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Configuring DNS for GrowthZone MWP Sites

Overview

What is DNS?

Simply put, DNS records act as the phonebook for the internet. They connect easy to read and remember domain names (mostly letters) to the IP addresses where websites are hosted. For your website to pull up correctly when a member/customer types in your website URL, the DNS configuration must be set correctly to connect your customer to the website host. In our case, we’ll have you use a cName alias which works very much like an IP address to connect visitors to your site.

It is crucial that this process is done securely as an insecure setup may work for a while but leaves your site open to malicious attacks such as domain hijacking where an attacker can automatically redirect all your visitors to another site.

Why do I have to do this?

One common confusion point is the assumption that this process is just automatically taken care of when you set up a new website. However, purchasing your domain name (and setting where that name points to) is a separate set of tasks and can be with a completely different company than your website host (in this case, GrowthZone). Therefore, we do not automatically have access to this information when setting up your new MWP site.

What is cName vs. IP Address

If you’re wondering why we’re using a cName(alias) rather than an IP address, it is because the IP may change and using a cName frees all our customers from needing to go back in and change these records every time that happens (i.e. Set it and forget it). We may change IP addresses for maintenance, upgrades, performance or security reasons but you’ll be covered with a cName as all the changes will be automatic. Unfortunately, not as many providers currently offer pointing to a cName rather than an IP address which plays a large role in the providers we’re recommending below.

Process

Use the following steps to configure your DNS to point to the GrowthZone hosting1 cName for your GrowthZone MWP site. This task will take approximately 30 minutes.

Before you get started, you will need to know/have:

Where your domain settings (i.e. your website name www.example.com) are hosted/stored and how to access them (login info)
An MWP site with GrowthZone

NOTE: If your organization has opted to subscribe to a combined v10 Back Office and Managed WordPress package where we’re also purchasing the domain for you, this information can be disregarded as we’ll take care of all of it during the setup process. (Not common)

To make this process easier, GrowthZone strongly recommends using one of the two providers below:

GoDaddy - GoDaddy is a well-known leader in domains and hosting, so there’s a good chance you might have purchased your domain through them. If so, you’ll need your GoDaddy login information. If your domain needs to be renewed soon, it may be a good opportunity to consider transferring it from your current provider to GoDaddy. Information regarding domain transfers can be found here.
CloudFlare - If you have your domain with another provider, you can also use CloudFlare as a secure tool to manage the DNS configuration. You will only need a free CloudFlare account for this process.

NOTE: If you do not want to use either of the two options above, please call our support team so we can walk you through options. It is possible that your current provider may work. Yet, due to each provider having their own features, requirements, and procedures, we cannot guarantee that other providers will meet the GrowthZone’s requirements for configuring your DNS settings for your MWP site

GoDaddy

Click this link and follow GoDaddy’s instructions.
As part of the process, you will need to enter a cName into the records for both the addresses for your site. (e.g. www.example.com & example.com). Enter the cName:

hosting1.growthzonesites.com

CloudFlare

Click this link and follow CloudFlare’s simple instructions to set up a free account, add your website and configure your settings. It will ask about selecting a plan but remember, you should only need to use the free plan. As above, to correctly point your site, enter the following cName address: hosting1.growthzonesites.com

NOTE: It may take up to 72 hours for these changes to fully take effect but if setup correctly, you will see no downtime for your site. Once these changes are made, you will not have to make updates/redo this process. If you get stuck or need help with this process, please contact us and we’ll be happy to walk you through the process. Please make sure you have the provider and login information for your domain before calling.e

Website Accessibility FAQ

What is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility refers to ensuring that people with disabilities or impairments can perceive, understand, navigate, interact with and contribute to websites.

Am I required to make my website accessible?

In the United States, Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) requires general accessibility to those with disabilities; though not expressly stated, it has been generally held by the courts that websites are included under the requirements of Title III. Therefore, we strongly recommend all sites to be accessible to those with disabilities or impairment such as the blind/visually impaired or deaf/hard of hearing.

