> -----Original Message----- > From: Erika L. Walker-Arnold [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 2:08 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: RE: Nice site and nice organization... > > Oh I agree it isn't great ... But I do believe, asthetically, it's very > nice. > > I don't rush to see if it validated or had up-to-date code - so I have > nothing to commment on that part of it. > > I visit a lot of non-profit sites in the course of a week (various > organizations I belong to) and the majority of them are eye-sores. > Yes, there's quite a few REALLY great ones, but not the little ones I > keep coming across, so when I saw a local group with a decent looking > site, I was impressed. :)
I wasn't actually picking on the site so much as the implied comment "good for a non-profit" - and then only because my main personal client is a non-profit and I'm actually quite pleased with that site (most of the time). ;^) I've worked with many non-profits over the years and hey do tend to cut corners on websites. But it's often not the reasons that you think it is: many of them actually have the money (or could swing in-kind) but simply don't see the value of the web - so why bother spending resources on it? I was in one place where they had several people manning phones to answer basic questions (how can I drop something off, how can I donate, where are you located, etc). All of that information was on their (rather poor, little trafficked) web site. I suggested that they add a message to their answering system that said (basically) "if you need this kind of basic information it is available on our website here..." They noticed a marked decrease in callers needing human assistance after that. I've worked with other NPs that have bemoaned their websites as "useless" and "not effective" only to discover that they didn't even place the URL on business cards or letterhead. So why is the web at fault when the site you've told nobody about doesn't get any traffic. Even in the larger orgs (like the one I work with) the web is woefully underutilized. For example we've got "media partners" that are obligated to promote our event but NOT asked to announced the website address! > I think somewhere along the road, we become too particular about things > in our quest to be the most perfect designers and programmers that were > ever born, so sometimes a walk through the trenches is not bad. :) Too true. And, of course, consider sources and needs as well. A site should always be judged by the job its trying to accomplish - anything else is gravy. The site in question might be improved, but it does its job: letting people know about the organization. Of course like most non-profits it could do more as well. ;^) Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:144151 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
