Put Your Club Online

Lesson 10: How to Logout

2011-12-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

When done with any working session, ensure that you sign out. This ensures that someone else cannot gain access to the administration panel using your login.

Closing your browser window is not enough. If you remain logged into your Google account, through GMail for example and open a new www.blogger.com page, you will not be asked to login in again. Be sure that you Sign out of all instances of your Google accounts to ensure that no one can gain access to your blog / website dashboard.

Lesson 9: Remove Unnecessary Gadgets

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Time to remove some of those unnecessary Blogger gadgets that were added when you first created your club blog. There are two gadgets that have no value to a club website:

Followers gadget will display a list of people who are registered as following your blog. If the individuals profile contains a photo, Followers will display a thumbnail of the person's photo.
Contributors gadget shows a list of your blog registered authors and provides a link to their Blogger profiles.

From your club blog dashboard, select the "Design" tab and choose "Page Elements".

Select the "Edit" link for the "Followers" gadget.

Click the "Remove" button and follow the steps to remove this gadget.
Select the "Edit" link for the "Contributors" gadget.

Click the "Remove" button and follow the steps to remove this gadget.
Click the "Preview" button and view the changes.

Lesson 8: Add a Banner Graphic

2011-11-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

As part of your website content preparation, you created a banner graphic. Here are the steps to add that banner graphic.

From your club blog dashboard, select the "Design" tab and choose "Page Elements".
In the Page Elements page, click the "Edit" for the Header block.
In the Header details window, choose to add a graphic, browse and select a banner graphic file.

The file you select will be displayed. Ensure that "Instead of title and description" is selected and click "Save".
Click the "Preview" button and ensure that the banner graphic looks correct.
Close the preview window and choose to "Save" the change.

Notice that there are two features called "Followers" and "Contributors" that appear in the blog. While these gadgets are standard for most blogs, they are of little benefit to a club website. Your nest task is to remove unnecessary Blogger gadgets.

Lesson 7: Use "Template Designer"

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

For many years, bloggers have been able to apply customized website templates to make their blogs look more like websites. For the most part, bloggers needed a high degree of understanding of XML based templates, or had to hire a an experienced Blogger professional to implement a template for them.

In 2010, Blogger introduced Template Designer. It is a web-based template management console that permits a blog admin to select a template and adjust the look and feel to further customize it.

To use Template Designer:

From your club's blog dashboard, select the "Design" tab and choose "Template Designer".
This will open the Template Designer management console which comprises many detail pages that are available by selecting the appropriate menu choice in the left column menu.

There are six major templates to choose from, each template has a subset of optional themes that you can select. In our example, we selected the Simple template and used the first theme.

Once you make a selection, you can choose "View Blog" from the options in the top right corner. This will open a preview page so you can see what the change would like.

Important Note: Ensure that you click "Apply to Blog" before you move to another detail page in Template Designer. If you make a change and do not apply it, the change will be lost when you move to a new detail page.

Other options include "Back to Blogger" which takes you back to the club's blog dashboard, "View Blog" which lets you preview a change that you have applied, and "Help".

One of the best advantages of using Template Designer is that you can switch between different templates and themes and not lose any content and gadget placement in your website / blog.
Now that a template and theme are selected, click on the "Background" menu to configure the background settings.

For the "Simple" template, Template Designer assigns a plain colour background, each that applies to an overall colour theme. You can choose to use a background image by clicking on the down arrow head to the right of the background image.

Background images if selected will appear below the website (around the outside boundary). Images are stored in categories, e.g. Abstract. Selecting a different category will display a different collection of images. If you click an image, the effect can be seen in the preview image below the Template Designer window.

Although background images can enhance the look of the site, it may make the site sluggish to respond in web browsers on older Windows XP computers. If you do not want to select an image, click the "Cancel" button.
Now that you have configured all the Background settings, you can modify the layout settings. Click on the "Layout" menu and choose "Body Layout".

You have several different layouts to choose from. The dark gray blocks indicate column layouts where you will be able to add Blogger gadgets. If you select a different layout pattern, you can see the effect it has on column placement for gadgets.

For this guide, the single right-hand column layout was selected. Make sure that you click "Apply to Blog" before moving to the next detail page.
Select "Footer Layout" and choose the desired layout.

You have several different layouts to choose from. The dark gray blocks indicate column layouts where you will be able to add Blogger gadgets. If you select a different layout pattern, you can see the effect it has on column placement for gadgets.

