Re: Website and Statistics

["Jim Morris" <1005@rewrite.aisboard.org>]

Thanks John for your detailed reply.  I know you don't intend for our  web 
site to be a mystery but I do believe it to be so to many on our  board.  
None of us are professional web designers but we have seen many  beautiful 
sites and perhaps some of us have participated in the design process  in their 
club or region or section.  
 
I believe we need a goal and some facts about who accesses our web site and 
 what we want to do as an organization with our site.  It would be a  help 
if AIS in general had some long term goals and objectives.  Lacking  that 
how can the board in reality judge the quality of the site or the checks  and 
balances of navigation architecture?  I am sure that you are correct  that 
the process is complicated and without the process code a  thorough review is 
not possible (except maybe to a hacker), however I grow  weary of 
responding to all those who complain that they can't find whatever they  are looking 
for quickly on our site.  The two designers I consulted have  designed 
literally hundreds of web sites.  Their cursory review found  our site not 
intuitive, static and in their opinion outdated compared to current  architecture. 
 I'm not that critical myself as I think the site attractive,  trust your 
judgement, and know you worked hard with the designers to  implement what the 
board apparently wanted some years ago.  I've been on  the board for 13-1/2 
years as a director and officer and quite frankly I can't  remember 
whatever it was that was approved nor when.  A review and updating  of that need 
might be appropriate at this time before we expend any money for  menu 
re-design.
 
I just want the board to have the necessary facts to make a reasonable  
judgement for the best interests of AIS, whatever that might be.   Thanks for 
your efforts and concern.
 
Jim Morris
President
American Iris Society 
 
P. S. The chart you refer to did not come through on my email from  you.
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In a message dated 6/9/2014 2:44:22 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
100h@rewrite.aisboard.org writes:


Perhaps I can allay some concerns about the project.


President Morris posted:


"Designer A:  "$1200 for only a new menu  is actually insane.  If 
they're redoing the entire web site, then  that price  is appropriate.  Not 
menu 
only, though."

Designer  B:  "Adding a few links should  only take a few minutes  of 
someone's time. A change to links does not  typically require  art assets 
to be 
redone."


Let's apply a little bit of a reality test to the comments above:


Is there anyone on the board that really believes that it were as easy as  
"only a few minutes" as these "professional designers" have said,  that I  
would not have changed the navigation already? In fact, given the suggestions 
 that have come up over the years, I would have done it several times (or  
rather, presented a new version to the Board for approval)


The individuals that have made these comments have not taken the time to  
investigate what platform and utilities our website is built on or to  
understand the fact that the underlying background graphic needs to be changed  to 
allow additional menu items to be added so they don't overlay parts of the  
graphic. Additionally the script that generates the menu cascades has to be 
 modified. The modifications have to be made to the home page and the five  
templates we use for all the other pages on the website. 


The restriction on the navigation architecture we designed in the  
beginning was explained to the board before we implemented the  project. 




President Morris has asked that AWSTATS be installed on our website.  
Unfortunately that is not possible. Our website runs on what is known as  a 
shared server and Lunar Pages will not allow AWSTATS. If we wanted that  
particular program we would have to switch to a dedicated server for  a cost of 
roughly $30.00 per month above the $20.00 per month we  currently pay.

There are other free programs that can be integrated  into our website. 
They require that some code be  inserted on our pages  but that is not a 
overwhelming effort and I will integrate that code and  generate reports on a 
scheduled basis. 


I don't make changes to the website changes without consulting the board.  
Every change that has been made was made with the approval of the board. I  
also don't waste money on frivolous projects. I finish projects that I 
start.  I have a track record that proves all that.


I will commit to the following:


If the motion to fund the navigation panel and the affected graphic areas  
upgrade is passed:


I will immediately start the process of installing the code that will  
provide statistics and we can start to collect the numbers. It will take a  
while to collect meaningful data. Chris Hollinshead has some health issues at  
the moment and is not available to assist in this effort.


I will start the project to redesign the background graphic and the code  
for the navigation menus of home and template pages so we know how many  
additional menu items we will have room for. We can't make reasonable  
judgements on a new navigation architecture until we know how much space we  have. Oth
erwise it would be like trying to build a car engine without knowing  how 
big the engine compartment was. The home page is the only difficult page.  
The other pages follow on a limited number of templates.


When we have sufficient statistical data to make thoughtful judgement on  
what the top level and submenu items should be, we can submit and get  board 
approval on the new navigation architecture, just as I did before  
implementing the current architecture. 


The final version of the home page and navigation panel will be presented  
to the board for approval before it is implemented.


Because we will have new and ongoing statistical information, and because  
we will have the great deal more flexibility than we  have today with the 
top level menu items, we will have the ability  to modify all levels of the 
menu structure iteratively as frequently as the  situation warrants and the 
board desires. 




I have provided the statistics we currently have available  before, but 
certainly not on a regular basis. The chart below shows the most  recent daily 
averages and monthly totals  



 

Thanks

John
__________________ 
John and Joanne  Jones
Registrar-Recorders, American Iris  Society

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