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 Previous: Codeless Amateur Radio Testing Regime Appears Set to Begin February 23 |  Next: ARRL Announces Headquarters Reorganization |
By Mark Persons, W0MH
w0mh@arrl.net
January 22, 2007
While many hams and Amateur Radio clubs have a presence on the Web, there are several facets of Web page building that can make or break a site. The author fine-tunes an earlier article on club Web sites as more and more clubs are making the trek into cyberspace.
The Plano (Texas) Amateur Radio Klub's Web site. |
The Web site of the Hall of Science (Queens, New York City) Amateur Radio Club. |
The Anchorage (Alaska) Amateur Radio Club's Web site. |
The High Desert Amateur Radio Club is in New Mexico. |
The Puerto Rico Amateur Radio League's Web site is in Spanish. |
As mentioned in my 2003 ARRL WebExtra article on writing ham club Web sites, I believe that a good Web site for an Amateur Radio club is important for creating interest and enthusiasm in a club and the hobby. The one I write can be found at brainerdham.org. This site has had 9 years of refinement. It is not the best site out there, but it has some key concepts that you are welcome use on your club site. Many ideas were tried and discarded as worthless because they did not help the Web visitor in his or her quest to learn. My strong feeling is that Web sites should be "information rich," rather than a "show off" for the writer. To that end, I offer these suggestions:
Keep It Simple
Don't complicate a site with animations. Don't do a flash intro screen. Don't put in a link that winds up with an "Under Construction" sign. Start small -- add a page at a time to build up a complete picture of what is going on in the organization. I add a page or two a month, and revise outdated pages, keeping up with changes in club leadership and activities.
Have a Theme
Create a standard page with a masthead that has your club name, logo and the ARRL logo if you are an affiliated club. Use that page as a template for all subsequent pages. Post a biography and photo of every club officer so that your Web visitors can gain a better and closer understanding of those running the organization.
You don't want to frustrate or turn away a Web surfer at your site. Give that person information with some graphics and colors that are not gaudy or childish. I find it best to put some text with every picture published; this helps the viewer understand the subject.
Photos and stories of club meetings can be easily published in a timely manner on the site. What? You are too busy? Well, I'm a working guy and still find the time to do Web writing for the local club. In some ways, I do it to show the fun we had to those who ignored a meeting.
Speaking of Pictures...
Posed photos, as corny as they often seem, are better than most candid photos. Avoid showing the backsides of people, as it is not very complimentary. Try to help tell a story with a facial expression or hand gesture. Yes, I know you are probably not a commercial photographer, but try to compose your photos so that your Web visitors get a good feeling about your club.
Events Calendar
Every club should publish a calendar so members and visitors can plan their time wisely. A notice that says the club meets the last Thursday of the month is not adequate. In my case, I publish a calendar that is 11 months long. No, it is not the traditional wall calendar where 80 percent of the space is unused, since no club activities are being conducted on most days.
Instead, it is a table divided by date showing day of the week, time of day and a short description of each event. Often there is a link to find out more about each item. Surprisingly, it is not difficult to keep a site and calendar current. It just takes a few minutes to an hour on a regular basis.
Screen Resolution
You may have a 1600 × 900 pixel screen on your computer, but that is not reality for most Web surfers. The standard screen size is 600 × 800 pixels, and you need to write to it with no more than 760 pixels of width to avoid horizontal scroll bars on most viewer screens. Yes, 600 × 800 is getting less popular, and we will move away from it one of these days, but we are not there yet. So get used to it for a while. You will do well to write tables that have a width of 100 percent so it will fill the screen of the end-user.
Key Identifiers
When you do the index page of your club Web site, be sure to list the city, state and country. Amazingly, many sites are for a uniquely named club and there is no way of telling where they are. As for a domain name, a good approach is to use the name of your town followed by ham. In the case at Brainerd, the address is brainerdham.org. It is easy for you to tell people what the Web address is when you have a name like that.
Fast Loading Pages
Even if you have high-speed Internet connectivity at your house, it does not mean that everyone is just as fortunate. Try to write pages so they do not take longer than 30 seconds to load on a 28.8 modem. If you have a Field Day story with lots of photos, it is best to publish thumbnail pictures that the viewer could click on to see a larger version of the same image.
Success!
Every club member should be proud of a Web site that is the "window to the world" on their club. It should even look good to non-hams. Don't wait any longer to make your club Web site the best that it can be.
Mark Persons, W0MH, is a radio broadcast engineer and was first licensed as a Novice in 1963. He served as president of the Brainerd Area ARC from 1997-2000; he is presently the newsletter editor, historian and Webmaster for the club. Mark has written numerous articles for broadcast publications over the years. He lives in Brainerd, Minnesota.
| Previous: Codeless Amateur Radio Testing Regime Appears Set to Begin February 23 | Next: ARRL Announces Headquarters Reorganization |
