[SEDS Alumni Board] seds.org Clarity

[Kirk Kittell]

'Scuse me while I whip this out: http://blogs.seds.org

The nice thing about the blogs is that I can set up the RSS feed so that
info comes to me (via http://reader.google.com; RSS is still relatively
novel to me). Whenever someone updates the SEDSAT-2 blog, I get a
notification, along with other RSS feeds like Frank's Google Earth Blog,
the RSS feed from the SEDSWiki "recent changes" page, etc.

We've spent a few months practicing with the software, and it's ready to
go. Probably the RSS feeds can be incorporated into the main pages at
seds.org... ? Ask Guy MacArthur, guymac at gmail.com, the guy who did much of
the setup.

I'm fascinated by the idea that the project members and chapter leaders
and national leaders could be creating their own content that becomes the
face of seds.org. Perhaps you could encourage more participation and
communication by giving them the microphone. On the other end of the
spectrum, Liz, you could play off the AAS execs' fascination with
"communicating like the kids" by doing your "We Were There" project as a
regular installment on a blog; this could expand your idea slightly by
allowing Q&A via comments in addition to the interview.

If you'd like a tour around the SEDS Blogs, let me know -- could help you
set up a sandbox blog or something for exec, chapters, whatever-you-like.


from AZ,
-Kirk

On Mon, April 9, 2007 3:32 pm, Frank Taylor wrote:
> Hi Ryan,
>
>
> I concur that adding new content on a regular basis will be very
> helpful.  Especially because I believe the site should be adapted to draw
> more attention from the general public to the benefit of SEDS in two ways:
> 1) to draw more students in to become chapter
> members or to start new chapters; and 2) to help generate funds for
> National SEDS by generating enough traffic that advertising
> revenue can be derived from the site.  Actually, the site already generates
> enough traffic to earn at least several hundred dollars a month if set up
> properly.
>
> I recommend the web site developers should coordinate with chapter
> newsletters and adopt interesting content from chapter newsletters on  a
> regular basis in a section on the home page.  A blurb with a link to the
> real article (either at the chapter's newsletter web site if they have
> one, or a separate newsletter-article archive web page on the site. In
> fact, it could be done as a blog with RSS excerpts appearing on the home
> pages.  A blog would have other benefits from a traffic generating
> perspective.
>
> Speaking of blogs, a blog format for messages from the SEDS
> executive highlighting what's going on with the organization and chapters
> would be a suitable, and more modern, way of keeping the chapters and
> members informed.
>
> To help increase traffic, I think it would be useful if chapters
> got together and helped develop some space related content that might be of
> general public interest.  The Nine Planets content was SEDS
> member-developed and still generates a great deal of traffic.  Similar
> basic space-related content could be developed and hosted on the SEDS site
> to generate traffic (which could also include some tasteful ads).  The
> resulting ad revenue could be used to pay for server hosting, and help
> fund national projects. It is my belief that properly set up, the site
> could generate a substantial percentage of the SEDS national budget.
>
> Frank Taylor
>
>
>
> Ryan McLinko wrote:
>
>>
>> I am attempting to increase the clarity/effectiveness of seds.org so
>> that it may more easily convey the many things that SEDS-USA is doing.
>>
>> Some potentially interesting opportunities, such as a potential
>> co-sponsorship of a conference, have been missed because of this.
>>
>> There are several problems and I would like advice on how to fix:
>> 1.) the front page looks relatively static
>> 2.) the front page doesn't effectively portray the many projects we are
>> involved in 3.) the front page doesn't effectively capture people who may
>>  potentially want to start a chapter
>>
>> If you have some advice on how to approach these things (or can think
>> of any other problems), then please let me know.  Thanks for your help.
>>
> _______________________________________________
> SEDS-Alumni-Board mailing list
> SEDS-Alumni-Board at seds.org
> http://seds.org/mailman/listinfo/seds-alumni-board
>
>
>


____________________________________________________
Kirk Kittell

kittell at seds.org
Mobile: +1 703-475-9212