Georgia Podcast Network long-term plan
I sent the following email this morning to anyone who has ever posted a podcast on the Georgia Podcast Network:
Hi there,
You're receiving this message because at some point you've uploaded a podcast to the Georgia Podcast Network. I'm writing to inform you that our long-term plan is to phase out podcast hosting and other interactive elements of the site and to convert it to a static archive.Drupal, the software we use to run the site, will release version 7 soon. That is two major releases ahead of the version the Georgia Podcast Network runs on. While no announcement has been made, we anticipate that within a year Drupal will stop supporting version 5. Upgrading a site such as ours with many customized modules written for it is a major undertaking. Activity on the site has been declining over the past year, and we've decided it's time to move on rather than put forth the effort and expense involved in such an update.
There's no need to panic though, as hosting will continue as it is for between six months and a year longer, depending on how long Drupal keeps releasing security patches for version 5. We're writing now to give you plenty of time to find a new hosting option for your podcast, and to let you know we will:
* Export your data from the site in any format you'd like to make it easy to import podcasts into your new hosting software (for example: Wordpress, Blogger and Movable Type all have XML formats which can be used to import content)
* Create redirects on our server to your new site so search engine listings and iTunes subscriptions won't be disrupted
* Provide some technical guidance for moving your data over
As I mentioned in the first paragraph, the site will live on indefinitely as a static archive. So if you haven't updated your podcast in a long time and don't want to go to the trouble of moving your data, you don't have to.
Amber and I have really appreciated all the work you've put in over the past three years. We've had a lot of fun, met people we never would have had a chance to meet otherwise and learned a lot. Collectively we've put out content we should all be proud of. Thank you, and I hope to see you around.
--
Rusty Tanton
Co-founder, Georgia Podcast Network
Seriously y'all, thanks.