FAQ
How can I learn how to use wordpress?
There are a set of online videos that you can watch to help you learn the basics of wordpress. You can find a link to them in your website dashboard (back-end) at the bottom left of your websites toolbar, titled “Video Training”
How will it work if your center’s URL is not a sub domain URL of Shambhala International
If your current center URL is centernameshambhala. org and not centername.shambhala.org, then the webmaster or individual who registered the URL, must simply point that URL to your new URL, which will be centername.shambhala.org
How do I add header slider images to a page?
You can only make header sliders from a page gallery and each page must first have its own gallery
In the back End:
Go to the PAGES->choose a page->Upload/Insert Media->Upload an image either from your computer, a URL or an image which is already in your Media Library->insert into post->image will appear in your post->update->remove image from post if you don’t want it in your post->page will now contain an image in its gallery->repeat steps for more images in the gallery->Move down to Page Header Section-> Header type->Slide show->Update
Can you tell me how easy it will be to modify the new site once it is up and running? Can it be modified from any computer, or is there software installed in one place as with the current site?
Will the content under the Classes and Retreats menu item be provided? Or is this content something each center needs to author on its own?
How do I access my old site once my new site has gone live?
We will email you a link to your old site, which will look something likethis: old-centername.shambhala.org
Will a detailed and up to date desciption of the Shambhala Curriculum be part of the templates?
Yes, there will be a detailed and up-to-date version on the 2.0 site.
Can we modify the template via a child template if we so desire?
No. We have build a window into the back-end where you can edit our CSS, add CSS and javascripts that you need. This functions like a child theme in terms of design, would let you overwrite certain pages and won’t let you break the site. We did this to make it very convenient for centers who doesn’t understand child theme logic.
Will we be able to add new content, including new pages, pictures, widgets, add-ons and menu structure, as we go along, during and after the 3 weeks of support?
Yes
Can we have longer than 3 weeks in development before we go live?.
Yes, but we are really hoping you to do this in 3weeks. Its important as there are other centers who won’t be able to start their process, as they will be waiting for you to complete your process. Its like being in a restaurant where you can see a couple who has finished their meal and has settled the bill, but is not getting up to leave… 🙂
My ongoing/recurring programs don’t show up in the ‘introductory’ category page even though they are tagged in SDB.
The boxes which you clicked in the SDB are only relevant to one-time programs and not ongoing programs. For this reason, the ongoing programs will not be listed under the introductory category page
When I click on a recurring program it goes to the long list rather than the description page, how can I fix that?
In the back-end of your site:
Go to->Appearance->Widgets->Programs Section Sidebar->Drop down arrow->Recurring Programs->unclick View programs grouped instead of individual programs. (show amount ignored)-> click View individual programs.-> Save
Will the site provide us with our own email addresses, will we be able to have several addresses, and will the email address(es) have to be in certain format ?
We are not providing email addresses. You will use the email addresses that you have been using. We will only provide you with the new URL for your website.
Our center doesn’t have the funds to pay the full fee upfront, is there some sort of payment plan or a form of installments that we can pay and how will that work? When will we be billed?
If your center is upgrading from the 1.0 template to the 2.0 template, you should already have a PayPal account in place. Blue Mandala will collect payments via PayPal on a 6 month basis. E.g If your fee is $600, it will be divided by 6 months, which will mean that your center will pay a minimum fee of $100 per month via PayPal. You will receive an invoice for the $100 fee monthly.
If your center can afford to pay the quoted price once-off, we will send you an once-off invoice and you can pay via credit card or PayPal
If your center is upgrading from anything other than the 1.0 template, please go to the 1.0 journey page to view your journey first.
Will we able to only obtain images from the Shambhala Database, like some sort of image bank?
Each center who has upgraded to the 2.0 website will have their own Shambhala Image Bank
Will the Blog in the new 2.0 Website link with Shambhala Times?
Every story that you write in your new blog will automatically be sent to the Shambhala Times’ editor for reviewal. Stories that are appropriate for the Shambhala Times will be published. This is a change from how the previous system worked which automatically published all stories (except for those in the category of local announcements)
Will you be providing FTP access to the site like last time?
No. Unfortunately we won’t be able to provide you with the FTP due to security reasons. Reason being that we have over 60 FTP connections to the shambhala.org server and there are lots of code on shambhala.org that isn’ t secure. We also have a tunnel running from that server to the SDB where all our precious data is held. The Shambhala server team has been suggesting quite heavily to improve server security as we have been hacked a few times the last few years. We have been lucky so far ,but there is a huge hole to patch. The main patch is to revoke FTP access for all centres. Of course we can’t do that now as then none of them would be able to access their sites. So the switch to the 2.0 WordPress sites is where we are making that transition happen.
The final plan is that the new 2.0 sites will all be in a multi site install (on the shambhala network) and that no centre will be able to install any plugs-ins as they wish. There are many shady plugins out there that seriously compromise security for the entire system, not only other centres websites but also the SDB participant data. So there is a plan in place that if a centre would like to install a plug in,they could apply to the IT team to have it reviewed and installed. Perhaps then that might benefit other centres in the mandala.
The last several years we have been posting recordings of talks. Will we be able to do this on the new site?
Its recommended now to use the Shambhala Network (Database) for classes. Here you can create a new classes, create special groups on the network, join or add participants to that group. Once they are joined, they can have conversations, including private talks. Only those who are registered to group/class will be able to have access to the talks or material..
Its best to appoint an administrator to the group/s created to manage the users or participants in the group. Your starting point will be to go to the Shambhala Network, use your log-in details for your Shambhala account, upload audio, talk syllabus or notes and it will be automatically be shared with that group.
With the 2.0 website no longer providing FTP access, a lot of sever security has been implemented with the Shambhala Database…its according to the new security mandate from the Shambhala Information Technology Council. So in short, its a good thing to start your center to get to use the Shambhala Network for Online Learning.