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WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version Bill Pritchard Steve Johnson Information Technology

WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

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WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version. Bill Pritchard  Steve Johnson Information Technology. What You Will Hear Today. Brand-identity Goals for unit websites Content-driven websites vs. code-driven The WOW project: “pushbutton” websites A WOW II walkthrough - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

WOW!“Pushbutton” Websites

September 6, 2011 Version

Bill Pritchard Steve JohnsonInformation Technology

Page 2: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

What You Will Hear Today

• Brand-identity Goals for unit websites• Content-driven websites vs. code-driven• The WOW project: “pushbutton” websites• A WOW II walkthrough• Caveats/Restrictions/Limitations• What to do next

Page 3: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

WOW Target Audience

• Units without FSO-CS/SO-CS• Units with no Website• Units with neglected Websites• FSO-CS/SO-CS without Web experience• Experienced Website designers with no time

Page 4: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Reasons to Have a Unit Website?

• Attract new members a “touchstone” for candidates.

• Attract students to Public Education events• Share information among unit members• Unit pride• Many more…

Page 5: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Reasons to Not Have a Unit Website?

• Programming is arcane, difficult to do well• Easy to do a bad job; hard to do a good one• Bad website is worse than none

– Makes the unit look bad; discourages visitors– Makes the Auxiliary look bad

• Neglected website worse than a bad one– Tells the world “you don’t care”

Page 6: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Website Status in August 2011

• 16 Districts– All have websites

• 171 Divisions– 146 have websites (85%)– 25 do not (15%)

• 974 Flotillas– 646 have known websites (66%)– 328 do not (34%)– Many of the 646 are neglected…

We can change this significantly with little effort…

Page 7: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Auxiliary Quality/Brand Identity Goals

• Have all 974 Flotillas, 171 divisions, 16 districts look part of the same organization

• Meet a minimum standard of website quality– Visual appeal– “Modernity”– Ease of navigation

• Standardized “templates” helped many…

Page 8: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

The Great Dilemma: Separating Website Program from Content

• Obsolete model (Early Internet, current AUX)– Programmer = writer/editor = graphic designer– Dead for 10+ years; alive and well in the Auxiliary

• Modern Website model: Three specialists– Program/platform (software and database tools)– Content (words, pictures; what the site says…)– Graphics (layout, composition, look and feel)

Page 9: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Ideal Site: Content Driven

Page 10: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

The Great Dilemma: Separating Website Program from Content

• Obsolete model (Early Internet, current AUX)– Programmer = writer/editor = graphic designer– Dead for 10+ years; alive and well in the Auxiliary

• Modern Website model: Three specialists– Program/platform (software and database tools)– Graphics (layout, composition, look and feel)– Content (words, pictures; what the site says…)

Page 11: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

The Great Dilemma: Separating Website Program from Content

Page 12: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

“PUSHBUTTON”WEBSITES

The WOW Project

Page 13: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

The WOW Project:“Pushbutton” Websites

• Any unit: an instant site• Personalized to your unit

– Staff Listing– Contact and meeting info– Public Education Course

• Calendar

• Zip Code Course Finder

• Instant “Flyer”

• Stop now, add more later…

Page 14: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

How “Instant”?

1. Open a web browser

2. Type wow.uscgaux.info

3. Enter your Aux credentials

4. Enter your unit

5. Press “Log In”

Elapsed time: 15 seconds

Page 15: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Very “Instant”…

6. Click “Configure Site”

7. Click “Enable Site”

Page 16: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

And were done…HOME PAGE: About the

Auxiliary

PE COURSE LIST BY ZIP CODE

UNIT’S STAFF LIST

CONTACT & MEETING INFO

Elapsed time: 25 seconds

Page 17: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

But wait! There’s more…

1st 25 Seconds:• Home page• Flotilla meeting &

contact info• Current staff list• Public Education

Course Finder• Links to

– Division Site– District Site– National Site

• Log on for staff contact info

Every 5 Minutes:• Unit calendars• Rolling announcements• Members Only (passwd)• Unlimited Custom Pages• External links• Feeds

– AIS– Weather– Twitter– Anything else

• Prospective Member Program Form (coming)

• Much, much more…

Page 18: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Bottom line – WOW Websites

• Basic site in 25 seconds• No excuse for any flotilla or division to not

have a basic, always up-to-date Web presence.• Trivial to expand site with no computer skills• So easy, unit’s elected officers can do • Help fill your PE classes, attract members

Aux-04 Website C-School being streamlined; students want only WOW. CHDIRAUX has approved.

