Setting up your website

Now you’ve decided to take the plunge and set up your Community website there are some steps you’ll need to take and there is lots of help at hand.

Getting online

You can get access to the Internet from a whole host of places like libraries and Internet cafes, but if you want to run a serious website you’ll probably need to have access either at home or the office. If you decide to go down this route you’ll need some equipment. Firstly you’ll need to own a computer and get yourself connected to the Internet. If you don’t already have a computer then you can pick one up “Internet ready” nowadays for around £300-£400 including the monitor.

As a good rule of thumb when choosing a computer think about these features:

Memory (RAM or Random Access Memory)

This will determine how fast your computer will run and what type of programmes you will be able to use. It’s unusual to buy a new computer these days with less than 256mb (that’s megabytes – don’t worry!) of memory. That will be sufficient for your needs.

Operating system

This allows you to see things on the computer and runs all your programmes. Go for Microsoft XP Home Edition at least.

Hard drive

This is where all your stuff is stored on the computer. 60-80gb (gigabytes – that is) will be plenty and give you lots of room for storing things before you put them up on your site.

Monitor

That’s your screen. Most computer deals come with at least a 15” monitor. Don’t get anything smaller. For a little extra you can get a flat panel monitor which is much less obtrusive and easy to move around.

Other considerations

Make sure you have a sound card included unless you want to watch in silence, and check that you get a “software bundle” included which will give you things like Paint Shop Pro and Microsoft Works. You may need to consider buying a word processing programme like Microsoft Works Suite or Microsoft Office if you intend to produce documents and letters. This will cost you from around £35 - £200 extra. There are free alternatives available such as OpenOffice which can be downloaded from www.openoffice.org on the Internet.

Getting an Internet Service Provider

To get access to the Internet from your machine you need to acquire the services of an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Generally, an ISP charges you a monthly fee for access to the Internet. Connection speed can generally be divided into two categories: dial up and broadband. You will also get storage space online from your ISP where you can set up your website.

Modem

This is the bit that allows you to connect to the Internet via a phone line. Make sure your new computer has one. Most computers in this range will come “Internet ready” with a built in modem.

Dial up

Dial up connections require the use of a phone line and a modem (see above). You pay only the cost of a local phone call when you dial up for the duration of your connection to the Internet. Dial up is a relatively slow connection and has some restrictions on watching animation or viewing large pictures over the Internet, but you will be able to access the same information as any other Internet user and it does have the advantage of using your existing setup without any extra expense.

Broadband

Broadband is a much faster dedicated connection. It is always “on” so you can access the Internet for as long as you like and it won’t cost you any extra, though some companies will put a limit on the amount of data you transfer.

You can plug in to your existing phone line and use the phone while you are online. You are paying a monthly fee for this service but if you are using the Internet quite often it is much more convenient and pleasurable to have fast instant access.

Naming your site

The first thing to do is to decide on a name. This will be the address people use to find you on the Internet and is called a Domain Name. It looks something like this:

tulsehillcommunity.org.uk

And the full address would be http://www.tulsehillcommunity.org.uk

Try to choose something relevant, meaningful and memorable. Don’t forget however that all names on the Internet are unique and if someone has already registered the name you require then you will have to choose something different.

So if you’re in St Martins Community for example, you might decide on StMartinsCommunity.org.uk. The “.org.uk” part is called the suffix.

Acquiring a name with the right suffix for you can be tricky and it is best to seek advice from someone who knows. A good place to start would be to contact the Web Manager at your local district or county.

Building your structure and content

Once you have set up your name and acquired your URL you will need to design and build your website. There are several ways you can go about this depending on your own level of expertise, the time you have available and your budget.

A word about content

Above all, make sure your content is written in plain language and is easy to understand. It’s a good idea to think about the kind of people who will be accessing your website and make sure that the content you offer will make sense and be useful to them. Things like what languages are spoken in your community, do you need to offer multilingual sections? Make sure the style and attitude you choose is one they can relate to.

Making it easy for everyone

It’s important to remember that your community is made up of all sorts of individuals with varying needs. You will want to make sure that your content is accessible to all and you will need to bear this in mind when writing your content and choosing your design style. The Disability Discrimination Act requires all organisations to provide accessible websites. There is a lot of guidance to help you and if you are able to take advantage of the Local Authority e-Community Publish initiative then most of the work will have been done for you.

