Re: AIS Website

["Robert Pries " <101p@rewrite.aisboard.org>]

Everyone has different tastes. I am sorry that you do not find the wiki useful. In May the wiki had 14,299 unique visitors. There were 50,930 visits so obviously many people came back for more. When they visited they viewed 947,281 pages. And in the old measure used for advertising there were 5,566,123 hits. No one has ever presented this type of data for the AIS website. If the wiki is such a piece of junk as you indicate why are people using it. 

In theory one would expect that most people would come to the Encyclopedia by way of the AIS website. I think of the website as the gateway and would like to see it as beautiful as possible. The Encyclopedia is a reference, if it can be beautiful that is great, but that is not its primary function. The Website should be establishing that interest. Actually only 16.9% of visitors to the wiki come through that gateway. 14.9% come through search engines and 69% come to it directly because they have bookmarked it as one of their favorites. The AIS website could create these same figures for its site for free, but seems to not care to share. 

Another way of looking at the data is how long does someone spend looking at the site. There were 28,198 visits that lasted less then 30 seconds, but there were 4,949 visits that lasted between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. This is very good for any site but remarkably there were also 3,517 visits lasting 2-5 minutes, 4,140 visits lasting 5-15 minutes, 3,329 visits lasting 15-30 minutes, 3,861 visits lasting 30-60 minutes, and 11,742 visits lasting over an hour. The wiki continually increases its viewership and these were only the figures for one month March. The wiki continually changes with what I hope are improvements. The AIS website has only had two revisions and has been around more than twice as long as the wiki. The AIS website has in essence authoritarian governance; the wiki has opportunities for many people to contribute. They are different and should be complimentary and synergistic.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Janet Smith" <4f80107e1@rewrite.aisboard.org>
To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Sent: Tuesday, June 3, 2014 7:58:04 PM
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] AIS Website

1. There is a HUGE difference between the website and the wiki.  I
can find things on the website I can not successfully search on the
wiki and find anything.

2. There is a HUGE difference between someone who knows computers and
a GRAPHIC DESIGNER! ! !  You want STEAK (designer) or Hamburger
(computer literate).

I personally will take the graphic designer anytime, we get a good
product and look.

How short some memories are, recall what the website use to look
like????  Not that long ago! ! ! !  

AND who did you say the new electronic webmaster was????  I missed
the name.

Janet Smith
California


---- Original Message ----
From: 101p@rewrite.aisboard.org
To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] AIS Website
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2014 19:41:26 -0400 (EDT)

