Building A Web Site Committee.

Daniel J. Wright

Wagion Lodge #6

Saturday, June 4th, 2005.

Camp Bucoco

Section NE-4B Conclave

http://www.wagion.org

Introduction.

Things I will cover.

How to be an adviser in a new web site committee.

How to get started in building your web site.

How to manage web site content.

How to keep things going.

Things I will not cover.

How to make a web page.

How the web works.

How to make your site fancy.

Why Have A Lodge Web Site?

A fast way to get important information out.

Another way to provide recognition.

Adds credibility to your lodge.

Encourages participation.

Provides leadership opportunities.

Choosing The Right Adviser.

What makes a good adviser?

Experience managing a publication of some sort.

Experience advising lodge committees.

Strong Internet skills.

Choosing The Right Chairman.

What makes a good chairman?

Reliable

Enthusiastic

Strong leader

(No different from any other committee)

Good, but not necessary:

Artistic skills

Experience with building web pages.

Internet access.

Don't Get Too Ambitious.

You may already have many ideas for your site.

But first, take the time to consult some resources:

Your lodge staff advisor and council web site chairman.

Your web site host.

National OA website:

http://www.oa-bsa.org

BSA resources for webmasters:

http://www.scouting.org/webmasters/

Your chairman.

Youth Protection.

There are a lot of dangerous people that use the Internet.

Your web site can not do everything that you can do in a newsletter.

Be careful when starting new things.

Make sure people understand what you are doing.

Set up a lodge publication consent form.

Build A Road Map.

Make a road map.

Examples

Get a committee description in the lodge manual.

Have an article on the site two weeks after every event.

Win the NOAC web site competition.

“Let your chairman drive the car”

(While you watch the map)

Keep your chairman focused on the task at hand.

Building Your Site.

Remember what is important:

Priority #1: Keep the site up to date.

Making it pretty comes later.

Develop a style for your site.

There are many tools that can help you with this.

Be aware of the different types of content.

Managing Content.

Historical Content

Old information.

Significant to the history of the lodge.

Phrased in the past tense.

Examples: Old newsletters, meeting minutes.

Static Content

Information that seldom changes from year to year.

Examples: Lodge manual, downloadable forms.

Managing Content.

Directory Content

“Names and e-mail” pages.

Provide means to get more information.

Examples: Committee directory, “about this site” pages.

News Content

Current events of the lodge.

Information has a short life-span and is then removed.

Examples: Upcoming events, lodge news, home page.

Managing Content.

Each kind of content should be kept separate.

You want people to know where to find the kind of information they are looking for.

You do not want people to confuse different kinds of information.

Mixing types makes your job harder.

Building Your Team.

The more active members you have, the less you have to do!

Build a reporting network.

Work with officers and advisers.

Work with your council office.

Be Necessary To The Lodge.

You need to become an integral part of the lodge.

Put your URL on your lodge letterhead.

Advertise the lodge website in every newsletter.

Take advantage of every opportunity to promote your site.

In time, your lodge executive committee will learn to use the lodge website to accomplish their mission.

Keep Your Chairman Motivated.

Youth in the OA have so many priorities that come before the OA.

Keep this job fun, and your chairman will keep it up.

Keep an eye on the big plan.

Maybe it's time to dig out that map you made?

If things are going wrong, maybe it is time to change the plan?

Leave Your Legacy.

Be on the lookout for the next chairman and adviser.

Don't build a site that only one person can maintain.

Document everything you do.

“There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on.” --Robert Bryne

We don't always get to do everything we want. The best thing we can do is make sure the people that come after us can keep going where we left off.

Questions?

Thank you for your time.

Dan Wright

2005-06-01T22:57:04