Lesson 3: Content is King

'Content is king' as the saying goes.  Without formatted content, a website is a jumbled mess of ideas that lacks cohesion and exhibits no sense of direction.  What's important is to always keep the target audience in mind. 

• Who are we preparing this content for? 
• Who will make use of the online resources? 
• How can we make access easy?

Keep this in mind ... when a visitor arrives you have between 6 to 10 seconds to grab their attention long enough to keep them navigating your site.

Lesson 2: Why Choose Blogger

Content Management Solutions

Building a solid website requires a strong toolset.  Most website designers now use a browser-integrated Content Management System (sometimes referred to as a 'CMS').  A good CMS will provide a secure administrative panel to manage and control the site, easy-to-use browser-based editors so authors can create and edit pages and news articles through a web browser, and the ability to integrate 'scripts' or components to deliver additional features like a news blog, calendars, video, audio, file storage, and dynamic menus.

Lesson 1: Why Build a Website

Website Designer & Instructor
Gordon Welling

At a recent workshop that I hosted on building club websites, the group discussed the merits of running a club website.  Here goes ... advantages of a club website include:

• Visibility:  For years we have heard that we are "the best kept secret in town" ... now people have an online venue to learn more about what an Optimist club does in their local community.  When trying to recruit new members, or raise funds, or get the word out about a community service project; the ability to offer the website link to the public is invaluable.
• Credibility:  Almost any serious not-for-profit organization has a web presence.  In fact, as more people turn to the internet as their primary source of information, organizations are expanding their online presence from a website to a news blog, a Facebook page, a Twitter account, etc.  A web presence (even if it is just a website) adds that public credibility to your club.
  

Module 1: Getting Started

Making the decision to create a website for your not-for-profit organization or service club is not something to be taken lightly.  It will take time and effort of many volunteers, and once the website is made publicly available, it must be continually maintained.

There are many factors that need to be considered, and I hope that this Module will provide you with some insight into the process behind the planning and preparation required to build a club blog / website.