Wright Old School Chocolate Announces a new website

Exciting news! We've improved our website for a better user experience! We are excited to announce that we have migrated our website from GoDaddy to Squarespace in order to improve your user experienc Exciting news! We've improved our website for a better user experience! We are excited to announce that we have migrated our website from GoDaddy to Squarespace in order to improve your user experience. This new platform offers a range of features and improvements that we believe will greatly enhance your experience on our website. Why the change? After careful consideration, we decided to migrate to Squarespace as it offers a more user-friendly and visually appealing website. One particular distinction is the use of Gift Cards. Squarespace has a much easier way to redeem the gift card in checkout. With Squarespace, we can create a more seamless and engaging experience for you. What's new? Our new website has been designed with the user in mind, with improved navigation, better layout, and new features that will make it easier and more enjoyable to use. Here are some of the improvements you can expect: A fresh, modern design that's easy on the eyes Improved navigation to make it easier to find what you're looking for A new search function that helps you find the content you need quickly and easily Faster load times for improved performance Better mobile responsiveness for a seamless browsing experience on any device More in-depth product information and new product lines Easier redemption of gift cards When will it be ready? Our new website is now live and ready to use! You can visit us at our usual web address and explore the improvements we've made. We hope you enjoy the new experience and look forward to hearing your feedback. Thank you for your continued support and loyalty. Best regards, Peter W. Carlson, Founder  GET IN TOUCH  Wright Old School Chocolate 127 Old West Street Walpole, MA, 02081 United States Powered by Squarespace

"the system did not scale fast enough to accommodate the increased volume."

 

"Massachusetts is a global leader in heavy-duty technology fields such as robotics and artificial intelligence, yet the state government continues to have a nightmarish time running a simple website to let residents easily book COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

The latest and most spectacular failure occurred Thursday morning, when the state’s main vaccine scheduling site repeatedly crashed under heavy traffic from thousands of newly eligible residents chasing the few available appointments. It resumed service later in the day.

The state issued a statement Thursday evening from PrepMod, one of its vendors for the online appointments, in which the company took responsibility for the site crash. “As public health servants and your partner, we are sorry for not meeting expectations,’' the PrepMod statement said. “We accept full responsibility for the problem today."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02/18/business/why-cant-massachusetts-vaccine-website-work-better/ 

"THE STATE WEBSITE for finding an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine crashed Thursday morning as a torrent of people 65 and above rushed to sign up, the latest chapter in the Baker administration’s ongoing difficulty responding to the pandemic.

Many people who logged on to the website at 8 a.m. were met with a message saying “this application crashed” and to try again later. By about 8:25 a.m. it was possible to get into the website, but it appeared all the appointments had been booked at major mass vaccination sites and other locations. Later in the morning the website was accessible but no appointments were available except in Greenfield."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/states-vaccine-appointment-website-struggles/ 

Mass.gov -> Update on vaccine scheduling website

Mass.gov (@MassGov) tweeted at 9:27 PM on Thu, Feb 18, 2021:

"The state's website to find and book vaccine appointments experienced delays and technical difficulties and the administration sincerely apologizes for the frustration and inconvenience residents experienced over the course of the day. (1/6) 

Despite these difficulties, 60,000 mass vaccination appointments for the week were booked. At this time, there are no availabilities for Fenway, Foxboro, Danvers, Natick, Dartmouth and Springfield. (2/6)

After the web vendor Prep Mod addressed the issues, the state’s website is currently operating. The Administration is now pressure testing the site to ensure the vendor’s adjustments are adequate. (3/6)

While the mass vaccination sites are booked for the week, a small number of appointments for other locations will be posted over the next several days. This includes pharmacies and regional collaboratives. (4/6)

Currently, approximately one million residents are now eligible and because supply is still severely limited by the federal government, it is expected to take at least a month for residents to book appointments. (5/6)

The Command Center will continue to work on website improvements to streamline and improve this process.” -Command Spokesperson (6/6)"

Shared from Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MassGov/status/1362589531040608262

Note: "at least a month" ???  in my day, one million divided by 100,000 per week came out to something closer to 2.5 months (at 4 weeks/month)

Mass.gov ->  Update on vaccine scheduling website

new webpage to explore -> Industrial History New England

"This new website is a celebration of New England as a landscape of work and innovation and a portal for exploring the American birthplace of a revolution that triggered the most profound set of social and environmental changes in human history."