For this guide, the three-hand column layout was selected. Make sure that you click "Apply to Blog" before moving to the next detail page.
Select "Adjust Width" and you can set the widths of the entire page, and the column width.

For this guide, we left the settings at the default as they originally appeared. Make sure that you click "Apply to Blog" before moving to the next detail page.
Select "Advanced" from the menu. You can use "Advanced" settings to change the various "look and feel" settings in the template. Select what you want to adjust and make the desired changes.

For this guide, all settings were left at the default settings for the template.
Now that you have finished, click on "View Blog" to preview your club blog.

You are now finished with Template Designer. Your next task is to replace the blog title and description with a banner graphic.

Lesson 6: Adjust the Blog Comment Settings

2011-11-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Successful websites must be dynamic, containing regularly changing news type content. One of the things that helps to engage website visitors is enabling the ability to leave comments.

A website is different from a blog ... content is more carefully controlled including allowing comments. Blogger comment settings allow you to customize the control features for the blog post comments.

Under the "Settings" tab, select "Comments".

For "Comments:, ensure that "Show" is selected, otherwise the comment feature will be totally disabled.

If you want to let the general public interact with your website, ensure that "Anyone" is selected for "Who can comment?".

Comment forms are normally embedded below the blog post, but select the option that best suits your website strategy.

Set "Comments Defaults for Posts" for "New Posts Have Comments". This will enable the comment form as soon as an blog post is published.
Scroll down and select to "Hide" backlinks. Allowing backlinks will enable links to appear that will lure your visitors away from your website.

You can choose to add a comment form message, such as a warning that you reserve the right to monitor, modify or remove inappropriate comments.
Scroll down and ensure that comment moderation is set to "Always" and specify an email address to be notified by all comments added by non-registered members. This will ensure that the content control remains a top priority.

Ensure that "Show word verification for comments?" is set to "Yes". This ensures that all comments require completion of a CAPTCHA form to prevent automated spamming bots from adding useless comments.
Ensure that you save the settings before moving to another page.

Lesson 5: Adjust the Blog Formatting Settings

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Format settings are concerned with how attributes of blog posts are formatted. There are a couple of changes that should be made to optimize the look of your Welcome page.

Under the "Settings" tab, select "Formatting".

Set the "Show at most" setting to between "3" and "5" posts. The more posts that are displayed, the longer your welcome page will become. You will need to strike a balance between look of the welcome page against ensuring that posts remain visible for a period of time that is long enough to allow most regular visitors to read blog posts.

Ensure that you set the "Time Zone" to the correct value.
Make any other formatting changes that you think are appropriate.
Ensure that you save the settings.

Lesson 4: Adjust the Blog Settings

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Letting internet search engines index your club blog / website while it is under construction is not a good practise for the following reasons:

Most index engines create a thumbnail sketch of the home page when it is first indexed. If your site is under construction, then the site thumbnail will not be appropriate.
Inappropriate information may be indexed which will distort the results whenever anyone usings a search engine to try and find you.

You now want to modify some basic settings to help control how your blog will be indexed by internet search engines.

Under the "Settings" tab, select "Basic" to enter the basic settings page.
Ensure that the "Title" and "Description" are accurate and the spelling is correct.
Scroll down and make changes to prevent internet search engines from finding the blog.

Ensure that both "Add your blog to our listings" and "Let search engines find your blog" are set to "No". You will reverse this setting when you are ready to make the website public to the internet.
Scroll down and make changes to quick editing and email post links.

Ensure that "Show quick editing on your blog" is set to no. This will prevent small editing tags from being visible to authors when they sign in to Blogger and view your blog. Ensure that "Show email post links" is set to yes. This will allow readers of blog posts to email a post to another person.
Scroll down and ensure that the "Adult Content" control is set to "No".

Any other changes on this page are optional.
Ensure that you click the "Save Settings" button before switching to another settings page.

Lesson 3: Lock Down Your Club Blog

2011-11-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

When a blog first gets created, it is assumed that the authors will immediately start to post content that they will want indexed by internet search engines. Since you are developing a club website, you will want to close the website from public internet access and ensure that it does not appear on internet search engines until it has been approved by your club executive.

In addition, you will want to specify a few users that will have admin, author and read permissions to the club blog / website while it is under construction.

