ARCHIVED: Convert a Google at IU groupspace to the new Google Sites

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Overview

Google has announced that they are deprecating classic Google Sites, the underlying technology for groupspaces, in early 2022. While an exact retirement date for classic Google Sites has not yet been given, Google is encouraging customers to adopt new Google Sites for web publishing sooner rather than later. You can convert your Google at IU groupspace to the new Google Sites now or at any time prior to the retirement of classic Google Sites.

Before you begin

The new Google Sites tool produces websites that are modern, attractive, and mobile friendly. However, some of the features in classic Google Sites are not available or work differently in new Google Sites. It's important to be aware of these differences before you get started.

Missing features

The following classic Google Sites features have no equivalent in the new Google Sites. Existing data associated with these features will not be available in your converted site:

  • Recent Announcements gadget (on groupspace homepage)
  • Gadgets: Most gadgets won't convert and will be replaced by a "broken embed" placeholder.
  • Page comments
  • Page-level permissions
  • Site map
  • Subscriptions to page changes
  • Revision history
  • Text styles: There are fewer formatting options, so some of your formatting may be lost.

Feature conversion

The new Google Sites tool offers limited support for the following features from classic Google Sites. Existing groupspace content using these features will be converted as described below:

  • Announcements template (Announcements page and Blogs page): The new Google Sites tool does not include a template for creating a list of announcements in reverse chronological order. In groupspaces, this feature is used for both the Announcements page and the Blog page. After the conversion, existing announcements and blog posts will appear as subpages beneath a main Announcements or Blog page, and the main page will display links to each subpage. To add a new announcement or blog post, you'll need to create a new subpage under the main page and manually add a link from the main page to the subpage.
  • Recent Announcements widget (groupspace home page): Many of the widgets supported in classic Google Sites, including the Recent Announcements widget on the groupspace home page, are not available in new Google Sites. To continue to display recent announcements on the home page of your new site, create a text box and add the announcements or links to the announcements manually. Alternatively, you can make announcements in the associated Google Group.
  • File cabinet template (Files page): Files stored in the file cabinet will be added to a new Google Drive folder. The new folder will be named after the converted site and will be embedded in a page in the new site. Links in the file cabinet will be placed on the page above the embedded folder.
  • List template (Member List and Tasks pages): Pages created with the Lists template, such as the Member List and Tasks pages, will be converted into Google Sheets and will be embedded in a page in the new site. The sheets can be found in a new folder named after the converted site in your Google Drive.
  • Page attachments: If you enabled and used page attachments on one or more pages in your groupspace, the files attached to pages will be added to a Google Drive folder named after the converted site. In the new site, attachments will be embedded in a Google Drive folder at the bottom of the page.

To learn more about the differences between classic Google Sites and new Google Sites, see Compare classic Sites & new Sites and What to expect when you convert a site.

Convert your groupspace to new Google Sites

For step-by-step instructions on converting your groupspace to the new Google Sites, see Convert your classic Site to new Sites.

Important:

When you are ready to publish the converted site, you'll be given the option to use the original site URL or choose a new URL.

  • If you choose to use the original URL, traffic will automatically be redirected from your original groupspace to your new site. Your groupspace will be moved to the "Migrated Sites" section of classic Google Sites, and will be deleted in 30 days.
  • If you choose to use a new URL, your original site will not be deleted, and you'll need to notify existing users about the change in the site's address.

By default, a classic site can only be converted one time. If you want to convert more than once, under "Review and Publish", click Disconnect. This will remove the connection between the original site and the converted version. Once you disconnect, you will no longer have the option to use the original URL with the converted version of the site. The next time you run the conversion, however, the option will be available in the newly converted site.

Get help

For assistance with converting Google groupspaces to the new Google Sites, consult the resources below.

Teaching and learning centers

Instructors can get help using technology in their teaching at the teaching and learning centers on each campus.

UITS Support Center

For help migrating Google groupspaces, email the UITS Mission Critical team. You can also contact your campus Support Center directly.

This is document atxc in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2022-02-08 14:24:03.