Website makeover

Goals for WCT

• user-friendly
• contemporary web conventions
• more photos
• easier to modify and update

Pros of draft site

• simple, widely-used platform
• easier to maintain
• more contemporary web style
• hardware independent (desktop, laptop, tablet, phone)
• saves WCT several hundred dollars per year ($100/y with WordPress upgrade v $500/y web hosting + $200 for Adobe Contribute)
• new features
  • search
  • upcoming events
  • blog
  • past events through blog tag
  • expanded “what you can do”
  • use of blog for automatically generated content
  • stats on use
  • password protected Trustee document section if needed

  Cons

  • new design, less familiar
  • possible loss of some key feature?

  New publications workflow model

  The new website can support an updated publications workflow model. The general idea is to reduce the clerical workload, while getting information out quickly and easily. It would include the familiar tools, such as press releases and newsletters in unchanged form.

  The figure shows a suggested flow. The general idea is that items in red are tasks that should be the same or easier than they are currently.

  Items in green are to be done by the webmaster, basically incorporating content in to the website. Items in black are automatic, and could reduce the overall clerical load.

  Suggestions and questions are welcome!

  

   

  Status, to do

  • the content from the current site has been migrated to this draft site
  • much new content, including hundreds of photos, has been added
  • currently hidden from search engines
  • redirect domain name (coordinate with C4)
  • bring on line a couple of others who can make small edits such as updating future events on the home page
  • WordPress upgrade (currently using the free version): $100/year to remove ads, expand storage, etc.
  • request domain name through WordPress
  • all of the above should happen by September 1
  • http://www.wellfleetconservationtrust.org/ now redirects to the new site
  • now indexed by search engines
  • the address bar will be corrected later (actual nameserver change)
  • need to integrate newsletters better (see flowchart above); discuss with Mary Rogers and Lisa Benson
  • trail activity sheets from Open Space Committee

  Questions

  • have we lost any key features or style of the old/current design?
  • consider other WordPress “themes”?
  • “like” and “share” buttons?
  • site index: what to include?
  • Trustee Handbook; other docs?
  • any Private documents?
  • other handy widgets
  • inviting subscribers