Specific requirements pertaining to US ADA compliance will be issued in 2018. Until then, WCAG 2.0 or 2.1 guidelines, whichever is newer, should be used. Even though the ADA requirements are not yet published, websites are still required to provide a basic level of accessibility.

Websites that do not make any attempt at making content accessible risk visitors filing ADA violation complaints with the US Office of Civil Rights (OCR) or other litigation.

Is my website "accessible"?

Growth Zone is continually addressing the changes surrounding WCAG 2.0/2.1 and ADA compliance in order to ensure that our SmartCMS and GrowthZone CMS websites follow best practices for web accessibility. This ongoing initiative aims to ensure the systems not only incorporate these accessibility requirements but our customers are informed and trained regarding best practices.

LiveEdit Aurora customers should refer to LiveEdit's documentation regarding accessibility and ADA compliance.

Are there Web Accessibility Guidelines?

Yes. The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) develops guidelines and techniques to use for websites that are considered to be the international standard with WCAG 2.0 being the most current published standard for web content accessibility. WCAG 2.1 is currently in development and is scheduled to be published in 2018 coinciding with ADA requirements for Web accessibility. You do not have to use WCAG guidelines but they can serve as best practices guide until specific ADA requirements are released.

Do I need to do anything while maintaining my website for it to be accessible?

Yes. It is important to note that even though a website may be accessible and ADA compliant at launch, it can quickly fall into non-compliant status if accessibility guidelines and best practices are not followed. Since content is added and maintained by you, our customers, we want to share some common pitfalls where sites that were once accessible fall out of compliance.

Accessibility Approach and Alternative Formats

While not expressly stated in the requirements, it is generally considered to be a good idea to add a page regarding accessibility and alternative formats for content; this page can go a long way in avoiding a complaint or litigation in case non-accessible content is discovered. A link to this page should appear somewhere on your landing/home page (often in the footer) so that it can be easily found by someone using a screen reader. This page covers:

Your commitment to making your content accessible to the visually impaired/ADA compliant including contact info for who should be contacted if a visually impaired visitor has trouble accessing content on the site
How a visitor can access content in other formats (location on the site or contact us)

Text Alternatives

Provide text alternatives for any non-text content. For images, the text will be read aloud describing the content for the visually impaired. In the case of video, closed captions should be available for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Alternative Document Formats

Pdfs are great but are not readable by many screen readers. Make sure you are able to provide the document in another format such as Microsoft Word or html. Colors and Contrast Avoid using colors in text and background that are similar. The visually impaired and those with certain types of color blindness will have difficulty distinguishing the text from the background. Always attempt to use text colors that stand out from the background. Never use flashing/strobing text or images or other items whose quick movement makes them difficult to read or understand.

Navigation

Accessibility requirements regarding site navigation and menus will be handled when your site is created, yet you may wish to add or remove navigation and menu options later on. Try to keep any menus simple without many layers of bumpouts and dropdowns. Also, avoid having several menus on a single page or mixed in wither other content in the body such as text and images.

Do I have to make the MIC/Hub accessible?

No. The accessibility requirements for the MIC/Hub and backoffice are handled by GrowthZone as part of the software.

Checking your Site

There are several online tools that you can use to check your site. A word of caution, however, as most perform their checks at the highest levels of "accessibility", resulting in flags on areas of your site that do, in fact, meet accessibility requirements. Therefore, they should be used as informative tools only.

Web Accessibility Check

Want to learn more? Click the links below

Understanding WCAG 2

Web Accessibility Tutorials

General Data Protection Regulation Basics (GDPR)

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Union law enacted in 2016 which will take effect with enforcement beginning on May 25th, 2018. This law was enacted with the goal of providing better data and privacy protection and security for European Union (EU) member states’ citizens.

