[consulting] Keeping Web Sites Updated

[Jesse Feiler]

With Drupal (and to a lesser extent with Wordpress) the actual site maintenance is minimal. You just need someone who is able to identify issues and (hopefully) tell people not to worry.

In my experience, what these groups really need isn't the technical support they think they need but the coaching and support for the actual content creation and management. A list of recent issues that I think are pretty typical (because this list hasn't changed in years, although these are the recent ones):

. please don't put meeting/event announcements on the basic pages--please put them on the calendar so they automatically flow into Upcoming Events
. please try to put at least one image in each story--it makes the site more interesting (sidenote: update via iBlogger or another tool from a smartphone with a camera)
. every few months a 10-minute session on resizing images (if you don't do it automatically in Drupal)
. once a year 15 minutes review of roles and permissions (board management staff and management change and need to know the options)
. remind people to comment on the site not on private email so that the site is active
. once a year review of domain registration and contacts (at least two so that you never lose access to the site--it's really nasty when you have to go through the registrar after a contact leaves/dies/loses interest)
. make sure you have RSS feeds--local papers and other media seem to like them even more than press releases and email. I think the reason is that if they come to a hole in an issue of a paper or magazine, they've got some feeds they can check to pick something to use. (I'm avoiding the word "filler" but I will mention that this sort of thing seems to happen on an emergency basis at the last minute before something goes to press.)

It's much more interesting to dream big dreams which we all love to do (and often do), but these seem to be the needs for a lot of nonprofits.


On May 11, 2010, at 9:55 AM, George Lee <georgeleejr617 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Whatever is reliable, which I would guess is the latter -- but hoping
> there's a good way to find paid folks less intense than full-out
> full-price web developers, since it's just about maintaining web
> sites.
> 
> Peace, community, justice,
> - George
> 
> 
> On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 9:48 AM, Sam Cohen <sam at samcohen.com> wrote:
>> George,
>> 
>> Are you asking how these nonprofits can find volunteers or how they can find
>> paid contractors?
>> 
>> Sam
>> 
>> On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 9:40 AM, George Lee <georgeleejr617 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi all,
>>> 
>>> Scenario: Imagine a small non-profit working to keep its web site
>>> updated - HTML generated by Dreamweaver, not Drupal, not too many
>>> pages. Like a lot of groups I know they struggle with keeping it
>>> updated. A couple options:
>>> 
>>> (1) Someone updates the pages about once a month
>>> (2) Move to a system like Wordpress, Drupal, etc. where they can log
>>> in and update pages themselves; have someone else maintain the
>>> underlying machinery, themes, etc. when needed
>>> 
>>> In either case, if the group needs someone not in-house to do this --
>>> how do they best find someone, and how do they set it up right? For
>>> (1) for instance, could a group just Craiglist someone, offer a decent
>>> rate (I don't know what that would be), and sign a contract? For (2),
>>> how do they find someone?
>>> 
>>> Right now I see a lot of groups relying on volunteers or random
>>> connects, and then they struggle getting the person to actually follow
>>> through. I'm helping some groups fill that gap myself, but I also want
>>> to give them advice how they can find other people in general.
>>> 
>>> Thanks.
>>> 
>>> Peace, community, justice,
>>> - George
>>> 
>> 



Jesse Feiler

North Country Consulting
32 MacDonough Street, #1
Plattsburgh,  NY  12901

(518)335-5915

www.northcountryconsulting.com