[Sagamore Online] Website Discussion

[Dave Allen Barker Jr]

Thanks, John.  We don't have to be video stars.


    Domains

Remember (non-technical folks), domains in our control, such as
sagamorehillspta.org or sagamorehillselementary.com can be used with any
website platform (Wordpress, Google Sites, etc.).  The domain name
decision and platform decision are independent.

I haven't thought much yet on which domain to go with.


    Platform


      District

John, is the Sagamore district site on eSchoolView
<https://fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us/%7Eits/?OpenItemURL=S1DEDC58F>, as you
suggested earlier?  Who's been working on Sagamore's district site?  I
see it's getting some action (old site content imported, calendar
entries, some news, etc.).

As fugly as it is, I'm actually not against us investing in it almost
exclusively.  It obviously has:

  * "Authority"
  * Little maintenance
  * Might generate some forced school staff contributions
  * Up-to-date staff contact information

But then of course, it is ugly, and I wonder if we (volunteers) can:

  * Login and make edits
  * Backup and extract content so we can, in the future, take our
    investment in content to a different platform
  * Live with ourselves


      PTA

John, it sounds like you're leaning towards Wordpress?  Anyone else want
to chime in?

My Google Sites experiment
<http://test-google-sites.sagamorehillspta.org/> has /not/ blown me
away.  Possible advantages that did /not/ materialize were:

  * Simplified individual logins (wrecked by how Google Drive assigns
    file ownership)
  * Google Drive integration (a bit clunky and distracts from real web
    content)

Though it is nice for an organization like ours (and the corporate
intranets Google Sites mainly serves) that there's really no
maintenance.  Unlike Wordpress (I think), which does require at least
some administering---like updating and upgrading (at least for security,
if not because of forced obsolescence)---which is unnecessary with
Google Sites.  But, like John mentioned, we can probably scrape together
enough Wordpress expertise for our needs.


    Issues

Back to some internet-age old questions:

  * Must there always be two sites?  For example, a district hosted site
    where school staff (e.g. principal) feel comfortable communicating,
    and a PTA hosted site driven more by volunteers?
  * For a PTA hosted site, shall we recommit to Wordpress as its web
    platform (vs Google Sites or something else)?
  * Domain name change?
  * Not enough partying

I don't think anything in this discussion slows the work David and I are
doing right now to imagine, organize, and test, new content for a future
website that better serves parents and volunteers; so we'll keep on
keepin' on there.

And you're right, John, I do browse without JavaScript (and cookies) by
default. ?


On 03/26/2014 02:40 PM, John R. Lenz wrote:
> Monday could possibly work for me but can/should we just handle this with email?
>
> Here's a couple of my random thoughts that could be paired with $3 and it will get you a large cup of hot coffee at starbucks:
>
> 1. I'm sure we could be sneaky and put some javascript into the new main site which could forward people to whatever site we want, unless of course the website visitor is Dave Barker who I'm pretty sure surfs the net with javascript disabled (Dave: am I right?) but this method would probably get people in trouble with the DeKalb County Website Overlords so nevermind. On to the next step:
>
> 2. SagamoreHillsElementary.com is a domain pointer owned by the community that I have access to that can be redirected to wherever the Sagamore Online List Mob wants. Currently it goes to the county site which is a clear ripoff of a design done by Nancy Shober in 1997.
>
> 3. Maybe we just continue down the path you and Mr. Klein have gone down with google sites and enlist contributors to fill in the content and point to the google sites domain?
>
> 4. Or go back to the wordpress installation/pta site (http://sagamorehillspta.org/) but update the theme so it doesn't look like a trainwreck and jam the content in there so we aren't having to do two sites? I would venture to guess that more of the Sagamore community understands wordpress than google sites. Also we could install a plugin that makes the site oh so responsive and mobile friendly, and/or get Peter Helander involved in using his automated software to display a mobile version as necessary http://www.mobilewebsitegurus.com/test-your-site/
>
> 5. Then we party.
>
> -John
>
>
> On Mar 26, 2014, at 1:02 PM, David E.F. Klein wrote:
>
>> I should be available for either time. 
>>
>> David
>>
>> DAVID E. F. KLEIN 
>>
>> On Mar 26, 2014, at 12:03 AM, "Dave Allen Barker Jr" <dave at 1.0ne.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Now that Sagamore's district site has changed (before/after), how about we get some Sagamore website discussion in before this Tuesday's Board meeting?
>>> How about a video conference (Google Hangout) at 8:30p tomorrow, Wed 26, or Mon 31?
>>> It'll be like the other "meetings" where you can choose to participate or just watch (live or later).
>>> I hope at least John and David can participate.  Please holler if there's a better time.
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