Shared from Twitter:   https://t.co/A6zJj5rzrU

Explore the web page -> https://industrialhistorynewengland.org/

new webpage -> Industrial History New England

Franklin Cultural District Partners Meeting - Sep 14

Dear Franklin Cultural District Partners,

It is hard to believe that the summer of 2020 is now behind us. As fall approaches we would like to remind you of the upcoming FCD Partners Meeting scheduled for Monday, September 14th at 7:00 PM. We will once again be using the video conferencing platform, Zoom. On Friday we will send out the meeting agenda which will have the Zoom meeting link.

At our September 14th meeting our guest speaker will be Anne Marie Tracey.  Anne Marie is the Marketing and Communication Specialist for the Town of Franklin/Franklin Public Schools. Anne Marie will be discussing the Franklin Cultural District's website (https://www.franklinculture.org/). We will also be sharing an overview of the Massachusetts Area Planning Council, Regional Indicators Project.

We hope everyone is able to attend this meeting. If you have any questions, please reply to this email and we will do our best to assist you.

The Franklin Cultural District Committee looks forward to seeing you on Monday evening.

Best regards,

Nancy

 ___________________________________

Nancy Schoen

Chair, Franklin Cultural District Committee 

nschoenfranklinculture@gmail.com 

Franklin Cultural District Partners Meeting  - Sep 14

Franklin Cultural District Committee - Agenda - Aug 31, 2020

Welcome

Franklin Cultural District Website

• Anne Marie Tracey, Presentation and Discussion

Next Cultural District Meeting Dates

• Monday, September 14, 2020 at 6:30 PM
• Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at 6:30 PM, FCD & FDP Business Listening Session

Next Cultural District Partner Meeting Date

• Monday, September 14, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.

Adjourn

The listings of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.

For Additional information, contact: 

Bryan W. Taberner, AICP, Director
Department of Planning and Community Development 

508-520-4907; btaberner@franklinma.gov 

Connection info contained in the Agenda

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/cultural_district_committee_agenda_august_31_2020.pdf

Franklin Cultural District Committee - Agenda - Aug 31, 2020

Franklin Public Schools: Website Email Subscriptions Update

Website Email Subscriptions Update

A recent update in our website e-subscriber notification system has improved the communications between our families/community and the School District.

These website communications are OPT IN/OPT OUT. If you have ever subscribed to news or alerts from one or more of our schools on our website you will now be receiving these emails. You can change your subscription by adding notifications (perhaps your child has moved on to Middle or High School) or you can unsubscribe from notifications. 

Please visit our website at www.franklinps.net/subscribe to make any changes to your current e-subscription. 

Please note, these notifications are NOT the Regroup alerts you may have subscribed to from individual schools. These are notifications from the Franklin School District website when News, Urgent Alerts and/or School Committee information is posted. 

If you have any questions please reach out to us at 508-553-4819 and thank you for your patience as we adjust to this change.

Thank you again!

Franklin Public Schools

Franklin Public Schools: Website Email Subscriptions Update

Be aware of dark patterns - Video

To be good consumers of information on the internet, we need to be aware of dark patterns: 

"Dark Patterns are tricks used in websites and apps that make you buy or sign up for things that you didn't mean to. The purpose of this site is to spread awareness and to shame companies that use them."

Quote shared from the home page of Dark Patterns  https://darkpatterns.org/


Nerdwriter posted this recent 7 minute video explanation of dark patterns (note he does do a promo at the end as he supports himself via ads and donations via Patreon. His videos are really good so going all the way until the ad sell is worth it!): 




Check out the types of dark patterns:  https://darkpatterns.org/types-of-dark-pattern

If you have found a dark pattern and want to share, you can add it to the dark pattern website listing:  https://darkpatterns.org/

Harry Brignull provides a 30 minute version on dark patterns:

Help Around Town - web service to connect work and helpers

Have you tried this site/service?

"At HelpAroundTown.com we connect people who need help with neighbors seeking local, flexible work opportunities. Get paid or volunteer, get rated and  recommended, build your professional reputation as you earn money and help a local neighbor, business or non-profit. Free to post a job, get jobs and get custom job alerts tailored to your interests and location."