Brexit Impact

In early 2017, UK Prime Minister May outlined several technology related impacts of the impending exit of the UK from the EU (Brexit) which have been reiterated by UK Digital Minister Hancock. According to these reports, the UK plans to keep GDPR provisions by mirroring it via UK regulations. These regulations are not yet in place and will require legislation to be passed in parliament. However, it should be noted that the Brexit process is currently unlikely to terminate prior to the EU GDPR deadline in 2018. Thus, UK customers are recommended to stick with May 25th, 2018 deadline for compliance.

GDPR Responsibilities & Accountability

In dealing with GDPR Compliance, it is important to understand where accountability lies.

For GrowthZone(v10) software (including the MIC/Hub), GrowthZone is responsible for complying with the GDPR, communicating compliance to chambers and associations, and reporting issues. Our staff and member apps, as extensions of the back office and MIC/Hubs, fall under this definition as well. SmartCMS and GrowthZoneCMS do not collect member or visitor data. On pages where member or visitor data appears to be collected by these systems, it is in fact due to an integration of the v9/v10 software and thus these systems do not fall under the GDPR requirements.

Customers that use third party systems for websites or integrations with Chambermaster and GrowthZone software need to be aware GrowthZone is not responsible for the compliance of these systems; GrowthZone is responsible for GDPR compliance of its products only. Chambers and associations are accountable to ensure overall GDPR compliance for the mix of systems they are using to collect and process member and visitor data.

Components

All information regarding the specific regulations can be found on the GDPR site. Requirements of the GDPR are broken down into the following categories or “rights” of individuals:

The right to be informed
The right of access
The right to rectification
The right to erasure
The right to restrict processing
The right to data portability
The right to object
Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.

These rights when viewed together are meant to provide individual users greater clarity and understanding of what personal data is being stored, how it is being used, and how to access/delete that data. In the end, the goal is to provide greater personal data privacy, access and protection. Here’s a brief summary of obligations for GDPR compliance.

Right to be informed: Obligation of organization to inform users submitting personal data as to how the data will be kept private and used. Usually issued as part of a privacy notice that must be viewed..
Right of access: Obligation to confirm a user’s request as to whether their data is being held/processed and the obligation to grant them access to their personal data
Right of rectification: Obligation to provide access to rectify any personal data deemed incorrect. Obligation to disclose any personal data given to 3rd parties and contact information for rectification
Right of erasure: Obligation to remove/erase all stored personal data upon request
Right to restrict processing:Obligation to halt the processing of data that is deemed restricted by the user
Right to data portability: Obligation to provide a .csv/export of personal data within one month of request
Right to object: Obligation, if requested, to halt processing of data for marketing, profiling, interest, or research purposes
Rights in relation: Obligation to provide clarity on types of decisions that are automated and allow for human interaction for those that have a significant legal impact.

A chamber or association may receive a request from an individual regarding these rights or a request from a governmental agency for records and documentation of compliance. Additionally, organizations have specific obligations regarding accountability, data protection, and breach notifications that vary depending on the types of data being collected and processed; these records may also be requested.

GDPR Compliance Initiative at GrowthZone

Getting ready for the upcoming GDPR changes in May of 2018 is a major initiative at GrowthZone with changes and improvements already underway; GrowthZone software will be fully compliant by the May 2018 deadline. As we make changes to ensure compliance, here are some key areas where customers will start to notice changes.

Express Consent

To ensure users are aware of the types of data being collected and for what purpose it is being used along with the need to opt-in, there will be changes, additions, and privacy notices added to screens that collect information. This can include features like the membership application, event registration, etc. Privacy Settings Areas such as the MIC and Hub will see additions allowing members even more control over their personal data including contact information, profile information and visibility settings.

Reports

One of the key goals of the GDPR is to provide understanding of what data is stored, allow users access to correct it, and delete it if they choose. Reporting regarding GDPR compliance and specific personal data reports will be added so that chambers and associations to easily identify and document the types of data stored and find specific user’s personal data if requested. Training GDPR documentation and training will be provided starting in 2018 helping chambers and associations tackle specific GDPR compliance issues. Offerings will include both technical trainings and general communication with topics ranging from help understanding the law, to running reports, to dealing data.

Managing your GrowthZone CMS Website

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