IT+Committee

=Purpose & Goal=

The IT Committee is responsible for overseeing the information processes and technology needs of the MSA. Specifically the IT Commitee oversees the technical aspects of the MSA website, which is a dynamic communication tool that must be constantly updated with current, relevant material and easily accessible by the community.

Goals for IT Committee
 * Provide current, relevant, and useful information and resources to the community
 * Provide increased transparency of information within the MSA/MWM
 * Strengthen the online presence for the MSA & MWM

//[What is the purpose and objective of this committee? How does this fit into the larger purpose of the MSA? etc.]//

=Structure=

Role of the IT Committee Chair To continue a positive trend towards establishing an MSA IT structure that is the most beneficial to our community. You will have a chance to work with current students, Cabinet members and Alumni to understand the needs of the users of our community, in relationship to IT, and how to come up with a sustainable plan to meet those needs.

Role of an IT Committee Member Committee members are on the front lines of communicating the latest MSA/MWM happenings. You have a chance to share your ideas for how we can communicate more effectively as an organization to our various constituents, learn about the world of blogging/social media development and gain real hands-on experience.

//[How is the committee structured? What are the different positions on the committee? Are there any sub-committees? What are the responsibilities of the committee head? What are the responsibilities of the Cabinet-Liaison? What are the responsibilities of each sub-committee (if applicable)? How is responsibility distributed amongst general committee members? How often did the committee meet? How did the members communicate outside of meetings?]//

=Methods=

MSA Website Basic Information: Domain: www.msaumd.org | CPanel Access: www.msaumd.org/cpanel Hosting Service: Vanelegion

Backend Log-in: www.msaumd.org/wp-admin Content Management System (CMS): Wordpress (needs to be updated to latest version yearly) Current Wordpress Template: Academia ( [])


 * Our audience: **


 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Current MSA Students (Undergrad/Grad)
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">MSA Cabinet
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Parents/Alumni
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Prospective Students
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Campus Administration, Faculty & the Student Body
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Outside Organizations (Local Masjids, Businesses, Area MSAs, etc)

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Custom Template v. Templates Online <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Some thoughts on custom web site development for the MSA: <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">1) Takes too much time and manpower <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">2) Most people who want to help out don't know how because they don't have experience <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">3) We don't have the right tools to facilitate coding in real-time <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">4) Takes time to train people to develop the site during the year and actually updating the site gets put on hold (basically all major development if any, should take place during the summer. Not at any other time of the year) <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">5) Quick turnover of leaders willing to build and manage the site (4 yrs goes by fast!) <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Having a custom design is not required, but it is worth mentioning because it has come up in the past. Is a custom template possible for the MSA, yes, but it will require full development, implementation and testing to occur during the summer months. Plus you need to consider that you will have to train people on how the template is designed in the event that things need to be tweaked down the road. Also you need proper documentation.

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Technical History <span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">VaneLegion Hosting Service (Fall 2010 - Present) <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Contact: Gibran Ali (gibbusoft@gmail.com) <span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Netfirms Hosting Service (2008 – Fall 2010)
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Filed a complaint of an Internal Server Error – 9/8/2009
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Our website was moved to a new database cluster with netfirms on 9/9/2009
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Learned at <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-decoration: none;">msaumd.org <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> is currently registered at 1 & 1 Internet AG 2/11/2010
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Problem with Name servers at Netfirms 4/11/2010

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Non-Tech History

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Fall 2010 - Present <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Gibran Ali <span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Dec 2008 – Fall 2010 <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Tubah Sultan <span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Spring 2009 and Prior <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Mahmoud Abdelsalam
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Launched the Wordpress Platform (Fall 2010)
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Built a custom MSA Template for Joomla! with Web Design Team (Spring 2010)
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Taught HTML and Joomla! to MSA Web Design Team during Fall 2009
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Drafted MSA CIO Proposal sent to Cabinet Jan 2009
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Setup Joomla! as the first MSA content management platform for the website
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Successful MSA Forum during Fall 2008 and re-initiated a new Forum during 2009
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Worked hard to gain cabinet’s support for the website development and IT
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Integrated the main features of the site: prayer times, iqamah times, etc.
 * <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Setup the Media Audio Archives

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18pt;">Social Media Accounts <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Facebook

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> MSA Facebook Profile | http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2200578856 <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Description: This account is maintained by the MSA Cabinet for the academic year. Upcoming events are created and announcements are made on the Wall by members.

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">MWM Facebook Profile | http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7438122981 <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Description: This account is maintained by the MWM Cabinet for the academic year. Upcoming events are created and announcements are made on the Wall by members.

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Alumni | http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=98282956134 <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Description: This account is maintained by the Muslim Alumni of UMD Group. Upcoming events are created and announcements are made on the Wall by members.

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">YouTube

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">MSAumd Channel | http://www.youtube.com/MSAumd <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Description: This account is maintained by the IT Committee. Videos of events and khutbahs are uploaded to the channel.