Here are the steps to "lock down" your club blog:

In the club blog dashboard, select the "Settings" tab and the "Permissions" link.
In the "Permissions" page, for "Blog Readers" you want to change who can view the blog.

Select the "Only blog authors" option.

Click "Allow Authors Only". This effectively closes your club blog from public access. Only those approved authors who logon to Blogger can gain access to the blog.
The next step is to add additional authors. For "Blog Authors", invite one or more people to become blog authors.

After the individuals are invited, the list of authors will change to show individuals who have been invited.

Individuals who are invited will receive an email.

People must accept the invitation before they get listed as an author.

Once an individual accepts the invitation, they will be listed as an author.

Additional changes will be made to "Permissions" when you are ready to enable the site for review by selected club members.

Lesson 2: Create a Club Blog

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Now that you have a club Blogger account, you can create a club Blogger blog. Before you start, make sure that you have decided on a name for your club website/blog and the website link you would like to use. In this example, I will create a blog using the default free blogspot.com domain.

Here are the steps to create a club blog:

From your Blogger club account dashboard, click on "Create Your Blog Now".
In the "Name Your Blog" page, provide a name for your blog and the desired name for your website link, for example http://edmontondinneroptimists.blogspot.com.

Make sure that you click the "Check Availability" link and confirm that the blog address is available. Click the "Continue" arrow.
In the "Choose Template" page, you need to select a starter template. I usually select the "Simple" template. You can change the template and modify template settings later.
Your blog site is now created. Click the "Start Blogging" arrow to open your new blog dashboard.

Your admin account dashboard will appear and display the administration panels to manage your blog. Only the account that created the blog and accounts assigned admin rights can access all the options in the admin dashboard.

Your most important task after creating a club blog is to lock it down so that it is not visible on the internet and is not being indexed in the various search engines.

Lesson 1: Create a Club Blogger Account

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

The first step in creating a Club Blog in Blogger is to create a Blogger account. Remember that you want to create a generic club administrator account to ensure continuity between different individuals who may serve as the Club webmaster throughout the years.

To create a Blogger account:

In your web browser, go to http://www.blogger.com. This will open:
In the "Sign in" area, use your club Google Gmail account to sign in.
Complete the registration information and click the "Continue" arrow.
This will create your Blogger account and open your Blogger dashboard.
Your next task before creating a blog, is to create a profile for your club account. The purpose of this is to provide some basic information to readers of the blog. Click the "Edit Profile" link.
In the "Edit Profile" page, add the absolute minimum information for your club account. In this case I provided basic identification information.

Scroll to the bottom of this page adding additional information that you deem necessary and choose to save the profile when you are done.

Module 2: Create a Club Blog

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Blogger offers an online means to create a dynamic website using their hosted service. The first requirement is to create a working blog, which we will later be transform into a website.

To create a blog, you need to:

Lesson 1: Create a club Blogger account,
Lesson 2: Create a club blog that will be extended into your club website.
Lesson 3: Lock down your club blog so that it can be developed without being visible to the internet.
Lesson 4: Adjust your club blog settings.
Lesson 5: Adjust your club blog format settings.
Lesson 6: Adjust your club blog comment settings.
Lesson 7: Use the 'Template Designer' to build the look and feel of your website.
Lesson 8: Add a banner graphic at the top of your blog.
Lesson 9: Remove unnecessary Blogger gadgets that are automatically included in every new blog.
Lesson 10: Log out of the club Blogger account.

Lesson 8: Create a Club Account

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Most of the online services that are used throughout this guide either use a Google account, or require you to register an email address. These should not be personal accounts, rather they should be registered to the club or organization. That way, the accounts can be easily passed on to the next individual who takes over as the site webmaster.

Blogger uses Google to host accounts, which makes sense since Blogger is owned by Google. You need to create a Club Account that will act as the administrator level account for your Club's Blog/Website.

Since most online services require an email address in their registration process, it makes the most sense to create a Google Gmail account:

In a web browser, go to http://www.gmail.com.
Under the login block, click the "Create an account >>" button.
In the "Get started with Gmail" window, enter the appropriate information for a club account. Ensure that you click the "check availability" button to ensure that the desired email address is available.

Write the password down and safeguard it, and continue with the next step.
Set your email recovery options. This is handy as it will allow you to recover or change the password in the event that you forget or lose the current one. Once completed, continue to the next step.
Type in the CAPTCHA word, read the terms of service, and click "I accept. Create my account."
At the congratulations window, click "Show me my account".

