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Create a Club Web Site |
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Why build a website? A website allows a club to share information with the community and all club members. A website stores pertinent information for all members, officers and potential guests. Web Page vs. Web Site - The District 6 Web Editor can create a "static" web page for clubs. This would be a single page that includes only the vital statistics:
With over 250 clubs in the District (and growing) it is not feasible for the Web Editor to maintain "dynamic" or changing data on these pages (e.g., we cannot post highlights of a meeting, schedules or coming attractions). But individual clubs can create their own website, assign a web editor, and turn their site into a dynamic wealth of information! Tips to Create a Web Site Below are some tips to help you create a club website. Click on the links below to learn how it's done. Where to host your site
There are several options on where to host your site: These sites are not listed in any particular order. Create a table of "pros" and "cons", then visit each site to determine which host would be best for you. How do you choose a web host? Consider these questions and issues:
For more information about what to look for when choosing a web host vendor visit: http://businessweek.buyerzone.com/internet/site_hosting/buyers_guide1.html How to FTP Files - Getting files from your computer to the Internet
FTP - File Transfer Protocol - is how you copy files from your local machine to the web server. There are several free software tools that allow you to do this (just do a search for "FTP" on www.google.com). The best option is to use the File Transfer utility provided by your service provider. Whoever you choose to "host" your website should provide a program that allows you to copy files to their web server. IMPORTANT: A web site is an official publication of the Club, and the Club President is responsible for content. Below is a suggested list of information you could include:
The goal of the District 6 website is to provide current, up-to-date information about the District. Your goal should be the same for your Club. Don't forget to update your site each year when the club officers change. If information exists on the TI site, provide a link to the page on TI. Do not recreate information. What Information to NOT Include Remember: The information you post on your website can be seen around the world. Your website is not like a printed newsletter with limited circulation. The following information should NOT be posted on your website:
Organizing Your Site The best way to determine how to organize your site is to review other sites. Check out a few club websites in the District 6 Club Directory. A good rule-of-thumb is to keep all information within 3 clicks or less from the home page. As you build the site consider your members, your officers, and your guests. Once you have an idea of the content you'd like to include, then create a Site Map and Page Layout on paper first... Site Map (using Mutual Voices Toastmasters as an example)
Notice, all pages are within 3 clicks or less from the Mutual Voices Home Page. The main page includes information for both members and potential members. Once you know where all the pages should go, consider the page layout (using Mutual Voices Toastmasters as an example):
In the Top Navigation Bar, notice the links to "About Mutual Voices", "About Toastmasters", "For Members" - all part of the initial pages in the site map from above. The top, right-hand corner displays the most commonly sought after information, including a link to the site map itself. A Club Logo is not necessary, but certainly adds a nice touch. Mutual Voices held a "logo creation" contest to solicit entries from club members. It's amazing the talent you discover in the club when creating a website.
In the Footer, notice the links to all the same top-level pages found in the site map. The footer, complete with the horizontal line, is displayed on all pages. The footer should also include the copyright information from Toastmasters International. The TI logo, the term "Toastmasters" and "Toastmasters International" are all trademarks of Toastmasters International. Use them, but add their disclosure:
The pages for your website can be created in a simple text editor like Notepad or Microsoft Word. Some of the websites listed above may offer free programs and tools for creating webpages. If your site is fairly complex and dynamic a good HTML editor is worth the investment. Some programs, such as "EditPlus", are an editor and FTP program in one. You can create your pages then move them up to the server in one step. A good HTML editor allows you to view the "source" code (e.g., the raw HTML with tags) and a "design" mode (e.g., what the page will look like on the web). The editor should also provide color for your tags. The color helps you to see if you've added all tags in the correct format. Microsoft's Interdev 6.0 editor even provides a "Quick View" option that allows you test your hyperlinks. Interdev also provides a "Toolbox" so you can easily add Horizontal Rules, buttons, line breaks, paragraph breaks, textbox, etc. A good HTML reference book is also worth the investment. The book I leave next to my computer at all times:
Viewing Source Code Downloading Images Standards When creating a website you should set some standards. Consider the following:
Getting Fancy Once you get the basics done, consider a few options to enhance your site:
Visit other websites, browse the internet, download some cool graphics. But before you get too fancy, remember your first goal is to keep the information current! And be careful with graphics - too many graphics or pictures can cause your webpages to take a long time to load. Technical Terms Domain Name - The Internet address that people use the visit your web site (e.g., www.d6tm.org). FTP - File Transfer Protocol. The process of copying your files from your local machine to the web server. HTML - Hypertext Markup Language. The text markup language that is currently used on the World Wide Web. HTML is used to "author" web pages. HTML tells your browser "how" to display individual pages. Hyperlink (or hotspot) - a link or connection to another document on the internet. Can provide a hyperlink to a Word document, an excel spreadsheet, a PDF or other HTML pages. Internet Provider - the company from whom you purchase your internet connection. Could be a permanent connection using DSL (doesn't require an additional phone line and you're always connected - very fast), or the more traditional connection with a 56K dial-up modem (need to "dial-in" to the internet each time you access it - much slower than DSL or Cable Modems). Stylesheets (and Cascading Stylesheets) - "templates" that provide more control over layout and some consistency to web pages. A stylesheet separates the content of the page (the structure) from the presentation. Great for maintaining consistency in fonts, size and style of pages. Tags - are simply the markers around text used in HTML to specify what to do with that particular block of text, e.g.:
URL - Uniform Resource Locator. A URL specifies the "address" of a web page. It specifies the protocol ("http:"), the domain name/IP address ("www."), and path ("d6tm.org") details needed to access a page on the Internet. The URL for the District 6 website is: http://www.d6tm.org Web Page - an HTML representation of your content. Web Site Host - a vendor that provides shared server facilities to store and publish your web pages. These companies provide the hardware and software needed to connect your web site to the Internet. Web Site - Series of documents you create (e.g., HTML pages, links to Word documents or Excel spreadsheets, PDF files, etc.) that people can access through your web site. Note, all files that are "linked to" need to exist on the server so people can access them. If your HTML page links to a Word document, that HTML page AND the Word document both need to be FTP'd (or copied) to the server. See this article in BusinessWeek for more technical terms and definitions: http://businessweek.buyerzone.com/internet/site_hosting/industry_lingo.html
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The left-side
navigation links provide the user with a "way back" from each page. Don't
rely on the "back" button of the browser for navigating your
site. Allow your users to get around without always going back to
the home page first.|
The names "Toastmasters International", "Toastmasters", and the Toastmasters International emblem are trademarks protected in the United States, Canada, and other countries where Toastmasters Clubs exist. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. |