As our community is growing, we are onboarding new admins from schools adopting our services and to help you prepare for the new semester, we are running a virtual workshop focused on Domain of One’s Own and WordPress Multisite!

The workshop will provide both applied training and concrete examples of both administering and teaching with Domain of One’s Own and WordPress Multisite, along with one-on-one time with Reclaim Hosting, as well as other present institutions.

The workshop is broken up into two distinct days. Day 1 will be dedicated to getting you comfortable administering and troubleshooting Domain of One’s Own, and Day 2 will focus on WordPress Multisite. Both days will start out at 12pm ET and end by 5pm ET. You can sign up for either or both days, whatever piques your interest!

On Day 1, which is focused around Domain of One’s Own, you can expect to learn about:

• The systems that power DoOO and how they work together
• Tools used to manage users and accounts in DoOO
• Troubleshooting broken sites and what to do when things aren’t working
• Building engagement and growing your DoOO initiative sustainably

On Day 2, the WordPress Multisite focused day, you can expect to learn about:

• The basics of administering WordPress Multisite
• Customizing your multisite with themes and plugins
• Building your Multisite out to best support your goals
• Workflows that will save you time and effort

We'll be taking a look at the admin systems behind each platform, how to troubleshoot and build sustainable workflows, and more.

You can register for a single day of the workshop for $195 per person, or both days at $350 per person on our events calendar here.

Thank you everyone for making the first radio summer camp event happen! We had a blast! It's been a fantastic week of shows, stories and summer tunes! Let's wrap up proceedings with a HUGE thank you and a quick reminder about how to catch up with some of the goodness you may have missed.

A big thank you to all our speakers and guest DJs

This event wouldn't have happened without all the amazing speakers and guest DJs involved. It's been fabulous to have you all on air and we salute you! From lively chat on Discord and Mastodon to sharing resources and reading we appreciate everyone who contributed to this amazing week!

Catch up on sessions and resources

You can listen to the session recordings (and find transcripts, too!) via the online schedule. That’s also where we are posting links to resources and references in the description for each session. Listen to the magic and relive some camp moments.

Blog or Die!

In the true spirit of our closing plenary, blogging about camp is happening! We are collating posts for you to explore, and here are some to get you started:

• Paul Bond Live from Stellar Records
• Todd Conway Sounds of the Grand Canyon
• Mark Corbett Wilson My Summer Camp
• Maren Deepwell ... we did it again!
• Jim Groom previewed the Summer Camp
• Christina Hendricks' Values-based tugging
• Martin Weller DS106Radio Summer camp – the partial attention conference

If you have a post you'd like to add to the list, simply post it on the dedicated summer camp channel on Discord or tag it #ds106RadioSummerCamp on social media.

DS106Radio #4life

There's been a lot of interest this week for more regular shows on the radio, and the established DJs on DS106 have risen to the challenge... and blogged about it! So if you are interested, this post is a great starting point.

Coming up next week, Reclaim will begin rolling out PHP 8.3 across all cPanel servers. Once it's added to your server, you'll be able to select it as the preferred PHP version for a given site/domain using the MultiPHP Manager tool. This rollout will happen on Tuesday, August 20.

The current default version of PHP on our servers (called the "Inherit" version in MultiPHP Manager) is v8.0 – when you set up a new domain or subdomain, that's what'll be used unless you change it on purpose.

PHP 8.0 will continue to be the default version of PHP for the time being, so if you want to use PHP 8.3 on your site, you will need to choose that version yourself. We have a support guide on how to do this available here: Changing Your PHP Version in cPanel.

Note that certain PHP extensions, like ImageMagick/Imagick, may not have been updated for PHP 8.3 compatibility yet. When those updates become available, we will apply them. However, until that time, some applications that depend on those extensions, like WordPress, may not function as expected.

By default, your application should remain on its current version, so you should not experience any issues with extension compatibility unless you choose to switch to 8.3. If you are trying to run an application using PHP 8.3 and experiencing issues, we recommend switching to a lower PHP version in order to make sure the extensions you need are still compatible.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Support.

Hello and welcome to your quick mid-month summary of all things important and upcoming across our community:

Upgrade complete!

We are happy to report that the planned upgrades to our Client Area Portal https://billing.reclaimhosting.com were successfully completed at the start of this month. To help you get familiar with the improved system, we've put together a quick overview post which outlines the steps you need to take. If you have further questions, please follow these steps to get in touch with our support team.