Believe it or not ... you still have more work to do.
This is what your GMail account will initially look like. There are some setting changes that need to be made to ensure that this account is as secure as possible.
In the footer, click the "turn off chat" and "turn off buzz" links. Both of those features advertise the existence of the account and can expose the contacts list to people unnecessarily.
In the left column, change the account status to "Invisible".
In the header, click on "Settings".
In the Settings header, select "Buzz".

Scroll down to the bottom.

Select "Do not show Google Buzz in Gmail" and click "Disable Google buzz" (recommended). This will remove Google Buzz from the Gmail account.

You are now done for the moment. There are other changes that can be applied to support specific features at a later time. We will discuss those when necessary.

Lesson 7.5: Create .ZIP Files

2011-11-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Why create a ZIP file. Besides making a single file smaller so that is will take less storage space and will download faster, a ZIP file can also serve as an archive file. Let's say that there is a collection of files that you want to make available is a single download. You can use a compression utility.

7-Zip is a free compression utility that can archive collection of files into a single ZIP file:

Place the desired files for the collection into a folder.
Right-click the folder and choose 7-Zip. You can choose several different methods to create a ZIP archive.

Add to archive ... - will provide you the choice of the type of archive file to create and where to save it.
Add to "<foldername>.zip" - will save the .zip file at the same location as the folder or file being compressed.

You can also use 7-Zip to extract a ZIP archive file. Right-click the ZIP file and choose the desired options to open or extract the contents.

Lesson 7.4: Create .PDF Files

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

There will be times that someone will want to make a document or spreadsheet downloadable in a preformatted non-changeable format. Creating a PDF version of the file offers that.

There are several PDF generating utilities that are available. One that comes highly recommended is PDFCreator. This utility is installed as a printer so you create a PDF copy of a file by printing it. This gives the use the option to apply printing options in addition to PDFCreator options.

Here is an example of creating a PDF copy of the Website planning document:

With the document opened in the native program that was used to produce it, choose to print the document.
In the print window, select "PDFCreator". Make any desired changes to print options by clicking the "Options ..." button.

Click "OK" to continue.
In the "Document" window, record the applicable information. You should make an effort to specify the author, subject and keywords. That information is then available to anyone who mouses over the PDF file at a later date. In addition, that same information is included in any internet search engine indexes that discovered the PDF file.

To modify the PDF options, click on the "Options" button.
In the "Options" window, modify the settings to apply to the PDF file as it is created.

Click on the file format, "PDF" in this example. Then work through the detail pages on the right. Under the "General" tab, pay attention to the resolution. The default should be 300 dpi. If the text characters and images appear to be of poor quality and the document only has a few pages, you can increase "Resolution" to 600 dpi.

Under "Compression", selecting "Compress" for color images will try to apply reasonable amount of compression to graphic images in the document. JPG files suffer from quality loss as you apply compression, so if images appear to be of low quality, then uncheck this option.

Under the "Security" tab, specific options can be enabled, encryption, passwords, disallowing the user to print the file, copy text and images or modify the document or comments.
Also check the options for JPEG files.

Ensure that the minimum Resolution is set to 300 dpi and quality is set to 100%.
When all options have been configured, click the "Save" button. That will create the PDF file which will usually attempt to open the document in a PDF Reader.

Lesson 7.3: Prepare Content .TXT Files

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

As part of the preparation of content, I recommend that you prepare TXT files for the textual content for all pages and at least three blog posts. That will provide sufficient content to demonstrate menus and category lists.

Why is preparing TXT files so important? Well, blogger uses it's own styles to format text that is typed or pasted into the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor. If you copy content from a Word .DOC file, or a Wordpad or OpenOffice .RTF file, the hidden formatting codes are also copied to the WYSIWYG editor. What results is unpredictable look and feel in the blog post or page. Paragraphs could end up right margin aligned, extra blank lines and spaces could be inserted, unknown characters could mysteriously appear in the middle of the text.

The safest method to prepare text content is to type it in an ASCII text editor like Windows Notepad or the free application Notepad++. I recommend Notepad++ because is offers tabbed workspaces, each which can be saved to a unique name.

Just like tabbed web browsers, you can drag and drop a .TXT file into the Notepad++ workspace and it will open the document in a new tabbed workspace. Tabbed workspaces also makes it easier to copy or move text from one tab workspace to another and supports working on multiple documents concurrently.