Link directly to the Franklin section:
https://www.helparoundtown.com/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&location=Franklin%2C+MA

https://www.helparoundtown.com/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&location=Franklin%2C+MA

Tip of hat to Ryan Jette for the link

Town of Franklin: Police Dept - Use of Force Data

"The Franklin Police Department believes in transparency and open information. To this extent the website will also provide information on documented use of force incidents within the agency. The Franklin Police Department has a Use of Force Policy, and a separate but equally important policy on specific incidents that require an officer to file a report when force was used. Both of these policies are available for viewing. These policies conform with State and Federal guidelines, and are reviewed annually during weapons training. They are also reviewed or revised when there is a significant Court decision that has direct bearing on the policy.

Franklin Police Use of Force Policy

Franklin Police Use of Force Reporting Policy

We will also be publishing information on our own Use of Force data. We pride ourselves on having a group of talented and professional officers. No police department can realistically expect to operate without having to ever use any amount of force. To this extent, based on the number of daily police interactions, calls for service, and custodies, we process every year, we believe these numbers reflect the strong training, and verbal control tactics employed by our officers."

This was shared from the Town of Franklin Police Dept webpage
http://www.franklinma.gov/police-department/pages/use-force-data

The Franklin Police headquarters i  located at 911 Panther Way

Reminder from the Franklin Town Clerk regarding Census, Dog Registration, and Town Election

Greeting Franklin Residents! Here is what’s happening this week of January 22. 

Census Forms

Everyone should be receiving their Census and Dog Registration Forms for 2017 in the mail. Please return your Census form within 10 days of receiving it. This is mandated by the Massachusetts General Laws.

Biennial Town Election

This year will be our Biennial Town Election, November 7, 2017. To register to vote you may visit (registertovotema.com) or request a registration form from the Town Clerks office. Last day to register to vote is October 18, 2017

Dog registration

Dog registration is due April 1st. NEW: A late fee will apply after April 1st. You may register your dog online at https://franklinma.viewpointcloud.com/

Town Clerk Contact info

Please visit our website http://www.franklinma.gov/town-clerk for further information or please contact us at (508)520-4900 (townclerk@franklin.ma.us) with any questions.

Thank you,

Teresa M. Burr
Town Clerk


This was shared from the Town of Franklin webpage
http://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/notice-town-clerk-regarding-census-dog-registration-and-town-elections

Town Clerk page on the revised Town of Franklin website

"e-permitting could create some efficiencies within town"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"As part of an ongoing effort to make its website more convenient, the town will be adding e-permitting services in the beginning of 2017. 

Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen said the Town Council had approved a pilot program - at $35,000 - earlier this month, though the process did not begin there.

"Over the summer, we had a huge group of department heads and staff interview (e-permitting) companies to determine the best way forward," he said. "This is cloud-based technology that will enable citizens to set up an online account, with their email and information, and be able to do business with the town."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20161218/franklin-town-website-to-add-e-permitting

Town of Franklin: Town Clerk webpage where there will soon be a link to renew dog licenses online

In the Franklin Matters notes from the Town Council meeting on Dec 7, dog licenses were targeted to start in the Town Clerk's office and hence the 'rush' for the approval to get the software ready for the renewals to begin in January. It would expand to other Town Clerk services and then to other departments over time assuming successful.

For the complete summary of the Town Council meeting Dec 7
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/12/2-police-officers-sworn-in-tax-rate-set.html

Previews of the new Town of Franklin webpage

What will the new Town of Franklin website look like? Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen provided several screenshots (shown below) and a list of the features as a result of the upgrade:

• There will be email subscription pages for Town Council agendas and roll calls, all legal notices and public hearings, and job postings. Anyone can subscribe to email lists to get notices on those topics and more
• A new GIS and Maps page focusing on the wealth of GIS services the town has, and some fun maps to browse
• A new Franklin Development site filled with information and available sites for commercial development, as well as a wealth of town demographic information
• A new 'one stop shop' for all social media accounts for the town and school departments and organizations
• Revamped calendar with auto downloads to smartphone calendars and RSS feeds
• A new Town Council page, with member profiles and subcommittee information
• A "Meet Me in Franklin" page that highlights some of the unique places of interest for residents and visitors of Franklin
• Town Blog for the most up to date news
• An ever changing rotation of pictures of Franklin throughout the site
• Enhanced search capabilities
• Customer service request forms
• And much more ...