Happening this week: DS106 Radio Summer Camp

We are very excited that our first ever radio only conference, the DS106Radio Summer Camp, is happening this week. New to the concept? Read our quick primer post to find out what's on and how to get involved: So... what's a radio conference?!.

We have a packed schedule with speakers and guest DJs from across our community. Check out the DS106Radio Summer Camp Schedule and register. It’s free to attend, and registration will remain open during the event. So why not register and check out live sessions, recordings and resources.

Our usual schedule of community chats and Reclaim TV is not happening during this event, so why not join in the fun on the radio instead.

In other news

Greetings from Reclaim!

At the end of July was Reclaim Hosting‘s 11th anniversary, crazy how time flies when you are providing a range of infrastructure options for higher ed and beyond. On his blog, Jim celebrates this milestone with brand new artwork showcasing all the amazing projects and services that take us from strength to strength in our second decade #4life!

Conference Season

We are on the road and attending conferences this month. Jim and Meredith have been meeting up with some of the community members in Washington DC and Arlington VA at WP Campus and DH2024!

If you've missed the fun, catch up with our WP Campus ,stream on Reclaim TV.

Changes to subdomains

Now that the upgrades to our Client Area Portal are complete, our focus is on improving security for all our customers. As part of these improvements, we will no longer be offering *.reclaim.hosting subdomains as primary domains for new Shared Hosting signups from Jul 31, 2024. Any existing Shared Hosting account that uses a *.reclaim.hosting subdomain as their primary domain will be unaffected, and you will still be able to add *.reclaim.hosting subdomains to use as add-on development URLs on Shared Hosting accounts if desired.

Fall Workshop - Domain of One's Own & WordPress Multisite 101

Reclaim Hosting is excited to be running another virtual workshop this fall focused on Domain of One’s Own and WordPress Multisite! The workshop will be running Tuesday October 1st and Wednesday October 2nd, starting at 12pm ET each day and ending at 5pm ET. We'll provide both applied training and concrete examples of both administering and teaching with Domain of One’s Own and WordPress Multisite, along with one-on-one time with Reclaim Hosting, as well as other present institutions.

Reclaim TV Guide

This month, tune in to Reclaim.TV, live on Fridays at 10am ET:

• August 16 - No stream this week, but you can tune in for the final day of DS106Radio Summer Camp!
• August 23 - Reclaim TV: Retro Computing 3 – Rise of the Machines
• August 30 - Reclaim TV: Make your own radio station

Catch up on streams from earlier this month:

• August 02 - Reclaim TV: Live from WP Campus!
• August 09 - Reclaim TV: Get ready for Summer Camp!

You can see the updated schedule at any time by checking out events.reclaimhosting.com!

It’s online conferencing…. but not as you know it. Imagine summer camp, on the radio, connecting with friends old and new as you tell stories around the campfire, reflecting on the year that’s been and learning a whole lot along the way. 

Well folks, it's finally here: DS106Radio Summer Camp is go! On Monday we are starting our week long EdTech extravaganza on the radio and if you'd like a preview of what's in store and learn how to take part, then join us tomorrow, Friday, 9th August, on Reclaim TV at 10am ET. Watch the stream over at Reclaim TV, or catch the recording later on archive.reclaim.tv or our YouTube channel!

How to take part

Here is what you need to know to make the most of the event: 

Explore the camp schedule
Go to the online schedule which shows what’s on each day, starting Monday, August 12th and ending on Friday, August 16th (there's also a quick overview for the week).

Listen to live sessions
All you need is a web browser. Tune in to DS106Radio and enjoy. You can listen to the sessions live or catch the recordings (and transcripts, too!) which will be made available via the online schedule. That’s also where we are posting links to resources and references in the description for each session. 

Join in the conversation
Chat with other participants in the dedicated channel in our Discord community, and use the #ds106RadioSummerCamp hashtag on Mastodon. 

Sit at the campfire
At the end of each day at camp guest DJs take over DS106Radio for social campfire sessions and they are also included in the online schedule. 

Bring a friend
Registration remains open throughout, so please encourage colleagues and friends to join in and register.

Support for Speakers
If you are a speaker, check the event calendar invite for your session for the link to join your speaker session. Your session will be moderated by a member of Team Reclaim. 

Visual map of places you can visit in the land of Reclaim Hosting

Back of each postcard: Greetings from Reclaim Hosting

Each card has the same background, and these postcards become physical elements we can give out at events like WP Campus and DH2024, both of which Meredith and I will be attending this week and next, respectively. So, anyway, here are the various postcards with each of the products, so awesome!

