Search forms, search results and all database content can all now be integrated directly into third party web sites and portals. For example, a tourism marketing organisation could offer nearby attraction listings to its member businesses to display on their web site, updated in real time. A screen agency could provide a dynamically changing selection of locations on an industry portal.

Key advantages:

• More control over the look of the site by site designers
• Your database content becomes part of (virtually) any web site – change the look or navigation of your site without penalty.
• More control for web designers
• Leading edge search tools possible – on site widgets, fast retrieval of search results, offline mode

For more information contact David Sim (david.sim@openbrolly.com) or @davidrsim on Twitter.

The bug in Firefox can cause a small number of pages on MovieSite versions 1 and 2 to “hang” indefinitely and appear not to load. The problem also affects major sites such as Yahoo! and LinkedIn.

If you encounter this problem, we recommend you use Safari meantime.

Best wishes,

David

We have invested in backup capacity and were able to switch to this immediately. We continue to run on this, and there is no disruption to services. We are running below the capacity of the backup line and therefore there should not be any performance issues.

Demon, the service provider, has not yet provided an estimate for restoration of the main connection so we will continue to run using backup capacity until further notice.

In related news, an upgrade is planned for the main fibre optic connection. While we are currently operating below capacity, we will ensure that we are ahead of the curve of future growth.

We do not anticipate downtime any longer than 30 minutes – and probably significantly less – while we bring a new database server online.

Many thanks for your patience during this upgrade which is essential to keep pace with the growth in usage of our systems.

If you have any questions, please email david.sim@openbrolly.com.

As you may know, we have been using version 2 code for some months on customised public sites, such as the Irish Film Board Production Company database. It has proven to be robust and flexible as we had hoped. The focus is now on updating the MovieSite backend, to improve consistency and allow our clients to customise the information they hold.

In our schedules we hoped to commence go live with a Screen Agency in Jan / Feb 09, and we expect to meet this target with a new client. This is an ideal opportunity as we’re migrating information anyway, and the structure of data in their old system lends itself to the more flexible structure of MovieSite v2, rather than trying to shoehorn information into version 1.

Of course, equally important is ensuring that the transition to version 2 is painless and delivers benefits for our existing clients too. We will therefore be opening up a demonstration environment, currently scheduled for the first week in February. This will allow users initially to try out the new data entry forms and, later in February, try out the whole MovieSite system in V2. This will mean that users can “play” with the system without any implications for their own data and provide us with feedback.

We will ask system testers to complete a short questionnaire. Once we’re confident we’re on track with our users’ wishes, working with the chair of our user group, we’ll begin rolling out the upgrade to all MovieSite.

If any client wishes to remain on MovieSite v1, as it addresses their needs better at this time, they will be able to do so. We will announce formal long term support arrangements for version 1 later.

This in effect means that Open Brolly services, including MovieSite and TouristSite, are operating normally, but many emails generated by the system are unable to reach their destinations due to the fault.

Their server team is currently restarting some of the key servers and are working closely with platform vendors to identify the cause of the network issue.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused. Once the problem has been resolved MovieSite / TouristSite will automatically resend any held emails. Emails to and from the Open Brolly helpdesk are unaffected.

Update: 15:45: Engineers continuing to investigate problem. Some email has now been forwarded – delay about 1 hour.

Update: 17:35: The problems have been fully resolved and the email queue is clear.

General System Enhancements

We have added yet another backup layer. We’ve teamed up with Amazon (yes, the book people) to back up our clients’ data to their global network of secure servers. It’s encrypted all they way.

New faster image / file deletion system (and fixes for slow file deletion problems)

Broken and non-web compliant CMYK JPEG images can now be deleted from within MovieSite – previously they were locked. (Also applies to TouristSite).
Upgrade to image handling both in backend and on public sites to improve performance. (Also applies to TouristSite).

Locations

Maps can be included in customised web brochures. (Being tested now).
Production Guide

Now prevents google and other compliant search engines storing personal data sourced from the production guide, regardless of the policy of the parent web site. (Unless such indexing is requested by a MovieSite user).

We have added a new field for Local Authority Area. We have also added a new field for “Town” (separate from the address field). This enables full addresses to be hidden in the published production guide, but the town to be displayed giving an indication of location.

Ability to hide crew addresses from public view.

Ability to group crew / facility categories by department on public site. See: http://live.moviesite.biz/productionguide/?sid=n2 for an example.

Can remove availability details from search results (where relevant).

Can remove car / driving details from search results.

Project Tracking

New tick box for co-productions

This addresses a concern among some Google Maps users that their mapping – particularly in rural areas – was inadequate as it simply left large white spaces. Now there is some sense of the geography of an area, albeit not at the technical level found in Ordnance Survey maps.

The data is available to all our European clients by clicking the “Terrain” button on the Google Map generated by the database. We would welcome discussion as to whether this should be the default, rather than the road map.

In related news, Google Maps for mobile phones can now show your current location with some degree of accuracy, even on phones which don’t have GPS built in. It uses the distance from mobile phone masts and is accurate enough to help those who may be completely lost! Early in the new year we will be delivering location information to Google Maps Mobile, enabling those on the road to easily find recommended locations, accommodation or facilities and get directions from their current location. Please contact us to discuss how this may be of benefit.

Locations Module: Geocoding By Address

When mapping a location MovieSite can now find locations by address, rather than users having to pinpoint the location manually. By default MovieSite uses the entered location address. This can be amended on the mapping page if it’s not in a suitable format for geocoding.

Faster Image / File Delete

By popular demand, there is a new option when deleting images and documents from records – you can now delete many files at once, instead of having to delete them one at a time.

MovieSite Pass – Brochures From Baskets

Film Offices who use the MovieSite Pass system for their location database have always been able to view the “basket” of locations created by database users in connection with their project. Now it is possible to transfer this basket of locations to your location list and from there create a mailout to the locations or a web brochure for the client.

Customisable Emails From Production Guide

As part of our commitment to increased customisation within MovieSite, it is now possible for each MovieSite client to decide the content of the email which is sent to notify entrants of their pin number and entry details.  There is no charge for this.

Customisable Emails From Project Tracking

Emails sent to your network about project activity within the project tracking module can be customised. There is no charge for this.

Customisable Web Brochures

The default content of web brochures can now be customised. Please contact us for details. Major changes to layout may incur a small charge to cover time spent implementing the redesign.

Coming Soon….

Many more new features coming soon, including departmental categorisation of crew in the production guide and ordering of location images.

We hope our clients find these new features useful and further increase efficiency when using our solutions. Please contact us for more details.

However, by implementing a formal helpdesk we can bring some benefits:
1) All information relating to an enquiry, problem or request is kept in one place;
2) Clients can check progress on a task at any time;
3) Open Brolly can monitor help requests more effectively, and improve the service we offer.

If you want to register an enquiry, record a problem or make a request, use the link on the dashboard of MovieSite or TouristSite, or go to:

http://live.openbrolly.com/clients/helpdesk/index.php

Log in with your MovieSite or TouristSite login and password.

Once into the system you can “Create Task”. Just fill in the short form and send the enquiry to us. You can attach a file if you wish. You’ll be kept in touch by email.

You can also review “My Open Tasks”. This lets you review your outstanding tasks on the system. Once in a task you can see all activity so far, and you can add additional information which may help us resolve the task.

Enquiries made by telephone or email will be recorded by us manually in the helpdesk.

If you have any problems using the new system, do let us know. Thanks for your, er, support.

David.