Oh ... did I mention that Notepad++ is free?

When you paste content from a TXT file, Blogger's WYSIWYG editor is so smart that it will properly interpret the blank lines between paragraphs.

You still have the freedom to use the editor's toolbar to format the text, add links to external files or web pages, add graphics, add bulleted or numbered lists, etc. Thw Blogger WYSIWYG toolbar functions in the same manner as toolbars found in Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org, and Wordpad.

Lesson 7.2: Tips on Writing Effective Articles

2011-11-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some basic tips on writing effective blog posts (aka news articles):

Know Your Audience - write for your audience keeping in mind the goals of your website.
Always Save as a Draft - always save your blog posts as a draft and move onto to something else. Come back a couple of hours later (or the next day is even better) and read what you wrote. A little time and distance often brings out that 'what the heck was I thinking', or 'why did I write it that way'.
Spell check your work - enough said!
Focus on the First Paragraph - really focus on the wording of the first paragraph. The reason for this is two-fold:

Anyone who is reading the article will make a decision within the first 25-30 words if they will continue. The first paragraph needs something compelling enough to keep them reading.
Internet search engines will focus their searches on the first 50 - 100 words. That means that key words that people would normally use in Google or Bing or Yahoo to search for an item of interest, must be in the first 25-30 words of the article. In addition, when a person is looking the the search results, the first 10-20 words often appear as part of that search result.

Keep it short - Most news type articles should be limited to 100 - 400 words (about 4 to 6 paragraphs). If you go longer than that, make the story really compelling.
Use Photographs - a minimum of one photograph are piece of artwork which should be placed at the top. For longer articles (exceeding 4 paragraphs) add some additional pictures ... about one picture every third or fourth paragraph.
Use Headings - within the article, make use of headings to break up a longer article.
Announcements versus News - announcements should use a different visual format than normal news articles. Announcements must focus on the who, what, where, and when.
When in Doubt - go grab a free daily or weekly newspaper in your community and read it. Ask yourself which article and announcements grabbed your attention and how the writer managed to do that. Write those tricks down and use them in your writing.
Enable Comments - your readers will often provide invaluable insight to help improve your writing. Always ensure that you answer comments that contain a question and thank visitors for participating.

Lesson 7.1: Free Tools

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

Here are some of the basic tools that are highly recommended. These tools can be used to prepare and save files in formats that are web friendly like GIF, JPG, PDF, and WMV.

Notepad++ is a free text editor that can be used to prepare text free of invisible formatting codes that are added by word processing programs like Microsoft Word. Download Notepad++.
Microsoft Paint is a free graphics utility included with the Windows operating system. This utility can be used as a canvas to create an image that uses multiple imported images from other sources. You can use FSCapture to create a single image graphic visible on the Microsoft Paint canvas.
Windows Movie Maker is a free program from Microsoft that is included with Windows XP or can be downloaded as part of 'Windows Live' for Windows Vista or Windows 7. Use Movie Maker to create simple videos that can include still photos, audio and music, and actual video. You can add text and create a lively WMV file that can be uploaded to YouTube.
OpenOffice.org is a free 'Office Suite' that includes a word processor, a spreadsheet, a slideshow, a database, and other features. Very handy if you do not have a copy of Microsoft Office. Download OpenOffice.org.
7Zip is a free file archiving utility that can be used to create ZIP files which can then be uploaded to your website. When you have larger files or a collection of files to provide, it is best to archive them into a single ZIP file and make them available for download. Download 7Zip.
FSCapture is a free screen capture utility that can be used to create graphic files. It is a great utility to crop existing photo graph files to produce a new photo file. Download FSCapture Note - this link is for the last freeware version of FSCapture.
PhotoFiltre is a free graphics utility with some advanced tools that can be used to brighten or darken an image, blur an image, and apply layers and filters to an image. Download PhotoFiltre.
PDFCreator is a free utility that is used to convert other 'document' files to PDF format. PDFCreator installs as a printer, so you create PDF documents by printing to them. Download PDFCreator.

All logo artwork, trademarks, and brand names are the property of their respective owners.

Lesson 7: Prepare the Content

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

Before you head down the path of creating and building the structure for your club blog / website, you should gather a minimum of content and supporting graphics and material.

What will you need?