Domain of one’s Own

Domain of One’s Own

The industrial strength of WordPress Multisite hosting

Managed cPanel Hosting – pick your source

cPanel hosting, more generic remote

Some old gold Reclaim Cloud visuals

ReclaimEDU and Managed Hosting “Offload your dread…”

ReclaimEDU – a visualization of how our failover system works

ReclaimPress – the very bold label

ReclaimPress- because your WordPress site is your baby

A more abstract Andy Warhol-inspired record that came out of RclaimPress but can really be used across products like WPMS, ReclaimCloud, ReclaimPress, etc.

Bryan Mathers is at it again with his Remixer

While the Learning Management System may not be dead, I certainly feel better when it’s not around. In fact, the ds106radio Summer Camp from August 12th through the 16th is embedded in the idea that doing edtech is anything but isolating and depressing. The schedule highlights just that fact, with sessions about everything from the Austerity Blues to Dream Teams and Apollo 13s. And the platform? The open and free airwaves of the mighty ds106radio. I’ll get things going each morning with some impromptu radio with musings about such topics as “What is art?” and “Why you can’t kill what’s already dead.” This format allows for folks to tune in as they like and enjoy a frictionless experience all the while. Major kudos to Maren Deepwell for organizing the summer camp so seamlessly, and creating a free and accessible event that is open and available to anyone interested—my favorite kind of open! If you’re interested in playing along you can register here for reminders and updates or just listen in when the time comes.

As part of this, we will be migrating the Client Area portal to a new URL. With this migration and update, you may see a change to the layout of your Client Area. Your services (hosting plans or domain name registrations) will not be impacted during this maintenance and upgrade. Finally, the new URL for our Client Area after the migration and users will automatically be redirected. The new location will be https://billing.reclaimhosting.com.

This work will be here soon. As we get closer, here are key dates to be aware of.

MONDAY, JULY 29 & BEFORE

The Client Area portal will be online and available through Monday July 29. If you have anything you need to do with the Client Portal, such as purchasing new plans, renewing your existing plan, or paying outstanding invoices, please make sure to do it by the 29th.

If your Shared Hosting renewal is due after July 31, and you have not paid your renewal invoice by the time of the migration, a new renewal invoice will be automatically created in the new billing system. We recommend renewing prior to the migration to avoid any confusion from duplicate invoices.

TUESDAY, JULY 30

On Tuesday July 30, the Client Area portal will be unavailable and offline for logins and account management as we prepare for and begin the work. This will have the following effects:

• You will not be able to access or pay invoices during this time. Please take this into account if you expect to be paying an invoice or renewing your account towards the end of the month. 
• Your hosted websites will not be offline during this time, but you will be unable to sign into cPanel through the Client Portal.
• You will not be able to purchase new hosting plans or domain registrations during this time, in order to prevent lost orders during the upgrade.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31 & AFTER

There are certain steps you will need to take once the work completes, starting on & after July 31, 2024.  We are in the process of updating our existing documentation to reflect the look & workflow of the new system. Once the updated guides are published and available, we'll include them in an upcoming email.

Please be prepared for the following:

• You will need to reset your Client Area password. You will be prompted to change the password when you go to log in. Documentation on this is in progress.
• Your cPanel password will also change. If you use SFTP/SSH regularly you will also need to change this after July 30, 2024. Documentation on this is in progress.
• You will need to update your payment details. Documentation on this is in progress.
• Sub-accounts will change with the new system. If you have any sub-accounts or contacts on your Client Area account profile, please be aware that you will need to remake them after the billing system moves. In the new system, "Sub-accounts" will be replaced by "Users", and you will add them by inviting them through the new Client Portal and assigning them the correct permissions. Documentation on this is in progress.
• Regarding open invoices:
  • If your Shared Hosting renewal is due after July 31, and you have not paid your renewal invoice by the time of the migration, a new renewal invoice will be automatically created in the new system. You’ll receive an email when the new invoice is generated. If you are paying for a Shared Hosting renewal on or after July 31, please make sure you are paying the newer invoice through the new billing system.
  • Managed Hosting and Domain of One's Own invoices will not be automatically re-created in the new system; we will continue to use the pre-existing invoices in order to ensure continuity for institutional purchasing departments. If you are paying a Managed Hosting or Domain of One's Own invoice on or after July 31, and the invoice was created before the migration, please coordinate with us directly regarding payment.