Instead of using Franklin.MA.US you can now go to FranklinMA.GOV

new Town of Franklin home page

new Town of Franklin - Town Administrator page

new Town of Franklin - calendar page

new Town of Franklin - Town Clerk page

new Town of Franklin - online payments page

new Town of Franklin - social media accounts page. Want to follow the Twitter account or Facebook page?

To repeat what was mentioned in the post earlier this week
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2016/10/overhauled-in-effort-to-make-it-more.html

One of the drawbacks of the new site will be the links from here to the Franklin website will break. There is supposed to be a landing page for those who find a broken link with advice for what to do next. As most of the content did get copied over to the new site, a search of the new site should find it.

If what you look for you find here and don't successfully link to there, let me know. There are thousands of possible links to fix and I will do them upon request.

I had a habit of making my own copy of most documents to always provide a good link for readers. This was especially the case for something posted to the 'Franklin News" page which was cleaned out periodically (and broke all the links as soon as the cleaning took place).

While there are thousands of links that could break, I hope that you won't find too many. If you do, please comment on that posting or send me an email (shersteve @ gmail. dot com), and I'll find the doc and fix the link.

"overhauled in an effort to make it more accessible for those on the go"

"The new town website will go live this week, with officials touting its mobile-friendly design and better organization of information. 

Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen said the site is scheduled to go up on Thursday, Oct. 20, but it may be a few days before visitors see the changes. He said it typically takes one to two days for new pages to go live. 

Among the new features of the site will be email subscription offerings for additional items (like Town Council agendas, legal notices and public hearings) and a development page, aimed at providing information on available commercial properties."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20161017/new-franklin-website-launches-this-week

new mobile version of Town of  Franklin webpage

new mobile version of Town of  Franklin webpage - another page view

One of the drawbacks of the new site will be the links from here to the Franklin website will break. There is supposed to be a landing page for those who find a broken link with advice for what to do next. As most of the content did get copied over to the new site, a search of the new site should find it.

If what you look for you find here and don't successfully link to there, let me know. There are thousands of possible links to fix and I will do them upon request.

I had a habit of making my own copy of most documents to always provide a good link for readers. This was especially the case for something posted to the 'Franklin News" page which was cleaned out periodically (and broke all the links as soon as the cleaning took place).

While there are thousands of links that could break, I hope that you won't find too many. If you do, please comment on that posting or send me an email (shersteve @ gmail. dot com), and I'll find the doc and fix the link.

"We'll likely never get to a point where the project is 'done.'"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The town hopes to launch a new version of its website later this fall, with a focus on mobile accessibility and a smoother flow of information. 

Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen said the change, set for late October or early November, represents a reorganization and rebranding of the site. 

"We're looking to make it mobile-friendly," he said. "When you look at the site on a smart phone, we want town forms and applications to be available." 

Hellen said the new site will feature a lot of interactive mapping and land-use data, allowing easier access to town information.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160918/franklin-town-website-relaunch-coming

The look and feel of the Town of Franklin webpage will change in Oct or November

Norfolk County Registry of Deeds Announces Mobile Friendly Website

	Norfolk County Registry of Deeds
	O'Donnell Announces Mobile Friendly Norfolk Registry of Deeds Website Register William P. O'Donnell today announced a redesign of the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds website, www.norfolkdeeds.org, making it easier for users of portable devices, including those using smartphones and tablets, to navigate the website. "In today's world," stated Register O'Donnell, "more and more individuals, particularly young people, are browsing the Internet with a mobile device. People are constantly looking for information and seeking more accessible ways to obtain it. They don't want to be chained to their home or work desk to get things done. "Having a more accessible and friendly web presence for mobile phone users is a critical component to ensuring our customers experience is a good one. One of the major benefits of the redesigned website is the resizing of its content to fit on a phone or tablet's screen." Register O'Donnell listed some of the practical ways that mobile phone and tablet users will benefit from the newly redesigned website. "It will be easier to obtain information on acquiring a copy of your property deed; appreciate the advantages in filing a Homestead application; seek foreclosure information; study county real estate data; learn how to avoid paying an outrageous price for a copy of your deed; understand the importance of ensuring mortgage discharges are filed in a timely manner and the advantages to sign-up for the Registry's free Consumer Notification Program, alerting you to any recording changes made to your property." Concluding his remarks, Register O'Donnell stated, "Staying up-to-date on the latest technologies is truly critical when it comes to responding to the changing needs of the consumers. I am proud of our redesigned website and the way it ensures a more mobile friendly experience. I want to thank my staff and our website design vendor Getfused for their outstanding work on the project." To learn more about these and other Registry of Deeds events and initiatives, like us at facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds or follow us on twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds. The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, located at 649 High Street, Dedham, is the principal office for real property in Norfolk County. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities and others with a need for secure, accurate, accessible land record information. Residents in need of assistance can contact the Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101, or on the web at www.norfolkdeeds.org. Register William P. O'Donnell Norfolk County Registry of Deeds email: registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org phone: 781-234-3336 web: http://www.norfolkdeeds.org

