Need help creating Squadron Website

[SAR-EMT1]

Ok,  my unit Commander recently polled the Seniors and requested that we resurrect the idea of a unit website.
I somehow got the job, but i honestly have no idea of how to begin... probably want to follow the KISS method.   Any IT or webmaster types care to give me some advice Id be absolutely thrilled.

[Pumbaa]

Get your domain and linux host account with PhP on GoDaddy (godaddy.com) It's free to host but you have an ad at the top.  Use it that way while developing.  Then when ready to turn it on, pay the $3 a month to be 110-1 compliant (no ads)... Get Joomla content Managment Website (Open Source/ Free joomla.com)

This way you can have a lot of features, change content quickly and easily and have multiple people maintain the site.  Much easier to do that than only one person.

[Al Sayre]

If you aren't real computer savvy, set up a gmail account for your squadron and then you get a free website at google pages. com.  They use a wysiwyg tempate that's pretty intuitive and easy to deal with.  Heres one I set up for my squadron. http://serms100.googlepages.com

I purposly did not include a bunch of graphics since a lot of our members are still on dial-up and graphics slow the load time.  I also didn't re-invent the wheel, if a site already has good info on it that you can use, just put a link in.  See what you think.

[Lancer]

That's sharp Al. Clean, simple, easy to navigate.

I keep forgetting about Googlepages...I should share that with the CAP web-neophytes that are in need of a site.

I'll have to agree with 2nd LT Fairchild's choice of CMS software. Joomla is 'the poo'. Very well done as well...I'm currently in the process of setting up our new group site and squadron site with Joomla. Can't wait to get them done.

[RiverAux]

Don't forget to get Wing approval and read the internet reg for the proper statements that need to be on the site. 

The main thing to remember is to either make the site generic enough (this is who we are and what we do) that if you don't update it for a while no one can tell OR if you're going to be posting news stories, newsletters, etc. you and the rest of the staff need to make a strong committment to updating it regularly.  Personally I think it is worse to have a website with a 6-month old-story on it than it is not to have a web site at all.

[Al Sayre]

That's sharp Al. Clean, simple, easy to navigate.

I keep forgetting about Googlepages...I should share that with the CAP web-neophytes that are in need of a site.

I'll have to agree with 2nd LT Fairchild's choice of CMS software. Joomla is 'the poo'. Very well done as well...I'm currently in the process of setting up our new group site and squadron site with Joomla. Can't wait to get them done.

Thanks

The other good part about the Google stuff is it's free, and "it's so easy to use even a caveman can do it" 

[JC004]

and "it's so easy to use even a caveman can do it" 

::makes offended caveman face::

Also, this caveman recommends Nvu for page editing if you don't use a content management system.  It's free:  http://www.nvu.com/index.php

[Eclipse]

Site content:

Make the site about YOUR unit / echelon / events.

Don't repost info, pubs, or recruiting information which already exists on NHQ's site - it'll always be more current there and duplicating the effort is a waste.

Photos, photos, photos.

Make sure your graphics are clean, jag-free, properly scaled, and color correct.

Hosting:

If you pay more than $10 a month anywhere, its a waste.  For $5-10 a month you should ge GB's of storage, unlimited POPs, unlimited email alias', unrestricted, easily managed list servs, FTP, and all the CMS systems (.php, CGI, etc.).

Be careful of the cheap domain registrars - they generally require hosting agreement and you don't save much in the end.

Free sites with ads, or that insert advertising to your emails are annoying and unprofessional - i.e. Yahoo Groups, AOL, etc.

Being 110-1 compliant is more than just no ads.

Don't bother with .gov domain - it is WAY more trouble than its worth. If you take the time and jump through the hoops to get the domain name itself that's one thing, but DON'T host on the CAP webservers.  You will pay way too much for no services and a lifetime of headaches.

[LtCol Hooligan]

I took a look at the ever fabulous NHQ KB and found the following information for you.  It is not the largest website space in the world, but it would get you started.

There is only minimal guidance in CAPR 110-1 concerning unit web sites. As for web space, most units have an Earthlink account already setup (Region+wing+unit charter number@earthlink.net; example: nerny123@earthlink.net). In addition to the 8 email accounts associated with it, it also can have a 10MB website at no additional charge. That should be enough to get you started. You can check with your unit commander about using this option. The Earthlink account also comes with 24/7 technical support (basic support info is at this link Earthlink Support Center; website information is at this link EarthLink WebSpace. With the username and password, the Earthlink tech support http://kb.earthlink.net/case.asp?article=4583 will be happy to help with both email and web questions.

[arajca]

Site content:

Make the site about YOUR unit / echelon / events.

Don't repost info, pubs, or recruiting information which already exists on NHQ's site - it'll always be more current there and duplicating the effort is a waste.

Do provide a link to the appropriate pubs page.

Photos, photos, photos.

Make sure your graphics are clean, jag-free, properly scaled, and color correct.

Provide thumbnails where possible, especially for large pictures. Not everyone has high speed. Many folks who don't have high speed won't wait for pictures to load, they'll write off your site and go somewhere else.

Hosting:
Don't bother with .gov domain - it is WAY more trouble than its worth. If you take the time and jump through the hoops to get the domain name itself that's one thing, but DON'T host on the CAP webservers.  You will pay way too much for no services and a lifetime of headaches.

