Hello, everyone!
I wanted to send you an update because we have some exciting times ahead at 2020 The Beacon!
Sadly, we will no longer have the awesome programming Janeen had been planning. That being said, it’s time for the station to take its next steps into awesomeness—and we now have a roadmap for how we’re going to get there!
I won’t reveal everything just yet. Some changes will happen quickly, while others will roll out over time. We have shifts in content, new ideas, and plenty more planned for the future.
For now, here’s a preview of some noticeable changes you can expect during the first week of August—if not sooner!
### Website and Performance Improvements
**1. A faster, more reliable website and stream**
The website should load noticeably faster. Those frustrating issues some people experienced with their IP addresses being randomly blocked should no longer be a problem.
We’re also making changes that should minimize—or hopefully eliminate—the random stream disconnects some listeners have experienced.
**2. Updated and cleaned-up website content**
We’re cleaning up and updating content throughout the site, including adding the new time for **The DJD Invasion** to the schedule.
**3. A consistent, accessible experience across our forms**
All forms on the website are being rewritten to use the same consistent, accessible interface.
They are being designed with screen readers in mind, including JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. No more wondering whether a field is labeled properly or whether one form is going to behave completely differently from another.
**4. Goodbye to frustrating CAPTCHA challenges!**
We’re implementing a new human-verification system across our forms.
Gone are the days of Google CAPTCHA threshold scores deciding there has been too much traffic from your IP address.
Gone are the days of being asked to solve a visual CAPTCHA or play an audio challenge.
Instead, you’ll receive a simple instruction asking you to type a randomly selected word exactly as presented. Just pay attention to capitalization, type the requested word, and you’re done!
Simple. Accessible. No puzzles required.
**5. One consistent form-processing system**
Our forms will use the same underlying processing system, helping us provide a more consistent and familiar experience throughout the site.
**6. An improved Subscribe to the Lighthouse page**
The Subscribe to the Lighthouse page is also being redone. The subscription process should be much easier, cleaner, and far less chaotic than before!
You should begin seeing these website and performance improvements during the **first week of August, if not sooner**.
### And Now, a Spoiler for The DJD Invasion Fans…
Here’s a preview of something coming to my shows in August!
As many of you know, I’ve talked about having a request system where you can search my actual song library, find something you want to hear, and send your request directly to me.
We had a version of this before—but some people couldn’t get it to work properly. There were bugs, inaccessible fields, and searching a large song library could sometimes leave the browser sitting there or becoming sluggish.
For August, that experience has been **completely rewritten!**
Here’s how the new request system will work:
Search for an artist or song.
When you activate the Search button, instead of wondering whether your browser has frozen while thousands of songs are being processed, you’ll immediately receive an indication that the song library is being searched and that you should please wait. Searching our large library may take a few seconds, but you’ll know exactly what’s happening.
Once the search is complete, you’ll be told **how many matching songs were found**.
Choose the song you want, and then finish your request using the same familiar, accessible form experience you’ll find throughout the rest of the website.
**Consistent, accessible interfaces for the win!**
And that’s just a preview.
There are more fun and exciting changes ahead. These website, accessibility, request-system, performance, and stream improvements are only the beginning of what we have planned for 2020 The Beacon.
**Stay tuned to this list for more updates—and get ready for what’s coming!**
From David