Some low level file reference issues also occur in site forms. Sometimes a web form, like a "contact us" page or newsletter sign up, is set to a temporary email address for testing. Usually settings like these are adjusted or automatically updated when a site goes live. But there is always room for human error or oversight. To be safe, always submit every website form before and after a site goes live to make sure that form content is making it to the final email address.

This can be a potentially major problem if not tested and confirmed after launch. Who wants to find out, a month after going live, that a website's contact form hasn't been working? What a waste! Keep in mind that while we at Newfangled do our best to check, double check, and triple check for bugs during development, we do occasionally miss one now and again. Compounding such (albeit rare) occurrences of human error is the problem that we cannot test the final functionality of a web form after a site goes live. That's because, in many cases, (especially when a form contains confidential information) we cannot include our testing email address in a live web form. Thus we cannot confirm that the form is delivering email to the right person. Only the person who receives these emails can confirm this. That means, if a site has lots of forms and multiple recipients for each form, there will need to be a coordinated effort of form testing during, and especially after, a site launch.

Forms aren't the only features that need careful review after a site goes live. Sites with lots of data, including user-submitted data like comments, blogs, e-commerce accounts, extranets, etc., will need to be carefully reviewed over the days and weeks following a new site launch. When developing such sites we are usually working with sample data. But sample data doesn't always reveal potential bugs or logical holes in a site's functionality. Remember in Jurassic Park when Jeff Goldblum's character, Dr. Ian Malcolm, was describing Chaos theory? He said, "life will find a way" to describe how given enough variables, even the best planned efforts will break down. Even the most well built sites will be vulnerable to unforeseen consequences and problems when real people interact with the live site.

Again, testing such complex sites can be tricky since real live data won't be there for testing until, well, it's there. And, again, sometimes the site's developers can't have direct access to live data (if it includes private information). So launching and testing a complex site that includes complex sets of data or user generated data needs extra special and longer term attention from the site's administrators.   next >