We also wanted to take this opportunity to inform you about an additional change that will go into effect on July 31. As we harden our servers and improve our security, we will no longer be offering *.reclaim.hosting subdomains as primary domains for new Shared Hosting signups.

Shared Hosting accounts that already use a *.reclaim.hosting subdomain as their primary domain will be unaffected, and you will still be able to add *.reclaim.hosting subdomains to use as add-on development URLs on Shared Hosting accounts if desired.

We are continuing to work diligently behind the scenes to make this move as smooth as possible, so stay tuned as we get closer to the date. We'll follow up with reminders to make sure you are aware and prepared for the upcoming changes to the system.

If you have any questions, please follow these steps to get in touch with our support team. Thanks again for your continued support of Reclaim Hosting!

If you are looking for inspiration for the next academic year, or indeed carving out some time for your own professional development over the summer and you're not sure where to start, help is at hand:

Develop Institutional Capability for Digital Education

Over the past ten years we’ve become known for world-class hosting for Higher Ed and championing open software and platforms for instructional design.

What we’ve learned is that when it comes to digital education, things move fast and keeping up with the newest tools and technologies is an ongoing challenge. That’s why we offer tailor-made professional development and an expert community specifically for Educational Technologists, faculty and staff.

So the next time you invest in infrastructure, ask about how our expert team can help you and your institution we can help you find sustainable, cost-effective ways to support faculty and students with instructional technology skills development.

Keep up with what's happening in the community

Your go-to tool in your utility belt should be community.reclaimhosting.com!

This page has links to all the things we are up to, including Announcements, upcoming Reclaim Edtech events and Community Chats, Reclaim TV videos and streams and more. 

Our next big event is the DS106 Radio Summer Camp, which is free and open to all, and happening August 12-16th. Register now.

If you prefer to get updates in your email inbox or RSS reader, we recommend checking out blog.reclaimhosting.com for periodic updates, and roundup.reclaimhosting.com for our monthly newsletter!

Find inspiration in fresh case studies

Our case studies offer quick insights into practice and products, helping you make the most of open tools and infrastructure. With practical examples and take aways to help you navigate your own projects, these case studies offer a way to share practice, celebrate impact and contribute to the community.

So far this year, we have published:

Simon Fraser University Bulk Shared Hosting: A Reclaim Case Study
Suzanne Norman, Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology at Simon Fraser University (SFU), and Lecturer and Industry Liaison, and Director of SFU Publishing Workshops, shares why and how she helps her students get their own space online with Reclaim Hosting. Read the case study.

ReclaimEDU: A Reclaim Case Study
For our second Reclaim Case Study production, we wanted to pull from the knowledge and experience of our team to give you a deeper look at Reclaim's latest and greatest... ReclaimEDU! You've heard about what ReclaimEDU is— our new multiregion cloud hosting service for .edu sites— but we thought you should also know how we got here. Read the case study.

From passion project to web empire: A ReclaimPress case study
Bryan Mathers was one of the first to join the ReclaimPress beta program, putting the platform through its paces. This case study tells his story... and shows you how ReclaimPress will help anyone get started or scale up their WordPress Empire. Read the case study.

Our open call for submissions resulted in a real bumper crop of submissions and we are excited to share a preview of the full conference schedule with you now!

Once you register, you will get access to an interactive event site which shows the full schedule for each day, starting Monday, August 12th and ending on Friday, August 16th. For each session you will be able to click on the link to the live stream from the radio. You can listen to the shows live or catch the recordings (and transcripts, too!) and there'll be links to resources and references in the description for each session.

To listen in, all you need is a web browser. You'll also be able to chat with other participants in a dedicated channel in our Discord community, and using the #ds106RadioSummerCamp hashtag on Mastodon.

Schedule at a glance

This is our schedule for the camp as it stands at the moment, but keep in mind that some sessions may still move around as we co-ordinate with speakers and DJs from across different time zones.

If you are a presenter joining us to tell your story on the airwaves, for most sessions Team Reclaim will act as host and moderator. If you are a speaker look out for our calendar invite with further details.

Free registration

DS106 Radio Summer Camp is designed to free you from your screen and enjoy your summer whilst listening to inspiring stories around our virtual campfire. To take part, simply register and look out for the joining instructions the week before the event. During camp week, tune in to DS106 Radio and enjoy. 

Subscribe to our monthly Roundup Newsletter and get security updates, event and community news from Team Reclaim in one beautiful email every month.