There are many many different ways to pull off a web site. I found that it wasn't just my students School's web site that was out of date, but many of the web sites in our school system out of date when I started looking. I thought about setting up a web site for the PTO I was/am working with too.
I found the biggest problem at the school was good communication. I found that about 1/3 of our parents did not have email addresses.
Then I thought again! Setting up and maintaining a web site is a lot of work. Is this where I am needed the most? I may be willing to do it, but will someone that follows me also be willing or capable of doing so? I asked myself, how did the school web sites come to be outdated?
The possible answers I came up with are lack of feedback on content, lack of training, lack of tools, lack of sources of new data, and lack of encouragement.
I started with a mention that we needed to have something added. I followed up at appropriate intervals, so as not to appear to be nagging, until it happened. I then praised the person that did the updating. I did this praising privately and publicly. Next time, the updatign happened even faster.
At times I still preformat the data to make it easier for the webmaster to include.
As it turned out the tools and training weren't as big an issue as the source of new data, feedback and encouragement.
Good luck in making the best decision is for your PTO!
Does the PTO have a part on the website or is it only the school's website.
This is where we had a problem and still do-- the school's website is never up to date-- but when you now link to the pto website, we are very up-to-date.
Especially our calender. That was a must for me--
But I did learn that pictures were hard to keep updated and when to take old ones off- so at this time, we have to photos from events-- we use our bulletin board in the school for those. Keep on trying-- it is worth it, especially for working parents.
Thanks everyone. Our school does have a School web site but they didn't up date it til Dec., this was after I suggested the pto website, and it is still not up to date. In the "Whats happening now" section they have school pictures that are more than 3 years old (or older). I feel like pulling my hair out because everything moves so Slow...by the time everything is approved (at the rate we are moving ) it will will be the end of our next school year before anythings done...
Check out
Orgsites
It is a free website & directory for organizations. We use it for ours:
Lake Center
Try it out and see if you can do it. I'm guessing that you would be the one getting it set up and running. Unless you know how to put it all together, this is a great site for those of use with just a smattering of knowledge. Also the fact that it's free is a bonus. The domain name can be a bit long, but their are alternatives. The thought of one more item on the plate could be part of the current board's hesitation. Unless you have someone willing to do the time of upkeeping it, you run into trouble.
One of the biggest factors to keep in mind is having someone to keep it updated. There is nothing worse than having the site, advertising it and then not keeping it current. That's the quickest way to turn people off and not use it. Also keep in mind that it will take a long period of time before people regularly use it as a means of getting information.
I agree about doing your research first. I would have several options available in writing for your group. Also, give them a list of the websites you visited so they can see for themselves what type of possibilities are out there. The cost is minimal compared to mailings. It is so convenient to have websites. Once you get your website going, make sure you list it on everything that goes out to your parents. We handed out magnets for the fridge at the beginning of the school year with the basic school info along with our website address and we have had a great response. Don't give up!