A rough diagram of the look of your site ... draw it free hand on some paper and write appropriate notes.
The banner graphic for the top header space of your site.
The text for at least three articles, and at least one picture or photo file for each article.. These can be articles dated before, on or after the date that the website becomes public.
The text, artwork and photographs for each static page that will be added to the website.
Electronic copies of club collateral ... newsletters or bulletins, brochures, flyers, forms, etc.
Bundle material into downloadable ZIP files if that makes sense ... like a collection of club newsletters for each Optimist year.
Copies of resource material that will be valuable to club members.
Artwork and photographs ... lots of them from the recent past.
Links to other websites and online resources that you will want to include.

Sub-Lessons

This Lesson includes 7 sub-lessons:

Lesson 7.1: Free software tools for creating and working with text files, graphics, PDF, and archive files.
Lesson 7.2: Tips on writing effective blog posts.
Lesson 7.3: How to prepare TXT files.
Lesson 7.4: How to prepare PDF files.
Lesson 7.5: How to create ZIP files.
Lesson 7.6: How to create a banner graphic.
Lesson 7.7: Some tips for creating graphics.

Lesson 6: Work the Plan

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

Once the plan has been prepared, there are five main tasks:

Gather content - team members will gather the required content and deliver it to the website designer.
Prepare the content - this includes creating PDF files for download content, prepare graphic files, video, slideshows, and write the content for each page and article.
Build the website - the web designer will build the website using the CMS.
Upload the content - this includes the creation on pages and articles using the text content previously prepared, and uploading the supplementary files for the site such as PDF files, graphics, video, and slideshows.
Release the site - this includes the review by the website committee, training the club webmaster, making necessary revisions, approval from the club executive, and releasing the website to the public internet.

The Plan

There are a multitude of specific tasks that need to be completed, usually in a specific order to guarantee the successful completion and delivery of the website by the defined completion date.

For the website in this guide, we prepared a checklist that identified:

the services to open accounts in
the pages to create
the strategy to add content, provide for review by committee members, and approval by the club executive
the strategy to provide training
the date to handover the site to the club and release it to the internet

Lesson 5: Plan the Work

2011-10-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

Planning Team

Building a targeted, mission oriented website cannot be left to the web designer exclusively. Since the site will serve many individuals, it should draw ideas and content from multiple club members. A club planning team called the "website committee" should be chartered to make decisions about the mission of the site and to gather content for the web designer.

Design Goal

A club website that can be easily maintained should meet the following criteria:

the site should have a pleasing aesthetic look to it.
the site should be easy to navigate and provide easy to understand means to find information such as menus, categories, and a site search system.
the site must be easy for club members with no website design experience to maintain.
the site must be easy for club members to contribute content.
the site must make use of social media to increase the chance of it being visited.

Preparing the Plan

The club website planning committee should prepare a written plan that:

Identifies the team members.
Defines the purpose of the website and goal of the project.
Defines the target audience that will visit and use the website.
Discusses the CMS to use, the domain name to register, and the projected completion date.
Lists the pages to include in the website

Lesson 4: Three Reasons People Visit

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

As your team discusses what your club's website goals should be and what content to include, ask yourself ... why will people visit and navigate through our site?

Visitors are usually drawn to a website for the following reasons:

They find it during a search - They use a link found during on a search with a popular web search engine like Google, Yahoo or Bing. That means that you have to get listed on one of the top two or three pages of a typical search.
They are referred to it - Visitors use a link provided by a friend during an email or chat session, or a link found on another website.
They get it from other media - They use a link that was included in print ... a club brochure, a newspaper article, a flyer, a fundraising ticket, etc.

3 Reasons Visitors Stay Past the First 10 Seconds

Getting someone to visit your club website is one thing ... getting to stay and return is the other major goal. Once a person reaches a website, what are they three reasons that they stay and return:

They find something interesting and usually different ... that means that if you want the visitor to become a regular user of the site, you need to provide regularly changing content. A news based blog with regular human interest stories and informative how-to articles will keep people returning.
They find an authoritative source of information ... the content you provide can be relied on to be relevant, accurate and concise.
They find a valuable online resource for something they need to do ... this can include downloadable files, forms, links to other online resources and websites, brochures, and how-to articles and step-by-step guides.

The key is

    ... make it interesting

            ... make it relevant and useful

                    ... make it memorable.

Lesson 3: Content is King

2011-10-25T08:00:00.002-06:00

'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.

