RE: AIS website communications

["Christopher Hollinshead" <wolf-com@rogers.com>]

Let me say this in response to the recent AIS website comments; 

The AIS website is ALWAYS open to all AIS folks suggesting
corrections/changes/improvements. I receive many such messages through the
year. ALL are carefully and thoughtfully considered in context of the whole
package of our web communication. These are then acted upon in an expedient
manner in the ongoing administration of the website. Most suggestions are
taken as provided, the very few times things are not implemented an
explanation is made to the sender so they can understand the reasoning
behind that decision. 

Suggestions and or comments should be sent directly to the AIS website for
action (Please send all information for website updates to: John I. Jones,
AIS Electronic Services and Website | e-mail: jijones@usjoneses.com 

The overall layout has been considered carefully to provide the info in an
organized manner and as easily and intuitively as possible. At times it has
been revised to improve same.

In particular response to the specific navigation comments;  the overall
intent of the website is national, AIS. We almost always point people to the
main page of the AIS site for good reasons, i.e. promote AIS membership etc.
For those interested in Regional info as the name implies, one click on that
ever present sidebar navigation title "AIS Regions" does take the user to
"AIS Regions/Local Iris Societies". Not complex for someone that is
interested. A couple of purposely short paragraphs follow that explain local
contact info.  All the regional RVPs and their contact info is provided at a
glance. Should the reader be interested to proceed further to contact a
local group there is stimulation in those short paragraphs to do so. One
further click on the local area of choice bring the person to all the local
info. This info is the accredited local AIS affiliates of that area. The
original source of that info each year is from the AIS affiliates listing
(and these are now updated to the 2007 official AIS affiliate info). The
onus for providing updated info/additions/corrections for those listings
during the interim until the 2008 listing is available is dependent on the
initiative of the local groups, the local RVP or their designate. 

Many of the affiliates listings now include phone numbers and e-mails if
they were provided. For 2008 perhaps the AIS affiliate application form
could include an opportunity to list the club website if one exists. Then it
would be included with the club/society listing along with the rest of their
contact info. As per the suggestion, I have added the various existing
Region websites to the "AIS Regions" page for easy access. Additionally the
listing on the "Links" page now references people back to the "AIS Regions"
page for full info.

One last thing; website items (complaints/suggestions/corrections/etc.,
etc..) just mentioned in e-mail discussion here on AIS Discuss may or may
NOT get acted upon. They can easily get overlooked or just unread by myself.
Please, send your comments and suggestions directly to the website contact
to ensure due consideration and or action. (Please send all information for
website updates to: John I. Jones, AIS Electronic Services and Website |
e-mail: jijones@usjoneses.com  A return e-mail acknowledgement of the
communication is usually sent upon review/completion of the item.

Thanks.  

Christopher Hollinshead | AIS Website 
3070 Windwood Drive
Mississauga, Ontario L5N 2K3
AIS website: www.irises.org  
e-mail: wolf-com@rogers.com
e-mail: aiswebsite@hotmail.com 

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-----Original Message-----
From: owner-aisdiscuss@aisboard.org [mailto:owner-aisdiscuss@aisboard.org]
On Behalf Of K. Loberg
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 2:47 PM
To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] Communications

    I think one problem may be, when you are on the AIS main web page, if
you are a new person, you have to guess as to where to find local club 
information.   I might not have known that AIS Regions is the place to go. 
I tried Iris Links, which gives me further links to "Iris Societies", "AIS 
Regions", and "AIS Local Clubs", but each of these links is incomplete.   I 
could miss a local club close to me if I were search through those 3 links,
as they do not adequately show all local affiliates with contact 
information, and I could very well assume they don't exist.   The first link

to "AIS Regions" does take you to a list of region information, and from 
there to lists of affiliates.   I do know that our Region 14 information is 
now very current, as a recent effort was made to update our affiliate
contact information.  But, from this region list and the affiliate list,
there is no published link to our Region 14 web site, which would guide
California inquiries to so much more information on what is going on within 
our State.   And from Regions there are no published links to some of our 
local clubs which also have web sites.

     So I think my observations are that some redesign and consideration of
how the AIS information is made available could be re-visited and improved. 
I agree with you Bob, that it is extremely valuable to have that local
contact information available for re-direction of interested parties and 
inquiries.   Having it easily available on the web is nearly instantaneous 
and will save a lot of other people's time in routing to contact points
which might be inadequate or unavailable.

     I do think there is a great amount of very important information on the
AIS web page, and it has taken a great amount of effort to get to where we
are, and I thank John and Chris and anyone else who has contributed to what 
we currently have.   But as with any publication, electronic or printed, 
evaluation of how things are being presented, brainstorming on improvements,

and implementation of the best ideas can only help AIS.    Ten years ago 
people would not have thought the AIS web page was important, but today 
there should be no doubt as to it's importance.   If I may, I suggest that 
the role of electronic services be expanded to include other capable
web-literate people throughout AIS, who can evaluate design and make 
suggestions for improvements, and help implement them.    Our current AIS 
bulletin has 5 people published who perform critical roles.   I believe our 
electronic services should be heading in this direction.



"It would be reasonable to query the RVPs in the summer and fall for
updates. Trying to contact each Affiliate is beyond the scope of what
Electronic Services can do."



John, I am really, really glad to know that a lot of the affiliate
information is finally updated. I appreciate that. But I do not understand 
why this is beyond the scope of electronic services.   As you know, as 
reported at several of our R14 regionals, Bill Coyle with our Scholarship
committee is generating automated fax/emails to a huge number of high
schools and colleges in our region, and it has increased our scholarship 
responses tremendously.   I don't see the difficulty of contacting 
affiliates electronically.  I just think the scope of electronic services. 
the "Team", needs to be expanded to include more capable people and people
with time.  I know I have never been asked.

Kitty Loberg

Region 14 Webmaster

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