That depends on your wing's policies. In CO, all unit websites are required to be hosted on the wing server, which is provided for free to the units, and is actually donated and maintained by a member who has a web hosting company. He has an excellent record of keeping the servers up and secure. After a number of unit websites were hacked, the COWG/CC set the policy of using the wing servers exclusively.

Also, each unit has an Earthlink account provided by National. You can use that to host your website or just for development. The unit's cost is $0.00.

[SAR-EMT1]

Ok.. I talked to the CC about our options and your ideas thus far.
Seems the general idea is that the option of using a Wing provided Earthlink program is better / safer since we are just getting started.
He will contact someone at Wing and get back to me in a day or so hopefully with the info I need from the regs regarding websites.

The one thing I am afraid of is being named PAO at the end of this 

[Eclipse]

Wing does not provide the Earthlink accounts - you need to contact NHQ for that, assuming your Unit CC does not already have the access.

The person's name is: Karen Jacobs KJACOBS@capnhq.gov.

Ibelieve you will need to be the /CC to get the info.

The accounts are generally a derivitive of the unit number.

[A.Member]

Does your ISP allow for free hosting of personal web pages?  (most do) 

If so, and assuming you're not using it for yourself, that's a potential option too.  My service provider allows for free 25MB as part of my basic service.  Sure, I can't get a fancy domain name like captalk.net but it's not bad - and it works.  Best of all, there are no ads and I can create my own site the way I want (templates are provided for those that don't know better but you're not forced to use them). 

This is an effective, low cost approach to get a basic site established and you'd be surprised how much you can get into 25MB when designed correctly. 

[Lancer]

The one thing I am afraid of is being named PAO at the end of this 

Hey now...  Some of us like being PAO...hehehe

[CAP428]

If you're really new to web stuff, you can go to www.freewebs.com.  They have some great looking templates that are easy to make (and free).

They automatically give you a www.freewebs.com/_(your site name)___  address, but if you want your own, simple address, you can go to www.tk.com  and get a free domain (  www.__your name__.tk  ).



Another option if you want something really easy and simple to update:  use a blog.

www.blogger.com  has some nice templates and you can easily post news stories, photos, etc. and keep it up to date and clutter free very easily.

[dwb]

I usually hold my squadron's web site up as an example of a CAP site that I think is decent: http://syracusecap.org  Simple layout and content, relatively up-to-date.  I have some critiques (I don't have recent staff or activity pictures on there), but generally I'm pretty happy with it.

I'm of the opinion that squadrons don't necessarily need a web site.  Given what some unit web sites look like, it's sometimes better to have nothing at all.

That said, I do have a few recommendations:

1. Pay for hosting.  Free hosting sites leave you with difficult-to-remember URLs, will often place ads on your pages, and don't provide any guarantee of speedy page loads.

2. Don't use Joomla, or any other content management software in Joomla's ilk.  Those products are geared toward making a content web site, like an online magazine.  You want a simple face to the Internet public, use simple tools (plain HTML).

3. Get someone who knows what they're doing.  Everyone's first web site stinks.  You should have seen the piece of crap I cobbled together for my old squadron on Geocities in 1996.  Fortunately, I was one of probably three people in the squadron with Internet access, so the damage was minimal.  If this is your first foray into making a web site, find a senior member or cadet that can help.

[Eclipse]

2. Don't use Joomla, or any other content management software in Joomla's ilk.  Those products are geared toward making a content web site, like an online magazine.  You want a simple face to the Internet public, use simple tools (plain HTML).

I disagree there - CMS is the only way to go, and Joomla is my #1 choice.

Once configured, the sites are easy to use, easy to update, and offer way less hassle than flat html.

There is a learning curve, but if you're going to take the time anyway, you might as well learn the current technology.

The out of the box templates suit most basic users, and the ones you can get from the foundries are excellent.

[floridacyclist]

Ok.. I talked to the CC about our options and your ideas thus far.
Seems the general idea is that the option of using a Wing provided Earthlink program is better / safer since we are just getting started.
He will contact someone at Wing and get back to me in a day or so hopefully with the info I need from the regs regarding websites.

The one thing I am afraid of is being named PAO at the end of this 

The one issue I know of with Earthlink is that the CAP accounts are somewhat limited in what features you can use. We were developing ours to use Server Side includes, but they said not without paying extra.

You can see what I have under development so far at http://www.nettally.com/captlh and would welcome feedback - Please don't tell me about the broken links, I know about those already and am working as fast as I can

Note the icon under the menubar on the left....weee doan need no steenkeeng editors or managers 

[baronet68]

Note the icon under the menubar on the left....weee doan need no steenkeeng editors or managers 

Oh, I like that.  I too use notepad almost exclusively to build my squadron's site.

One easy tool for newbies making web pages is to use MS Office or Excel to build the pages because it's something most people are already familiar with.  Then, select the "save as... Web Page Filtered (.html)" so that it will remove all of the garbage (I mean Microsoft-specific) html tags and meta data so that the pages will work on almost any browser.

[dwb]

Once configured, the sites are easy to use, easy to update, and offer way less hassle than flat html.

The trade-off is that Joomla sites all look the same, you need to have PHP and MySQL available on your web host, and gawd help you if you want to change the layout or style of the site.  I hate diving in to PHP, and I write software for a living!

I've done the CMS thing, and I've done the plain HTML thing, and for a simple web site, it really is best to use simple tools.