Local Authority VOICE

Fortunately many local authorities are now providing a free service called “VOICE”, which will allow you to use a set of tools and templates to build your site. This is a really good option because you can actually set the site up online and build it by simply adding on features such as news, discussions, diaries, etc. It will provide you with some suggestions about the standard information which every community web site should contain to help you.

All principal authorities have a target of helping community groups get online and that should also be available to communities. In some cases this will be VOICE or an equivalent solution.

Designing your site

You may wish, as a community group to tackle the design yourselves. You will need to commit some time to this project but you don’t necessarily need is website expertise. You can now purchase what are known as WYSIWYG (‘What You See Is What You Get’) editors. These operate like desktop publishing tools in a very visual way, allowing you to ‘drag and drop’ text or images and create the basic elements of a site very quickly. The tool then automatically transfers what you have provided into code or “HTML”. Similarly, it is possible to buy image editing software which is relatively easy to use. With these tools and a little IT knowledge you have enough skill to get a site up and running. Tips for designing your own site can be found in the appendix.

Finding local resources

Alternatively you may be lucky enough to have someone in the Community who has the necessary expertise to help you. This may be a volunteer or a local company who will give you a helping hand.

Hosting

• Local Authority Sometimes local authorities host sites for community groups at no cost. Even if your local authority (most likely the County) does not provide a template, it is possible that they will host the site for you, so make sure to ask even if it does not initially look like they will provide this service.
• Host it yourself
  You’re only really likely to consider this if you already have an IT department and the resources to maintain it
• Use an external supplier
  If you choose to host your site with an external company you will need to base your choice on quality as well as cost. Does the host have the capacity to support your website and its functions now and in the future? This is especially important if you are considering extending the site in the future.

Marketing

Marketing your site is a way of ensuring its long-term success. The more people hear about it the more likely they are to look at it and the more people look at it the more participation and feedback you will get. It’s a self-perpetuating success story. So here are some ideas you can use to market your site

Make it easy for search engines to find the site

Search engines send electronic “spiders” or “crawlers” to index the content on your webpage, and there are steps you can take to make sure that your site gets indexed properly and well:

• Submit your website address to search engines – look for a link that says “Add your URL”. As the official site for the Community you will come at the top of the list if someone searches for information on the Community
• Add a descriptive and hyperlinked title of 5 to 8 words on your title page, removing filler words like “of” “is” and “the”
• Make sure that the description in your metatags is relevant and contains all the key words people are likely to use when searching for your site such as your name, location, key local landmarks. etc.
• Ensure your keywords are used in the first paragraph of your body text (but don’t use them too much!)
• Put key words in ALT tags, comment tags, and hyperlinks
• Avoid using frames, JavaScript and Flash if possible as these may affect accessibility and download speed issues
• A site map will help a search engine link to your other pages

Don't forget the obvious and easy

• Ask visitors to the website to bookmark the site, make it their homepage or add it to their favourites.
• This is probably the simplest way to ensure a higher number of visitors.
• Tell all your friends, family members and contacts in the local community about your website
• Make sure you inform your employees and volunteers of your website address and encourage them to mention it to others
• Add the website address to your Community’s main answerphone message
• Add the website address to your Community’s equipment e.g. stationery, posters, cards, T-shirts, parks vehicles etc.
• Add the website address to your Community’s press releases, and if you are ever in contact with the press about a local issue or event, make sure you mention the website

Get your emails working for you

• Add a signature to your emails. Most email software has ‘signatures’ built in as an option (in Microsoft Outlook go to Tools, Options). You can add a link to the website in the signature to encourage every person you email to have a look at the site. You can also use signatures to announce things like local events or news
• Email out a regular newsletter. This will encourage people come back to the site again and again, especially if the newsletter includes links to further information available on the website
• Market the site online
• Announce the site on any appropriate forums
• Ask all of your volunteers to link to your website via their own personal websites where appropriate
• Submit your URL to directories like Yahoo! Directory if you feel it is appropriate Request that other local organisations (such as the local authority and DirectGov) link to your site

If you have got some budget put aside for marketing your website you might also want to consider one or more of the following:

Using traditional media

• Announce the launch of the site in the local press
• Hold a launch event in a local venue, with some other attraction such as a local musician, an exhibition
• of local art work or a competition for example
• Consider getting your Community Group listed in local directories

Don't stop!

There will always be more that you can do to encourage people to visit (and keep visiting) your website. Encouraging people to come and visit your site is a continuing challenge - keep at it!