A can of worms?

[Snoop Doug]

So - I think we need a few enthusiasts to sit down and sketch out a plan over a beer or three?? Stick the plan on here for people to have their say. Then - we need some peeps with onliney experience and a bit of time ( ) plus a handful of guys n gals willing to contribute. Share the workload.

Sounds do-able, and it doesn't entail standing on/near a roundabout at stupid o clock....

Provisionally.....24th July 8pm in the half n half...? I'll know for sure on the date by Friday

Snoop

[Keith]

Can opener at the ready. Right here goes.

4 basic points about what I think a possible website update could include: (I appreciate these are just my opinions.)

• 
  The absolute split between website and forum shouldn't exist. The website should be a framework that is dynamically updated by what us members submit, making it constantly up-to-date. Effectively the website is dynamically updated by Forum (or similar) posts. The outside world then gets sight of just how active the club is.


• 
  The website homepage should be almost entirely directed towards the prospective member or casual observer. This part of the site is largely "static". e.g. who we are, how to join, FAQ, etc. Key news and events could also be shown. A single click would then take everyone to more specific stuff like Next Club Run, Off-Road, Racing, Time-Trialling, Sportives, etc. (Us old hands can always have our bookmarks set to something more specific e.g. "www.addiscombe.org.uk/racing".)


• 
  The website dynamic content should be based around a calendar. Most things cycling related can be associated to a specific event (a TT, a race, a club run, a sportive, an evening out, etc). Associated with each event there's the event details (location, map, etc), pre-event organisation & chat, who's going to take part, the results, the photos, the post-event analysis & chat, etc. Non calendar event related stuff shouldn't be forgotten about, though.


• 
  Finally, unless we've a web designer on the membership with plenty of time, we should pay someone to design a website framework for us to use.

At the other extreme, we could just have a website that only has a couple of pages, which simply direct people to relevant parts of the Forum.

[sonic909]

Another thing that needs to be sorted is when people put a link on the forum, the way its currently coded means traffic is dircted away from the ACC forum because the link opens in the window, it should open in another window, leaving the ACC still up.

[Andrew G]

I think care could be needed IF a forum link is included and how it is done to avoid an avalanche of spam. The Forum went through a phase a while ago with spam getting in and lots of pictures of "certain things/pictures" having to be deleted regularly.

[sonic909]

No, you misunderstand me...

if i said look at this cool site; http://www.google.com it automatically goes blue and becomes a hyperlink.

If you click it it opens in this browser over the ACC, so to navigate back to the ACC you would have to reenter the address or press back repeatedly, this is bad as it directs forum users/browsers, new, old, registered/unregistered.

On other forums it opens a new window, so you can browse, surf and then close it or keep it for later and return to the ACC.

[Snoop Doug]

Sean I use IE and it is a tad irritating to have to right click a link and ask it to open in a new window...at least that's how I get round the problem...

Snoop

[Alex P]

I do think that the web page was one of the key factors in the revival of the club eight years or so ago but I do think that we need to modernise. Always the problem will be maintenance, somebody to do it and the time to do it.

Perhaps we should spend the effort on a great home page (only) with all the information on how to contact us and perhaps crash the 'digest' into it and leave it at that. This will require the minimum amount of effort maintaining it, give potential members the access and we keep the forum as the main communication tool for active members.

Regarding the debate on whether we should post details of the forum, I can see pros and cons with me leaning towards not to advertise it on the website but it is easy to find by a google search on 'Addiscombe forum'

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Snoop,
Far be it for me to whinge, particularly as I'm not nearly as geeky as some out there,

But I wouldn't be able to make July 24th as I am racing the SL handicap.

whinge mode off.

Guru p

[huw williams]

[quote="Alex P"]I do think that the web page was one of the key factors in the revival of the club eight years or so ago but I do think that we need to modernise. Always the problem will be maintenance, somebody to do it and the time to do it. Perhaps we should spend the effort on a great home page (only) with all the information on how to contact us and perhaps crash the 'digest' into it and leave it at that. This will require the minimum amount of effort maintaining it, give potential members the access and we keep the forum as the main communication tool for active members.

[Marky Mark]

First things first........
I only found out about the ACC from searching on the interweby thingmajig, please don't think i'm knocking it too much as I couldn't do any better. The site seemed a bit amateur and put together at home, I remember just getting a frozen warped picture of a club member god only knows , it didn't put me off because it looked like someone had a great sense of humour. Which the club does have in real life.

[img]http://www.cheapwebdesignmelbourne.com/screen.jpg[/img]

I wouldn't know where to start making it better, but from what I've read on this thread there are people who do.

Second things second........

Who the hell is Nick and his feedback?
I'd love to see it better, we might have to pick a new station with a bigger car park and split the munching time up down at the Cafffff.

Third things third........

I think you all seem to have some stonking ideas, good luck in the Web design. If it turns out as good as the club itself it will double in size and dominate the world of cycling (evil chuckle smiley, like Vincent Price in Thriller)

[img]http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper851/stills/3cb2ff7b95a03-46-1.jpg[/img]

Forth things Forth..........

Just get on with it

Marky Mark

[MJ_1993]

right well.

its needs a facelift at the very least.

and can we have a cool logo like american football, super 14, rugby, 20/20. something that strikes fear into the heart of other racers, and lets them know that we are the legends of the road.

just a thought.

oh, and procurement law is weird and a headache!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

[quote="Mo Jaffer"].

oh, and procurement law is weird and a headache!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MJ_1993]

yeah. procurement law is alright as long as you are prepared to read through a few "brick books", that would make the Bible, Qur'an and Torah look miniscule.

i was up till 1am finishing reading.

LAST DAY TODAY NOOOO!