Your site must be visually appealing. If the home page is too busy with too many graphics, the visitor may leave because your approach is too fragmented to retain the reader's attention.
Your site must be professional looking. If your site is a tool to help fundraising, your site must project a high degree of trust and confidence. Take a look at other club and organization websites in the not-for-profit space that are trying to meet the same goals as yourself. In your mind's eye ...what works and what doesn't?
What a visitor first sees must keep them engaged. If you can keep them for more than 10 seconds, chances are that they will navigate your site until they find what they are looking for ... and you will have met your goal.

The 3-Click Rule

The general guideline that I like to recommend is that each piece of content is no more than three clicks away from the home page. That means careful consideration must be given to navigation, menus, categorizing information, and organization. Does it make sense and does it look like it makes sense?

When Leaving Your Site ... Don't Close the Door

Even links in your site must be carefully thought out. You do not want to create a link that moves the visitor away to another site unless you force them into a new browser window.

Lesson 2: Why Choose Blogger

2011-10-23T08:00:00.001-06:00

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.
There are a couple of limitations with most CMS solutions:

Some cost a lot of money to purchase, or require signing an annual hosting contract with a website hosting provider company.

Some are rather complicated and require an extensive understanding of HTML code and possibly other scripting languages, like javascript, PHP, ASP.NET, and .Net Framework.
Some force the use of the built-in modules instead of allowing the use of preferred 3rd party hosted services.

Is Blogger Now a CMS?

Blogger started as a hosted web log service many years ago. Until recently it required a fair amount of expertise to use Blogger as a platform to host a website. 2010 has turned into a hallmark year for Blogger because they have introduced two important features that transformed it into a more robust CMS:

In early 2010, Blogger added the ability to create static pages and added a dynamic menu gadget. Now bloggers have the ability to easily create static pages and automatically modify a menu, thus transforming a basic blog into a basic website without knowing HTML code or scripting languages.

In June 2010, Blogger introduced "Template Designer" which is a template selection and modification console. Now users can select a pleasant template and apply style changes without knowing HTML code or scripting languages.

Why Choose Blogger?

Here are the reasons why I recommend Blogger as a website hosting solution for service clubs and small non-profit organizations:

Blogger is free. You can host a website / blog for no cost. The only cost you will encounter is the annual domain name registration fee which is approximately $10 US per year.
Blogger uses a simple blog creation wizard. In three steps, you can create a functioning blog.
Blogger has a secure yet simple user management system to control access. You define one or more admin accounts, as many author accounts as needed and either closed-access reader accounts, or you open the website to the public. This provides strong control over the content, and permits you the opportunity to initially build the website / blog and have it reviewed and approved by your club executive before making it publicly available.
Blogger has a robust template/theme management system called "Template Designer". You still have the option to use 3rd party XML or classic type templates if "Template Designer" cannot produce the desired look-and-feel.
Blogger has an administrative panel that permits admin accounts to change the layout, add and remove page elements, create and manage pages and blog posts, and adjust website / blog settings.
Blogger employs 'gadgets' which are blocks that can be added to the header, navigation columns, and footer. There is a large community of developers that provide hundreds of 'gadgets' blocks. Gadgets provide functionality like menus, linked lists, Google calendars, RSS feeds, and dynamic portlets into other hosted services like Facebook and Twitter.
Blogger utilizes an easy-to-use editor to author blog posts and pages. The editor offers a WYSIWYG view and an HTML view. Blogger permits the embedding of html embed code and javascript, so authors can add code for 3rd party services like Google calendars, Picasa web albums, YouTube videos, Box.net file access widgets, contact forms, and Slideshow presentations.
The average internet user can build a dynamic website in less than five working days with Blogger.

Lesson 1: Why Build a Website

2011-10-21T08:00:00.002-06:00

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.
Community Based ... Community Focused: Most parent organizations also have a web presence ... the challenge is that my neighbour is more likely to learn about what our local club provides in our local community from a community focused website.
Current Information Source for Members: In this age of rapid information transfer, a club website can accomplish that faster than physical mail and club bulletins at a much lower cost. A combination of a website and club email notices will usually get the information to members before it becomes dated.
Online Resources for Members: A club website can offer a valuable bank of online resources like club bulletins, brochures, public notices, forms, and letterhead (the list goes on and on).
Lowest Cost for Broadest Reach: A club website is the most cost effective venue to advertise club activities and keep that information always available. Print media may have a wider, more-instant reach, but it is usually expensive to utilize and it's value diminishes rapidly ... ask yourself how long you retain your local newspaper. And now that viral social media like Facebook and Twitter are available, it is possible to out-reach printed media.
Helps us Compete: Websites offer a 24/7 information source ... a well designed and composed website helps clubs 'compete' for the shrinking pool of volunteers and funds to support our club projects and activities.

