Re: AIS Website

[Robt R Pries <rpries@sbcglobal.net>]

I have a possible solution to several of the ideas
that have been expressed. But first I need to ezplain
so we are all talking about similar things. 

It has been expressed that the Opening Page needs to
be an attention getter. I agree with that. To me the
most exciting opening pages are filled with color. One
way of doing this is to have simply a collage of
photos with a button in the middle which says to enter
the website click here. I do not prefer this format
but it can WOW you. The disadvantage is one might miss
the but and never enter the site. This happened to me
on a couple of sites with this type of first page but
I suspect most people are not as remedial as me.

A second technique is to cover the entire screen with
pictures and text. Our present layout uses what I call
the three column approach. The widest center column
carries the basic information with a column to the
left that is essentially blank except for links and a
column to the left that in our case is blank. This is
actually one of the most common formats used on the
web. I have surfed many professionally done sites and
many use this or a version of this. But many sites use
the whole screen approach which I think has a great
deal of pizzazz. But if you go past the first page
many sites change to the 3-column format after the
initial page. Even sites that use the 3-column
approach still fill the page by using the right-hand
column for advertising. It may be ads for other
companies sponsoring the page or internal ads for
services the website itself provides. Whatever, the
first screen view is usually fully covered with
material. While many of us old-timers might find the
web page simple and pleasant many people expect busy
and complicated.

I have a suggestion that would take a lot less in work
than a total redesign. Why dont we try putting three
boxes down the side in the right hand column each with
a different Iris picture and see how it looks if it
improves the page. Ultimately I would favor 10 photos
one for each Iris section and to perhaps link each
ultimately to greater galleries within our site.   

Remember we are also investigating a photo wiki. But
for right now I think the approach I am mentioning
could be accomplished immediately with little change
otherwise. If it works well maybe we could copy it on
other pages. I have many other suggestions that i
would like to make in the future.

--- John I Jones <jijones@usjoneses.com> wrote:

> Last November, I asked you all on this list for
> suggestions about the  
> AIS website.
> (Well some of you are new to the list since then, so
> this is you  
> first exposure to the questions.)
> 
> I got two responses (thank you both).
> 
> So I ask again (with slightly modified questions):
> 
> What do you think the main audience for the website
> is? (AIS members?  
> Non-AIS members? Experienced iris growers? Beginner
> iris growers?  
> Hybridizers? People wanting to buy irises? Wanting
> to find clubs?  
> Other?[obviously I have not listed everything nor
> necessarily even  
> the most important ones])
> 
> Why do you think they come to our website?
> 
> What action do you want people to take when they
> first come to our  
> website.
> 
> What do you think the primary emphasis of our site
> should be?
> 
> While it is important to have as much information as
> possible on our  
> website, should we structure the site so that the
> most important  
> information for the highest use audience is the most
> readily  
> available. If not what should be the highest
> priority? (Yes we want  
> to have obvious links to the other types of
> information.)
> 
> What do you think the bad things about our website
> are?
> 
> What websites demonstrate the kind of things you
> would like to see  
> for the AIS website?
> 
> What other questions should be asked here?
> 
> What other ideas do you have?
> 
> Now is your chance.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> John
> 
>
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