>As I said the people I know would do this for $600. They can do it.
>Actually I thonk they would do the entire website for $1,000. What
>are we paying now $2,000?
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "John Jones" <100h@rewrite.aisboard.org>
>To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
>Sent: Tuesday, June 3, 2014 4:21:21 PM
>Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] AIS Website
>
>Well I am sorry, but your IT people are not graphic designers and
>frankly have no clue what all has to be done to the graphics to
>accommodate a longer menu list. The list code is custom designed to
>fit with our look and feel. The software used it up to date and from
>reputable companies.
>
>You are correct the websites that Andi referenced are very pretty. It
>is also true that they don't have anywhere as much information to
>present as we do. Navigation is a significant problem and we provided
>a reasonable solution that is accessible on the home page and is most
>cases does not require going to another page to find where something
>is.
>
>I never intended to "put my mark" on a website. I intended to present
>a website that reflected the style and needs of AIS, and despite one
>or two perennial detractors, did so in a manner that reflects the
>image the board wanted.
>
>If the board wants a redesign, I am all for it, but I do not have the
>time to undertake the effort to incorporate a new structure and
>revise all the information that we present today. I am sure we will
>hear how all the information should be on the wiki, but the wiki is
>not the AIS, has a look that could be best described as confounding,
>and has its own significant difficulties for anyone trying to search
>for something.
>
>If the board does not want to improve the current site with money
>from the ESC Restricted fund raised primarily by the Geek Dinner
>auctions, then that can be their decision. This effort would not
>affect the AIS General budget in any way.
>
>
>Thanks
>
>John
>__________________ 
>John and Joanne Jones
>Registrar-Recorders, American Iris Society
>aisregistrar@irises.org
>
>John Jones, Chairman, Electronic Services Committee
>aiselectronicsvcs@irises.org
>
>35572 Linda Drive
>Fremont, CA 94536
>
>
>
>
>
>On Jun 3, 2014, at 12:46 PM, "Robert Pries "
><101p@rewrite.aisboard.org> wrote:
>
>> I did some checking with some IT people. What John is proposing
>could be done
>> at half the cost. And it actually could be done at the $60 I was
>suggesting if
>> the website was running on todaybs state of the art software. But
>the
>> website is outdated and making the changes suggested would actually
>cost about
>> $600 keeping it running on the same static system.
>> 
>> I agree with Andi; the websites he displayed are GREAT!!!! Ours
>should look
>> that good. But I do not think we have the personnel capable of
>making those
>> changes. I do believe we should have the new electronics chair
>tackle this
>> problem and not someone who is leaving. B  New people like to place
>their own
>> mark on something and certainly there is a need.
>> 
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> 
>> From: "Ron Killingsworth" <102w@rewrite.aisboard.org>
>> To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 3, 2014 3:07:10 PM
>> Subject: Re: Fwd: RE: [AISdiscuss] AIS Website
>> 
>> I agree with Bob Pries that the price seems high to me - but admit
>I am no web
>> site guru.B  Seems we should have some computer experts within our
>> organization who could make small changes to the web site -- ok,
>this may not
>> be a small change -- what do I know? - but again I think that's a
>lot of money
>> honey.
>> 
>> Second, I agree with Andi that we should not rush into making
>changes for
>> cosmetic reasons.B  Have there been complaints about the menus?B 
>Would Bob
>> Pries ideas be better?
>> I looked at all the web sites Andi suggested and wow, we are really
>have a
>> model A ford website compared to those web sites.B  I can think of
>many great
>> pictures that could fill the beginning page of the web site, like
>the web
>> sites Andi suggested looking over, and yet our site has such a
>bland first
>> page.
>> 
>> Third, I agree with Jim Morris that the new "electronic services
>chairperson"
>> should be involved in this discussion.B  The question is:B  Are the
>changes
>> worth the money?
>> 
>> So, I guess I am saying I feel this needs more study and that if we
>are going
>> to update the front page, maybe we could really update it to
>include a better
>> visual picture of who we are. And, to me it makes no difference
>where the
>> money is coming from, out of the left pocket or out of the right
>pocket, we
>> are still looking at a lot of money at a time when the budget seems
>to be
>> running over.
>> 
>> Ron Killingsworth, Director
>> 
>> 
>> On 6/3/2014 13:56, Michelle Snyder wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Hello all,
>> Since I am traveling until late Thursday, I am forwarding the made
>and
>> seconded motion for official discussion via my cell phone.
>> Michelle
>> 
>> Sent using CloudMagic
>> 
>> --------Forwarded message--------
>> From: Susan Boyce < 100T@rewrite.aisboard.org >
>> Date: Tue, Jun 03, 2014 at 11:30 AM
>> Subject: Fwd: RE: [AISdiscuss] AIS Website
>> To: aisdiscuss < aisdiscuss@aisboard.org >
>> 
>> 
>> <blockquote>
>> 
>> I second the motion.
>> Susan Boyce
>> 
>>> To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
>>> Subject: [AISdiscuss] AIS Website
>>> Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2014 11:00:11 -0700
>>> From: c95039e11@rewrite.aisboard.org
>>> 
>>> I move "That the AIS Board approve an upgrade to the AIS Website
>to
>> increase
>>> the number of menu items available on the left side area of the
>webpage.
>> Such
>>> upgrade not to exceed a cost of $1200.00, funding is to come from
>the
>>> Electronic Services Restricted Fund.B  Such upgrade to be managed
>by the
>>> Electronic Services Chair on behalf of AIS."
>>> Cheryl Deaton
>>> 
>>>
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>>
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>> 
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