Zope Registration Manager

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Zope Registration Manager (ZRM) is a single application for the design, delivery, storage, and management of web-based registrations (e.g., membership/ contests/ newsletters), surveys and polls.

Registrations can be used to populate a membership database that requires registrants provide a username and password. Membership databases allow members to update their member profiles complete with audit trail. All system-collected email addresses are verified with system-generated email messages. This ensures that unsolicited emails are not inadvertently sent as well as avoids registration stuffing.

Newsletter creation occurs by harvesting content from public and password-protected URLs. Newsletter delivery is manual or configured according to a pre-determined schedule. ZRM provides an automated unsubscription management mechanism for all newsletters and an administrator-maintained, site-wide Do-Not-Disturb list through which all email addresses are filtered. The system incorporates "safety" features designed to protect your digital relationships, including email bounce management, variable envelope return paths (VERP), and bounce counting / subscription suspension.

Membership databases provide additional capabilities such as password recovery mechanisms, centralized newsletter subscription dashboard and more. ZRM provides basic reporting for registration information which can also be downloaded as compressed files for offline analysis in tools like Microsoft Access, Excel and/or Crystal Reports. ZRM comes with a basic Microsoft Access database structure for local reporting customizations.

ZRM Architecture

Zope Registration Manager will be available during Q3 2003 and can be purchased as a product or as a hosted solution. Contact sales@zope.com . Form and Schema Management

ZRM comes with a large (50) set of pre-configured Core Registration Attributes (CRAs) including:

• first_name
• last_name
• gender
• work_postal_code
• home_postal_code
• date_of_birth

System Administrators can extend the ZRM CRAs to meet local requirements (e.g., a specific vertical market) by adding Extended Registration Attributes (ERAs). Table 1 provides examples for three types of organizations and how they might customize Zope Registration Manager with their own Extended Registration Attributes.

Users define new registrations by selecting one or more attributes from the CRAs and ERAs. The collection of CRAs and ERAs that define a Registration are the Defined Registration Attributes (DRAs).

ZRM creates a default web form that can be tailored to meet individual requirements and also creates a database in which collected entries are stored.

When email addresses are included in Registrations, they are automatically verified. Registrants receive an email confirming their interest in the registration and need simply reply to the message or click on an embedded URL for the registration to be confirmed. Registrations with pending email validations are marked accordingly.

Producers can use the generated form or a derivative, and place it on their site. Default generated forms include client-side data validation logic in JavaScript. This data validation logic provides visitors with simple instructions for ensuring that required fields are completed, and meet data type requirements. (The system won't accept a value of "orange" in the age field). Some fields may not require validation, and will be omitted from client-side form validation. Duplicate server-side form validation logic is applied on the server to address cases where visitors have disabled JavaScript support on the client.

Collecting Registrations and Opt-Ins

Once a Registration has been created and deployed, site visitors can complete the form. Individual Registrations can be cross-linked to opt-in Registration databases. Each Registration with one or more required email address fields can be configured to confirm registrations. Registration confirmations are sent to the email address. Until confirmation is received as a result of the email recipient clicking on a URL, the Registration is marked as Pending Confirmation.

Membership Databases

Any Registration marked as a Membership Registration, requires valid and unique usernames, as well as valid passwords and email addresses. Members can return to a site and edit their Member Profile Attributes (MPAs) by logging in with their username and password. Any of the Defined Registration Attributes (DRAs) can be marked as an MPA. Only MPAs are editable by Members. Administrators can edit all of the attributes on each Member profile.

Passwords

ZRM allows administrators to select how Registrant passwords are to be stored. Passwords can be stored in clear-text or in an encrypted (hashed) form. Clear-text passwords allow Registrants to recover their current password via email. Hashed passwords are more secure when stored on the server and require users to reset (i.e., change) their passwords if lost or forgotten.

As a result, the password recovery mechanisms provided by ZRM vary according to the password storage configuration.

Downloading Registrations

The contents of Registration databases can be downloaded at any time. In addition, Registration Groups can be defined that allow Administrators to download multiple Registration databases in one operation.

Analyzing Registration Information

ZRM provides basic, web-based Registration database reporting. Advanced reporting and analysis can be performed locally by downloading a compressed, comma-separated values (.csv) file of the registrations. Figure 2 illustrates a basic zip code report for a Movie Ticket Giveaway Registration.

Creating Newsletters

Newsletters can be created by uploading plain-text and/or HTML files, or by harvesting content from a public or password-protected URL. Scheduled newsletters (e.g., Top Stories at Noon Newsletter) are typically produced by harvesting a password-protected URL. Newsletters are associated with one or more registration databases.

One-time newsletters (e.g., for a breaking news event) can also be sent.

Newsletter producers may optionally process a Newsletter through the URL Transformation Service. Newsletters with transformed URLs support clickthrough tracking and analysis.

Scheduling Newsletters

Newsletter producers can send newsletters on-demand/immediately or according to a recurring schedule. The content for scheduled newsletters is typically harvested from a password-protected URL.

Pricing and Availability

Zope Registration Manager may be purchased as a product or as a hosted solution.

If Annual Maintenance purchase is declined, a Waiver of Maintenance form must be signed.

Support contracts may be purchased separately. For support levels, please see Support Offerings.

For additional information, to schedule an online demonstration, or to purchase a license, please contact sales@zope.com or call 1-540-361-1710.

We are very pleased with Zope Corporation's implementation of its content management system for Supportfolio. These tools provide quick and efficient access for various organizations within the company to manage and publish their own content, resulting in optimum delivery of support materials for our customers. Zope Corporation has delivered value beyond our expectations. They have demonstrated both creativity and professionalism, and their ongoing support has been exceptional.
- Satish Mirle, Engineering Manager for Electronic Services, SGI Technology Solutions