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Twitter

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">@MSA_UMD | <span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-decoration: none;">[] <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Description: This account is maintained by the IT Committee. Latest MSA/MWM updates are tweeted to followers.

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">@MSA_Alum_UMD | <span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-decoration: none;">[] <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Description: This account is maintained by the Muslim Alumni of UMD Group. Latest Alumni happenings are tweeted to followers.

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">LinkedIn

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">UMCP MSA LinkedIn Group <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Description: This service connects current students and alumni of the UMCP MSA. Career tools such as a discussion and job board are available.

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18pt;">Discussion Forums - Google Groups <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The following Discussion Groups share news and coordinate events and activities for specific target audiences – the Alumni, Brothers, and Sisters. The groups are active with membership exceeding 45+ people. The groups are not managed by any one person. However, it is important to note the most active group members that are shaping conversations.

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">MWM Sports & Social (for Women) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">URL: http://groups.google.com/group/mwm-sports-social <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Group Email: <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-decoration: none;">mwm-sports-social@googlegroups.com

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Brothers Sports & Social <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">URL: http://groups.google.com/group/msa-sports-and-social <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Group Email: msa-sports-and-social@googlegroups.com

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Alumni <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">URL: http://groups.google.com/group/Muslim_Alumni_UMD <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Group Email: Muslim_Alumni_UMD@googlegroups.com

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18pt;">Weekly E-Newsletter <span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Community Synergy Platform | http://communitysynergy.com/cc/login <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">The MSA Newsletter is managed by the IT Committee. Our current mass email platform is a free service with premium features, provided by a company named Community Synergy. We transferred from a Bravenet Mass Email Service to Community Synergy at the end of Spring 2010. Khaled Helmi and Farhat Noor, both alumni of the University of Maryland, College Park MSA founded Community Synergy. A full overview of the features of their service is available at www.CommunitySynergy.com and in a Quick Start Guide that can be view once you log-in to the backend. For any questions about the service you can contact Khaled Helmi (lead97@gmail.com) or info@communitysynergy.com.

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18pt;">Email Accounts <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">As a good internal control measure, passwords for all email accounts must be updated at the beginning of each academic year by new leaders.

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Committee/Programs

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Dawah Committee | mdmuslims@gmail.com <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Description: This account is maintained by the Dawah Committee Head to accept inquiries and correspondence from the campus community, the MSA, speakers, etc. that deals with dawah related matters. There is a form on the current MSA website that is linked to this account – Ask us a Question about Islam.

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Musallah Committee | musallah@gmail.com <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Description: This account is maintained by the Masjid Affairs Officer on Cabinet. The account is used to respond to Musallah related matters such as Clean up schedules and registered students for Musallah Access.

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Al Nur Committee | msa.nur@gmail.com <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Description: This account is maintained by the Al Nur Committee head. The account is used to coordinate activities amongst Al Nur Staff, accept submissions, etc.

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Mentorship Program | umdmsamentoring@gmail.com <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Description: This account is maintained by the Mentorship Program Coordinators to coordinate mentorship matching, answer questions about the program, etc. There is a form on the current MSA site that is linked to this email account.

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cabinet Executive Accounts

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">President | president@msaumd.org <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">For access please log-in via umd.msa.president@gmail.com (Internal Use only)

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18pt;">Executive & Committee Tool

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Dropbox Storage (2 GB of Storage) <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Dropbox is used for archive purposes and to share important cabinet & work documents that are passed on each year. Instead of hunting down important documents like the MSA Constitution, the Dropbox is one unique secure place where all cabinet members can access important documents quickly.

<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Dropbox is different from Google Docs because sharing permissions pertain to a folder/group of folders that can contain all types of files (from docs to videos). <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">To install Dropbox, go to www.dropbox.com. You can save files into the 'Dropbox' folder on your computer and they will be auto-synced to your online account. <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Al-Nur Online Library <span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Al-Nur Committee | http://www.issuu.com/alnur <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">All Al-Nur issues are currently uploaded to an online library provided by a free service called Issuu. Al-Nur publications can be read online and pdf. versions can be downloaded. The Al-Nur Committee Chair takes care of managing this account which is linked to msa.nur@gmail.com.

<span style="color: #17365d; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 18pt;">Alumni IT <span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">We need to find out if both of these can be merged onto a Community Synergy Platform. <span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Alumni IP Address

<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Needed for Alumni Communication. We need a student representative from the MSA talk to campus administration about setting up an IP address for our alum.

<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14pt;">Alumni Database

<span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Encourage the Alumni to give back to the community, attend events, participate in mentorship and give job opportunities to MSAers through LinkedIn.

//[Describe how the committee achieved its previously outlined goals. Were there any events, activities, initiatives planned by the committee? (Link to the appropriate Wiki page). Describe all details about the website, hosting, etc.]//

=Review=

//[Reflect on the outcome of the committee. Did it achieve its goals? Why or why not? Was the plan executed correctly? Why or why not? What might have been changed in the// plan? Was the planning process effective? //Why or why not? Was the communication between member effective? Was the committee structure effective? What improvements would you have made (in general)?]//