Sent by registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org in collaboration with Try it free today Norfolk Deeds webpage

"We want our website to be much more friendly"

"The town is looking at ways to improve its website, including making services available to those using mobile phones and tablets. 

Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen, who started in his position earlier this year, said the town has been in the midst of evaluating its communication with local residents. 

"Since I've been here, I've been talking a lot with town departments, folks in the community and the Town Council, and there's at least some interest in a recharged effort to expand some services we offer online," he said. The exact nature of the expanded services has yet to be determined."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160307/franklin-may-improve-website

I applaud the efforts Franklin is taking in this arena. Jamie 'gets it' and in a short time has made good progress with more underway.

online bill pay

Metacomet Land Trust has a new web presence

The Metacomet Land Trust has a new and updated website.  

"Since 1988 Metacomet has worked with landowners, towns and state agencies to permanently protect land. MLT owns more than 350 acres across our member communities, protects another 162 acres through Conservation Restrictions, and has assisted in the conservation of another 900 acres---land that is now town open space, state parks and forests, and state wildlife management areas. 

Follow us @MetacometLandTr on Twitter 

Metacomet proudly serves the communities of Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Franklin, Mendon, Millbury, Millville, Norfolk, Northbridge, Sutton, Upton, Uxbridge, and Wrentham."

Visit -> http://metacometlandtrust.org/

screen grab of the new Metacomet Land Trust webpage

Enchanted Memories Travel - Depot Plaza

Enchanted Memories Travel is a full-service travel agency dedicated to simplifying vacation planning. Make memories, not reservations.

You can visit them on the web, or now you can visit them in person. A recent tweet announces their new storefront location in downtown Franklin!

Local friends, thrilled to announce our new storefront in Depot Plaza in Franklin! Coming soon! @FranklinMatters pic.twitter.com/IDCvM4z6iN
— Enchanted Memories (@Enchantedmem) November 23, 2014

Enchanted Memories - Depot Plaza, Franklin

Visit Enchanted Memories on the web http://www.enchantedmem.com/

Did you see Franklin's new website?

With little fanfare, Franklin has introduced a re-design of the town website.  http://town.franklin.ma.us/

re-designed Franklin website

The new layout is clean and better than before. Most of the common items are more visible and easier to get to. However, there is still room for improvement. The 'Town News' section is shorter and revealing less info than before.

The 'Contacts Directory' and the 'Hours of Operation' go to the same page. Considering that the 'Departments' tab on the top navigation bar also takes you to the same page, that is effectively a waste of prime real estate.

Contact Directory and Hours of Operation links go to the same place

The biggest drawback for me is that there still is no RSS feed. Yes, that maybe a little techie for some but it is a feature of most websites and enables an easy notification if something changes. Without such notification, if you want to find out when the agenda for a committee meeting is posted, you need to go to the site, click through to the page and view if there is an update or not. The website software could tell you via the RSS notification automatically.

Franklin just implemented Twitter to help with their notifications. Do you think the webpage has the info on how to follow Franklin on Twitter? It should but I couldn't find it. The page could also display the Twitter feed in a widget (tech term for a small window) to help showcase what is being sent out via Twitter.

BTW - if you do want to follow Franklin on Twitter you can find their profile page here  https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA

Check out the new Franklin website here  http://town.franklin.ma.us/  or here http://franklin.ma.us/

What else would you like to see on the page?