I urge you to not fall into a trap ... that belief that a website can replace other forms of information distribution. A service club should not put all their public-facing presence in a website at the expense of other, more traditional media.

The volunteers that we seek and the funds that we want to raise will not be available exclusively through the internet.

It be-hooves us to use the media that has the best possible chance of success to reach our desired target market. We need to make diversified use of all available information media that our clubs can reasonably afford and gain access to. A club website should be considered an important information tool along with the use of word of mouth, print media, radio, and television.

Lesson Challenge:

Sit down with a few club members who would be interested in building a club website and brainstorm out the reasons and benefits for creating a club website. So what different ideas and benefits did you come up with?

Using Facebook Ads - Insider Tips from George

2011-10-20T09:01:00.000-06:00

I've found Facebook Ads to be very cost effective way of reaching youth people. Facebook makes most of their money through the targeted ads on the right hand side of the Facebook pages. They either get paid for "Impressions" or for "Clicking through". Most are for Clicking Through, which means someone on Facebook actually clicks on the ad and takes them to that advertisers page. Facebook doesn't make money, unless the advertiser is driving traffic to them. So Facebook, really helps you drive traffic to your website or Facebook event, or page. They target Facebook users which will most likely want your product, or event.

My example, from Paintball Paradise (my business), was a trade show event. I was able to target young people, within 50 miles of Prince Albert, that liked Paintball, or mentioned Paintball in their Facebook pages, or Walls. I could take male or females, and various age categories. If I wasn't getting a great response I could increase the target audience, in various ways. I also capped my Budget for click per day, so once the budget was met, the ads stopped running. Creating the Ad was short and easy to do (you need a good picture, and short bit of text).

This is a great link that helps explain, how and why to use Facebook Ads. The links below is for businesses, but the information applies to Optimist Clubs as well.
http://www.facebook.com/business/ads/

The above links goes through 5 Steps to a successful Facebook Ad campaign.

Here's some quick thoughts from my perspective.

Step 1: Identify Your Goals
Do you want to build your fan base, drive sales (attendees to events or sell tickets and such), or just build awareness of your Club, and the good it does in your community? Maybe sign up new members?

Step 2: Target the Right People
This is the extremely powerful tool. You can choose: an area (within 50 miles), or just a city or town, languages, age, gender, Likes and Interests (like what I did for Paintball, but it could be for Oratorical, Essay, poetry, hearing impairments, Police, Law & Order, Junior Golf, sport teams, and such), Relationship Status (singles dances), scouting, guides). Play around and see how many fit into your category, before ever launching the campaign.

Step 3: Design an Engaging Ad
Make sure you mention your own local city or town name, otherwise facebookers might not check it out because they figure it's in Toronto or somewhere else. Call to action, tell them what they need to do. Click here and sign up.

Step 4: Manage Your Budget
CPC vs CPM : Determine if you want to pay on a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) basis. I prefer CPC, but it depends on what you need, and what works. Set your daily budget, and bid price per CPC or CPM. If you bid too low, Facebook doesn't run your ads, until everybody with a higher bids runs out of daily budget. I did this, and nobody clicked through (too low), so I upped the bid the next day, and started to get clicks. Minimum budget is $5 per day. Bid prices vary between $.05-$2 per click, but they will give you an example of a good range.

Step 5: Review and Improve
The reports are great, so check them out. They will tell you who is clicking through, every deomographic. Very easy to use, and maybe you will need to modify your campaign. Change it up and experiment. Let us know, how you do.

Facebook has many free resources to help you design better ads, because if you aren't successful, they are not successful either. They want you to succeed.

Sponsored Stories
There are also things called Facebook "Sponsored Stories". I have not tried these but they could work too for your club. This is a link to Facebooks Sponsored Stories.
http://www.facebook.com/business/sponsoredstories

Experiment, play around, see what works and what doesn't. Let everybody know, share that information. This will help our clubs grow and do bigger and better projects in our communities.