chorus members to download music and upload files as part of the qualification processes
- Management tools to track file downloads, attendance summaries, song status, etc.
- Integrated PayPal transactions to support HarmoStore upgrades and invoicing
If you are an active Chapter member, your username and password have already been sent to you and your account is ready to use. Music tracks are available now and calendar events, chapter documents, and visual plans are being migrated over this week! If you can't locate your initial login email, just click the Request new password link below the User Login on the site and then enter your first and last name as your username (i.e., "Scott Kahler".)
You may also want to check out this short video which will show you some of the basic features of the site. Granted ours looks a little different. But, you still get the idea. I will also be uploading frequently asked questions (FAQs) and user tips here as time permits.
If you have any questions, concerns, or recommendations, please feel free to contact me directly.
Scott Kahler
