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Voter Activation Network
Frequently asked questions
- What is VAN 4?
- VAN 4 is the fourth major release of Voter Activation Network's core software platform. It will replace VAN 3, the current version, which has been in place since early 2005.
- While we modify the software constantly - customizing and adding new features - the switch to VAN 4 is a much bigger deal because VAN 4 is a completely new code base. The entire code base has been rewritten from scratch.
- Why would we re-write the code base from scratch?
- First of all, we decided to switch programming languages. The first three VAN platforms were written in Microsoft's ASP, while VAN 4 is written in Microsoft's ASP.NET. The newer ASP.NET allows us to take advantage of many new technologies so we can build pages with more features and better performance.
- Second, we are rewriting the code base to make it more flexible. We're applying lots of "lessons learned" over the past few years to build a code base that will enable us to develop new features - and customize older ones - faster than ever.
- When will it be available?
- We literally began this process on November 8, 2006, the day after the very exciting 2006 general elections. Our aim is finish building the platform by May 1, 2007.
- Once we complete that job, we will need to convert each client system onto the new platform. We expect each conversion to take about a day, so we will schedule those conversions throughout May and June. We'll work with each client to accommodate your schedules with regard to trainings, special elections, or anything else.
- Will the voter file go offline during the conversion?
- No. Once we begin the conversion process, we will put your current system into "read-only" mode until we are finished. Users will still be able to run lists, but nobody will be able to do data entry. Any data entry - including bar code entry, Palm syncing, even setting up user accounts - will have to be put on hold during the conversion.
- As soon as the conversion process is completed, any users logged in will get sent back to the log-in prompt. They will immediately be able to log into a fully live VAN 4.
- Will I have to re-train people to use VAN 4?
- We don't think so. The core VAN functions most users know - Quick Look Up, Create a List, Export, Reports, Labels, Bar Code Scanning, Bulk Upload - do not fundamentally change. For the most part, VAN 4 really involves a lot more flexibility, more options, and most important, an easier & faster development environment for us.
- To help acquaint users with changes, many VAN 4 pages will feature a "What's New" button that will describe any changes made in that area.
- Will it look different?
- A little bit. We've tried hard to give VAN 4 a "cleaner" interface. Most things are roughly in the same place as before, but we've tried to reduce clutter, simplify system navigation, and give the system a slightly more modern look.
- Our 2006 state party clients who have chosen to participate in the DNC's VoteBuilder program will also see the VAN 4 system rebranded as VoteBuilder.
- What new features can we expect?
- A few of the immediate highlights include:
- More powerful Saved Searches - You can view your Saved Searches in "plain English," edit them more freely, and share them with other users.
- More dynamic Scripts - You can place the elements you want on scripts - text elements, survey questions, and lots of activist codes - in any order you want.
- More page customizations - Many VAN pages can be customized to display the data you want. You can decide which fields to display, and the order to display them, on nearly every "list" page - like My List, Quick Look Up results, the users list, etc.
- More powerful Custom Reports - Build better custom reports with new drag-and-drop tools. Don't like the Standard Walk List? Edit it yourself.
- Master Survey Questions - Build Master Survey Questions and link them to other questions. That means you can still have separate questions for each state senator - and a Master Question that searches across all of them.
- Better user monitoring - System administrators can review the details of any searches run by any user - converted into plain English.
- More Help info - Every VAN page will let you know when context-sensitive Help info is available, and far more pages will have useful help info and Frequently Asked Questions.
- Will VAN 4 offer cross-browser support?
- Yes. By August 1, 2007, VAN will fully support the following browsers:
- Microsoft's Internet Explorer, version 5.5 or higher, running on a Windows 2000, XP, or Vista platform.
- Mozilla Firefox, version 2.0.0.1 or higher, running on a Windows 2000, XP, or Vista platform.
- Safari, version 2.0.4 or higher, running on a Mac OS X platform
- Mozilla Firefox, version 2.0.0.1 or higher, running on a Mac OS X platform
- Will VAN 4 include "My Campaign" and Volunteer Management Tools?
- Yes. All statewide VAN 4 systems will offer the "My Campaign" database and an improved set of volunteer management tools. System administrators can also give an individual user separate user profiles for the Voter File and the My Campaign database.
- Will the Mapping Features change on VAN 4?
- Yes, thanks to a lot of great feedback from our users and support from the DNC, VAN 4 will feature a vastly improved turf-cutting tool for clients who subscribe to our Mapping option. Features include:
- Multiple precinct support - Cut turf from any reasonably sized "My List," regardless of precinct lines. Save the whole area as a "Mapping Region," then cut the Region into "Mapping Turfs."
- Region view - View the whole Mapping Region as you cut the Turfs. The voters in each turf appear in different colors, and the screen displays all the counts from the whole Region and each individual Turf.
- Dynamic updates - Review any previously cut Region, including new voters who have appeared on the file. Dynamically re-turf all the new voters in one click - or place them individually by hand.
- More attractive and more current maps - The new turf cutting tools are developed in partnership with Google, using Google maps.
- Need we say more? Moreover, recent breakthroughs will enable us to cut the cost of the mapping add-on dramatically in 2007.
- The better news is that the DNC will provide them for VoteBuilder participants for free.
- Will VAN support better blast email tools?
- Yes. Clients who subscribe to our blast email services will have a vastly improved set of blast email management and reporting tools. Info on email reads, forwards, unsubscribes, and click-tracking will be fully incorporated into voter and volunteer contact history.
- Is there more good stuff to come?
- Yes, certainly. VAN 4 has been designed with a special eye toward new "Virtual Organizing" capabilities. By early summer we expect to begin working with clients to test a new wave of tools to automate complex procedures. A new generation of VAN users will be able to request such automated tasks as:
- "Give me a walk list for my neighborhood."
- "Let me make phone calls to voters in my area."
- "Let me introduce my neighbors and friends."
- Will VAN 4 talk to other databases?
- Yes. A major focus of our work in 2007 is to develop and publish API standards that enable other developers to build applications that interact with the VAN data engine. Several of our clients have already reprogrammed their public websites to post volunteer data to VAN - where volunteer administrators now use VAN tools to process that data and turn web visitors into managed volunteers.
- Other developers have created their own applications that look up data in VAN, use VAN scripts, and even update IDs and other VAN data. New predictive dialing technology by Activate has been fully integrated into VAN, so that users can subscribe to Activate, then turn their own cell phones into powerful predictive dialing systems - all managed and controlled inside the VAN.
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