Important Announcement Regarding the Future of November Learning Community Blogs
In an attempt to reach as many of our clients as possible who are using the NL Communities Blogging System, we are sending this message using a variety of methods. If you are not currently using our blogging software, you can disregard this post.
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Dear NL Communities User,
Several years ago, we introduced a new, free blogging system, November Learning Communities. At the time, this system was one of the premier educational blogging tools available. Educators worldwide joined us in expanding the boundaries of learning through thoughtful writing and global connectivity. However, with ongoing developments in Web technology and more options available in blogging software, our system no longer offers the premium service that we want to provide. Therefore, we have decided to discontinue our November Learning Communities software, effective August 1, 2009.
As a user of our software, we know you are probably disappointed and have several questions in mind. Below, we will address what we think will be some of your most pressing concerns. If you have others, please contact Brian Mull at brian@novemberlearning.com.
Why is November Learning discontinuing the November Learning Communities software?
As newer, more advanced Internet browsers are introduced, shortcomings within our software are being exposed. We are at a point where newer technologies have surpassed the capabilities of our current system and where upgrading is no longer a viable option. We believe that we need to take action now so that we save you even more frustration in the future.
What will happen when the software is shut down?
On August 1st, the server that manages all of our blogging installations will be shut down. You will no longer have access to anything within your blog. Posts, comments, etc. will be inaccessible.
Is there a way to archive all of the posts on our blogs?
In short, no. Newer blogging systems offer the possibility of exporting blogs to bring to another service. Our outdated software does not. We have not found a clean method of exporting blog posts within this installation. The only way to keep your blogs intact and preserve posts and comments would be to copy and paste them elsewhere. We realize that for those of you who have been writing on you blogs for years may have amassed many postings, and a simple copy and paste will be difficult or impossible. Again, we apologize for this.
Are there any other blogging services that November Learning recommends?
There are several options that we can recommend to help you set up new blogs if you choose. They include:
- Registering within our new community which features individual blogs (http://nlconnect.novemberlearning.com)
- Edublogs (http://www.edublogs.org)
- Class Blogmeister (http://www.classblogmeister.com/)
- ePals School Blog (http://www.epals.com/groups/about/page/schoolblog.aspx)
- 21Classes (http://www.21classes.com)
We are not endorsing any one of these in particular, and there are certainly other viable options available. You will need to explore and see what option will work best for you and your situation.
Again, we understand that for many of you, this announcement comes as an unpleasant surprise. We assure you that we did not make this choice easily. After numerous discussions, we believe it is in everyone’s best interest to have you transition to other alternatives. We hope that by giving you several months’ notice, you will have ample time to weigh your options and make a decision on what course of action you choose to take.
If you have further questions, please contact Brian Mull at brian@novemberlearning.com.
August 10th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
[...] Learning, & Sharing, along with all other Visit My Class blogs, will be no more. (Please see this post by November Learning for a complete explanation.)While I am saddened by this, I do have to give some props to the folks [...]
October 18th, 2009 at 8:45 am
I am just staring blogging with my kids, exciting but also huge responsibility
October 18th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
I feel that we are teaching about awareness for personal safety, alcohol and drug awareness and so we should also be teaching students about Web and Internet safety.
November 4th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
We are going to begin using blogs this year in our school district. Our administrators have been concerned about the pubic and openess that blogs allow. We need to give it a try and deal with the responsiblities and public concerns as they arrive. If we never try, we will never know.