Website Changeover

This page is for organizing our thinking for the website changeover. Also refer to Webadmin for the basics of how we run our website.

General Goals of our site (again, and expanded)

• Get info about FG to people who want to know
  • anglophons, hispanophone, frankophone,
  • Interested parties:
    • Potential volunteers
    • Individual and corp. donors
    • Major donors and those into collectives
    • Store customers
    • Environmentalists
    • Geeks
    • Free Geek-like org.s, new FGs
• Accessible site - no flash, limit javascript, easy to view over dial-up connection
• Give volunteers an opportunity to learn web skills

Tech wants

• easy/quick for staff and volunteers to maintain
• Looks clean/nice
• Admin: pretty easy to learn to admin, easy to add users and priileges, easy to make new pages, easy to change layout of old pages
• Quick load-up for dial-up users
• Volunteer opportunities: learn webby stuff: html and web dev/management
• RSS feed
• limit javascript
• make empty website for new FGs

Structure Wants

This was a brainstorm, so not limited.

• submenus
• rss feed
• (simple calendar)
• photo area
• diggs for news items
• open links in new tabs (confusing for new computer users?)
• every page: hours/location/contact link, search
• no blog-looking posty stuff except on community news page
• truncated latest news post on front page. full articles on community news page.
• Creative commons link at bottom of all pages like current site

Layout/Preferences

This was a brainstorm, so not limited.

• press area
• corporate hardware donor thanks page
• friends links
• family links
• page on harmful stuff in computers
• photo area
• map images with links - google, trimet, bycycle
• more prominent hours, location, phone number on front page
• no scroll on front page: simple!
• more information in other languages, primarily Spanish (Rob's willing to help!)

Branding

Values, morals, who are we? (from MK, Matteo, Shawn, Laurel B.)

• reuse/recycling
• community
• environmentalism
• chaotic
• casual
• empowered
• open source
• global
• creative
• comfortable with change
• sustainable/green
• community resource
• fun

Not all of these values need to be portrayed to outside audiences. For example, showing too much of our fun and chaotic side might scare away corporate donors.

Current Website

What does the current website portray?

• simple
• busy
• dated
• constrained
• red=wrong
• intelligent and fun (writing style)

Wants

• Simple front page (don't scroll down much, if at all)
• tux clarification/use less (it's not the FG logo!)
• Muted colors
• new scheme (green?)
• fading colors/gradients
• Maybe change logo? If not, we could incorporate it into the belly of a robot.
• Robot + people + recycle symbol + logo

Website Structure

Front page: last news page/blog post, truncated, visible digg, etc. links; link box with 4 main choices: donate, volunteer, thrift store, earn computer, RSS, sign-for email newsletter, a few sponsor logos

All pages: contact box on side with hours, location, contact info; creative commons license note on bottom; link back to home page on bottom; link to home page on top; ability to post multiple photos and have a range of choice of where the pics go on the page

• VOLUNTEER
  • Index. Include Anyone who wants to volunteer time at FREE GEEK and can make it to our facility is welcome. No computer experience is required. Our facility is mostly handicapped-accessible, and we are sensitive to and can work with people with different abilities. and tour note. Also point to submenu options so they know where to go next. Plain
  • Build Program/tours Plain
  • Adoption Program: classes, tours Plain with submenu item
    • Our software: why linux? what's it like? Plain
  • Info for current volunteers: extra volunteering opportunities, including post-Build and -Adoption options, Tech Support (link to wiki, or FAQ) Plain
    • Tech support plain
    • classes calendar
  • Como voluntario Plain
  • internships (plain)-> descriptions (plain) -> webform (webform connected to RT) or intern question form (webform connected to RT) -> "thanks for submitting data" (plain)

• DONATE
  • What we take: list, suggested donations/fees, wishlist plain
  • Hard Drives: security plain
  • How we recycle: where does stuff go, how is it recycled? environmental impact of e-waste plain
  • I need a pickup: business, interested in organizing recycling event, contact info plain
  • Donate money: checks, online plain

• HARDWARE GRANTS
  • Index: info about what you can and can't get, eligibility, education for recipients plain-> web form web form -> "thanks for submitting data" plain
  • Past recipients plain

• MEDIA
  • Press Releases: Latest press release and archive of old press releases, contact plain
  • Mission/background/boilerplate, contact plain -> Environmental impact of e-waste plain
  • Fact Sheet: FOSS, education, business model, stats, contact plain
  • Media mentions/testimonials/awards plain, archives accessible (auto-archived, maybe?)
  • Multimedia: photos, video, audio medium/large photo thumbnails, links to video and audio - many formats, all downloadable
  • Printme: printable packet of latest press release, boilerplate, fact sheet, media mentions plain with link to .pdf or .ps packet

• ABOUT US
  • 1st page: Community News Blog blog. full stories visible. archives accessible (auto-archived, maybe?). digg, etc. links for each story. comments turned off.
  • Mission/background, "get involved!" link plain
  • Structure: collective/Consensus plain
    • Council plain
    • Board plain
    • Staff plain, photo next to each listing
  • FOSS plain
  • FAQ plain
  • Jobs plain
  • Site map can wordpress automatically create a site map?
  • Making Contact: include links to maps for bike, transit, car, mention press@, link to tech support page plain-> a small flurry of 3 webforms: webforms email info@, volunteer@, special tabling form goes to info@

• SALES
  • Thrift Store: stuff we don't have, stuff we usually have, sample pricing, polite way of saying we won't go searching through our building for that proprietary rail you NEED plain
  • Bulk plain
  • Online plain, possibly be able to suck in stuff from ebay store in the future?

• INTERGALACTIC
  • Family plain-> franchise application webform webform emails RT -> thanks for submitting data

• LINKS
  • Folks like us plain
  • Links to places we like/resources for those in need plain

Committee Input

C7

• Board - bio page
• Staff - bio page
• Council - "light" tutorial about Council so they're informed before they come in (using consensus, this is the format of the meeting, active volunteers are encouraged to help create FG's future)
• also, how to educate people about where to bring their issues/needs (for current volunteers) (?)
• Structure - explains FG's structure (make explicit Staff Collective), available from "About Us" Overview
• mission/background in "about us" section (http://www.freegeek.org/mission.php )
  • questions about grammar (run-on sentences), numbers, PAWC
• Fact Sheet for most current year
  • computers granted, given to volunteers, revenue, etc.

Technocrats

Current page: http://freegeek.org/linuxlink.php

• Change page name to something like "foss"
• remove window manager mention
• add technologies and links:
  • Debian on almost all servers
  • LTSP on terminals
  • mediawiki
  • mailman
  • RT
  • squirrelmail
  • wordpress
• Make better or remove jargon file: link to random jargon item? http://www.panix.com/~ilaine/jargon/jargon.cgi
• servers are on donated hardware, which sometimes needs creative solutions: once we ran out database off a staff member's laptop for a day while we fixed the main server
• link to tecchie internships

Knowledge Bees

Pages:

• Adoption
  • lookin' pretty good
  • pictures of wide range of adopters
• Build
  • new: curriculum (keep it short): describe in terms of what they'll learn and how, you don't have to be a geek - if you can follow a recipe, you'll most likely do well in the build program. self-paced program, peer to peer learning/teaching.
  • keep: tours, basic explanation of program.
• Classes
  • Laurel will write it
  • pictures of wide range adopters
• Tech support
  • hours, policy, contact (including email)
• linux: why? what is it?
  • Michael will write it

Audiences:

• potential volunteers: understanding and excitement
• existing volunteers: updates, expanded info, classes
• donors
• hippies/enviros