WOW Pushbutton Websites September 6 2011 Version Bill

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 Caveats/Restrictions/Limitations What to do next

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

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…

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”

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…

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…

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)

Ideal Site: Content Driven

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…)

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 • A New Aux Website model: “n”non-specialists – Program/platform (software and database tools) Canned – Graphics (layout, composition, look and feel) Included – Content (words, pictures; what the site says…) Whomever

The WOW Project “PUSHBUTTON” WEBSITES

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…

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

Very “Instant”… 6. Click “Configure Site” 7. Click “Enable Site”

And were done… HOME PAGE: About the Auxiliary UNIT’S STAFF LIST CONTACT & MEETING INFO PE COURSE LIST BY ZIP CODE Elapsed time: 25 seconds

But wait! There’s more… 1 st 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…

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.

The WOW Project ONLINE PE CALENDAR DATABASE

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

How does it work? A WOW Website is not required to participate PE Dashboard URL: http: //wow. uscgaux. info/PE_signin. php

DSO-PE

Zip Code Class Search – Any WOW Site

“Instant” Printable Color Flyer Meeting Details and Contact Info Course Syllabus Zoomable location map

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

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

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)

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

Live Demo Site

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

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.

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

Public Access to Your WOW Site http: //axxxyyzz. wow. uscgaux. info http: //a 1141204. wow. uscgaux. info

Under the Hood WOW DASHBOA RD VIRTUAL SERVER wow. uscgaux. info WOW Application WOWIIApplication UNIT TABLES DOCUMENT S & IMAGES http: //axxxyyzz. wow. uscgaux. info

Early returns… “You enabled me to create a website for my flotilla. . . Thank you so much. I am truly grateful…. ” Marti Bright-Jordan, Flotilla Commander Flotilla 11 -10 11 SR 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-CS Division 1 11 SR San Diego

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.

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! Something to DO! SO

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…”

Questions?