Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Redesigning our website - looking for ideas

[Fred H Olson (fholson]

On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, Lrpdesigns Lrpdesigns [at] TheRiver.com wrote:

> We're about to redesign the Stone Curves website. Speaking as the Hardcore
> Member in Charge of this Project, I have the following favor to ask of the
> group:
> 
> Please tell us which is considered to be the best cohousing website around.
> I'm talking about the cohousing website against which all others are
> measured. 

I'd be interested in nominations for best web site too.  I don't have a
list of favorites but maybe I'll start keeping one.

I looked at your current site and it looks pretty good to me.  Why are you
re-doing it?

I think all web sites should have a main (first/home) page that assumes
the user knows nothing about the group that sponsors it, so it should
have a brief explanation of who and what and a link to more information.
It is amazing how many web sites I visit that assume I know what I am
looking at.  Your current site does this well.  The main page should NOT
be too big (slow-loading); I find sites that put the group's history and
photo alblum on the main page to be a royal pain - particularly when I'm
coming back to the site to see what's new or to get to a link on the main
page such as the contact page.  Sure discourages me from coming back
often.

But a web site can serve multiple purposes.  It can have a password
protected area for group members for information not appropriate to be
public (tho I urge groups to keep as much info public as reasonable).
BTW a password option I prefer these days is to have ONE password that is 
publicized within the group - individual user names and passwords are too
cumbersome and result in many folks not getting around to using /
remembering them.

After the introduction the most important is to have as much useful
information content as possible/maintainable. Structured in a reasonable
and accessible manner.

Be cautious about creating features that require updates like calendars; a
calendar that is incomplete, out of date etc is less useful than no
calendar.

Site search capability is nice if you have a lot of info.

Some cohousing sites have member profiles.  In my organizing experience,
people find other people's stories interesting.  Somehow it is not the
details as much as the fact that they are shared.  It makes you more real,
meaningful and gives another basis for setting expectations (like is this
a group I could live with). On the other hand we are talking about the
Internet so use discretion in posting details.  My general rule is be sure
you have consent and post info that is available publicly elsewhere.  
E.g. my phone number is listed in numerous off-net places so why not on
the net?  (it's in my signature - tho I rarely get calls from it)

One specific comment about your current site.  I like the area map since
location is important to many people and is a big factor is the flavor of
the community.  However your map does not have a scale so for those of us
who are not very familiar with Tucson it is less useful than it could be.
(By comparing to the map in my road atlas I find the the University is
about 1.5 miles from downtown and you are about 4.5 miles from the
University.)

Fred
 
> 
> Stone Curves Cohousing - now forming in Tucson, Arizona
> on a sweet piece of desert land with mountain views!
> Our online home: http://www.StoneCurves.com/
> 

--
Sep 2001: A few comments on the recent terrorist plane crashes see:
More info:   http://www.mtn.org/~fholson/sig-detail.htm
Fred H. Olson  fholson [at] cohousing.org    Minneapolis,MN   55411
(612)588-9532  Amateur radio: WB0YQM          List manager of:
Cohousing-L and Nbhd-tc (Twin Cities Neighborhood issues list)



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