IndieCommerce Announces Session Schedule on Upgrade for BEA

Because the upgrade from Drupal 6 to Drupal 7 has a lot of moving parts of interest to users, the American Booksellers Association has created a variety of ways to share the information booksellers need to know. These include the IndieCommunication updates, twice weekly conference calls, an upcoming series of webinars, and in-person sessions and one-on-one meetings at BookExpo America.

To request a one-on-one session at BEA with an IndieCommerce staff member, booksellers should complete the form here.

The BEA session schedule is below. IndieCommerce staff will conduct mini-sessions, on four different topics, on each day of the show.  Sessions will be held in the ABA Indie Bookseller Lounge, Room 214, at the front of the “200” aisle on the trade show floor. RSVPs are requested for our planning purposes.

ABA members that have not yet registered for BEA are encouraged to do so, and to send their tech staffers to meet with the IndieCommerce team. Registration for BEA is free for ABA member booksellers.

Note: The Redesign session is 45 minutes; all others are 30 minutes. All sessions will be held in the ABA Indie Bookseller Lounge, Room 214 on the trade show floor.

State of the Upgrade

Join ABA Director of Technology Neil Strandberg for the latest status report on the Drupal 7 migration. The new interface will be ready for final internal testing just before BEA. Booksellers with an IndieCommerce website will not want to miss this crucial update as Strandberg shares what the IndieCommerce team has accomplished and what the next steps are for the Drupal 7 upgrade.  A Q&A session will follow the presentation.

• Wednesday, May 28, at 1:00 p.m.
• Thursday, May 29, at 10:45 a.m.
• Friday, May 30, at 10:45 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
• Saturday, May 31, at 11:30 a.m.

Preparing Your Site for the Upgrade

The IndieCommerce team will migrate sites with as much or as little content as a store provides. Stores hoping to be in an early migration group will benefit if their site is optimized for the move. This session will cover a variety of housekeeping tasks and general tips for getting the site — and store staff — primed for the migration.

• Wednesday, May 28, at 1:30 p.m.
• Thursday, May 29, at 11:45 a.m.
• Friday, May 30, at 11:15 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
• Saturday, May 31, at Noon

Drupal 7: A Sneak Peek!

Join the IndieCommerce team for a guided preview of the new Drupal 7 interface. Some features have moved around a bit, but all in all, the new structure will be easier to use. Seeing it in action will help dispel any concerns about what is to come.

• Wednesday, May 28, at 2:00 p.m.
• Thursday, May 29, at 11:15 a.m.
• Friday, May 30, at 11:45 a.m.
• Saturday, May 31, at Noon

Choosing a Theme and Redesign 101 (a 45-minute session)

The migration to the Drupal 7 interface is the perfect opportunity to enhance a store site, both visually and conceptually. While some stores will be able to keep their current theme in Drupal 7, others will choose to, or need to, select a new layout. The IndieCommerce team will provide guidance on picking a theme and will offer tips on design usability, organizing content, and other best practices.

• Thursday, May 29, at 2:00 p.m.
• Friday, May 30, at 1:45 p.m.
• Saturday, May 31, at 10:45 a.m.

For planning purposes, booksellers are asked to RSVP for IndieCommerce’s BEA sessions here. An RSVP is not required, however, and booksellers who have not sent an RSVP are encouraged to stop by the Indie Bookseller Lounge anyway. Cancellation notices will be posted there.