Page 19: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

ONLINE PE CALENDAR DATABASE

The WOW Project

Page 20: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

National PE Calendar Database

What is it?• Central database with (potentially) all PE

courses in the country• Maintained by PE officers at the flotilla level• Entered courses show up on all WOW

websites (unit or Zip Code searches)• “Instant” Course flyer with time, date, details• Entry generates an electronic “Notice of Intent

to Teach” form (7023), emails to District

Page 21: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

How does it work?

A WOW Website is not required to participate

PE Dashboard URL: http://wow.uscgaux.info/PE_signin.php

Page 22: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version
Page 23: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

DSO-PE

Page 24: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Zip Code Class Search – Any WOW Site

Page 25: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

“Instant”Printable

Color Flyer

Meeting Details and Contact Info

Zoomable location map

Course SyllabusCourse Syllabus

Page 26: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Bottom Line – National PE Course Database – Flotilla Perspective

• Fill out your 7023 Form online, and you’re in.• Generates the District paperwork and sends

via email. You’re done.• If you don’t use it, nearby flotillas who do will

siphon away some of your students due to the Zip code search.

• Paper 7023’s can be entered for you by an SO or DSO, but…how last Century…

• IT Group will convert and load any district databases in existence – one time

Page 27: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

WOW Takeaway

• It’s to your advantage for your unit to have a modern Website that is current.

• Those without can have one in less than a minute.

• WOW sites are important as public portals into your PE course offerings

Page 28: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

The WOW Project:“Pushbutton” Websites

• NOT a template…• A true, data-driven (content-driven) site• The website is already built –• The unit just puts in the content (words,

occasional images)

Page 29: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Demo (to follow)

• Logging onto the WOW website• “Enabling” the site• Reviewing your default site

– Logged in versus logged out

• Adding a public education page• Adding a PE course• Viewing a PE flyer• Creating a members only “Blog”• Converting from WOW-I: a division site• Link to another site

Page 30: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Live Demo Site

Page 31: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

What Else Can You Do?

• Links to other Websites • Custom Pages (unlimited)• Re-order the menu items• Announcements/items that expire• Upload photographs/artwork (within reason)• Upload documents to link/serve

Page 32: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

What about images?

• Images are uploaded to WOW• Stored on WOW server “in the cloud”

– Folder for each unit is supported– Photos are “bit reduced” when uploaded

• Be prudent: Use images to sweeten web pages only.

• Put “photo galleries” on commercial sites– Embed with an iframe tag

We reserve the right to limit photos at any time.

Page 33: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

What if You Know HTML?

• Use it on any page• Accomplish any fine-grained task

Except for workarounds, not recommended, because you will not always be the CS officer

Page 34: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Public Access to Your WOW Site

http://axxxyyzz.wow.uscgaux.info

http://a1141204.wow.uscgaux.info

Page 35: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

VIRTUALSERVER

wow.uscgaux.info

WOW Application

DOCUMENTS&

IMAGES

UNITTABLES

Under the Hood

http://axxxyyzz.wow.uscgaux.info

WOWDASHBOARD

WOW II Application

Page 36: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Early returns…

“You enabled me to create a website for my flotilla... Thank you so much. I am truly grateful….”Marti Bright-Jordan, Flotilla CommanderFlotilla 11-10 11SR Palm Desert

"As SO-CS for the San Diego Division, I gained sufficient knowledge during a single WOW seminar to quickly create and customize websites for three flotillas that have never had one.” Randy Houk, SO-CSDivision 1 11SR San Diego

Page 37: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Summary

• WOW-II offers an immediate Web presence to units without Websites or webmasters;

• WOW sites are built around content, not around computer coding; Ordinary mortals such as Flotilla Commanders can maintain;

• WOW sites can be tailored easily by such mortals to the unit’s specific needs.

Page 38: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Suggestions to DSO’s for Promoting WOW

• Give this presentation at Division Meetings– Reason: All Flotilla Commanders are there– Invite FSO-CSs to join; make it a “big deal”– Tailor statistics and demos herein for your District

• Appoint an ADSO-CS/UW (Unit Websites)– One job only: “100% of flotillas have websites by 2012”– OK, one other job: analyze other flotillas for “stinkers”;gently move to WOW (Website GAR)

• Use the SO-CS’s– They are often under utilized…

OMG! Some-thing to DO!

SO

Page 39: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Prototype Disclaimer

• WOW is a project of the National Information Technology Computer Software and Systems (IC) group, who are volunteers just like you.

• “We make your job easier…”

Page 40: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version

Questions?

Page 41: WOW! “Pushbutton” Websites September 6, 2011 Version