ARC website overhaul - Ideas?

[mojo]

I'm starting a new ARC project of an overhaul of our current www.atlantareefclub.org website, and would like to get ideas from members (and non-members alike!) about what they would like to see on a "perfect club web site".

First, I'd like to tip my hat to Sammy, who has done a great job with the web site so far. We're updating with new look and functionality, not because of anything Sammy has or hasn't done! Sammy will continue to be involved in the redesign.

So.... Let's hear some ideas. Personally, I'd like to see some of the following:

• Look and feel overhaul
• One page per month with notes and possibly a video of the speaker (available to paid members only)
• local/regional frag-swap page (similar to frags.org, but for local people)
• Integrated forums, where the members have the same identity throughout the site
• Member pages, where people can post as much or little as they want to about themselves, including pics of their tanks, etc. Your membership status may be included as well (privately).
• Info pages about GA Aquarium, MACNA, SWU, etc

Remember that we've only got limited resources, and all effort is donated, so we can't do everything. This is only the "idea gathering" phase.

So- fire away with ideas!

[kwl1763]

Map and directions to LFSs. You can highlight/bold whatever the sponsers if need be but anyone visiting wants to know that.

[emau]

sammy has done a great job w/ it, and it's a good website. keeps you up to date, informed, info about meeting ect. but... don't most people use this website instead?
your ideas are great and would be helpfull.
i would like to be able to post pictures easily, and i mean easy...
just my 1 cent worth
peace
e

[bauerbach]

biggest thing that could be done for the forum is more traffic, this site has the announcements and discussion more so than that one.

other than that, the website seems to have things laid out nicely. sponsors are listed nicely(though cappacinno bays address conflicts with their website, different street number if memory serves, close enough for government work, could maybe perfect it though)

[akula]

I have seen "push pin" type maps showing members locations. I will post a link to show what it looks like and I assume from that you can figure out how to get it.

http://www.frappr.com/southernjeeps

[mojo]

These are great ideas - any others? Think "outside the tank"

[kwl1763]

I agree with a concerted effort to push traffic over there. Better exposure for the sponsers, etc. etc. But will require discipline from everyone here to switch over.

One other thing I thought of was a database of instructions for things like Salifert kits, MRC skimmers, Reeftek calcium reactors, etc.

[Blorton]

I'm new, but here's something I think would be helpful...

Break the for sale and wanted stuff up into several areas, for sale could be broken into seperate equipment and livestock areas and the same could be done for a "wanted" area. Might be nice to also have a Ferengi Free Zone where folks only interested in trades could post, as well as poor people looking for handouts.

Also would be helpful on the above areas if old posts or sold items were removed after a set time has elapsed. Sometimes people post stuff for sale and either sell it and never update the original post or disappear altogether.

And I agree that herding folks over to that area from here would be better for sponsorships.

Dan

[bauerbach]

not to poopoo your idea, but Ive seen this done on a car forum board, and its more of a pain than a help.

if it could automaticly go into a main category and select a sub category like ebay does, thatd be great. but otherwise, its annoying if you have to click on 5 different forums when your not really "looking" for anything specific. just seeing whats available. know what I mean?

[akula]

"Also would be helpful on the above areas if old posts or sold items were removed after a set time has elapsed. Sometimes people post stuff for sale and either sell it and never update the original post or disappear altogether."

As the moderator for that section, your idea has come up before. I was deleting threads when it appeared the item was sold but then it was suggested that leaving them in place may be beneficial to some as it gives a person that is looking around an idea of what the going price is for various items. after that suggestion I defaulted to leaving things as is with the occasional moving of a thread to a more appropriate sub forum. due to the relative size of the section, holding onto old posts does not create a problem for now.

[mojo]

Another idea I had was the ability for our sponsors to be able to login and edit some current deals. It'd have to have an expiration date. Our sponsors would have a regular account, like any other user.

[georgiajams]

Another idea I had was the ability for our sponsors to be able to login and edit some current deals.

Mojo, sounds good. Can you elaborate? Are you talking about something different than the sponsor forums?

[mojo]

Originally Posted by georgiajams

Mojo, sounds good. Can you elaborate? Are you talking about something different than the sponsor forums?

Not really sure where I was going - just thinking outloud. Basically, I envision everyone having their account info online - maybe a profile of themsevles, a picture of their tank, find their current posts, current things for sale/trade, etc. Kindof like the forums now, but all integrated with the website.

Take that one step further, and give our sponsors a login as well. On their "user page", they could have a picture of their storefront, their logo, or whatever. In their description, they may tell a bit about their store. One further item may be a "current deals" that lists out the current specials or upcoming events that may or may not be directly related to ARC members.

Make sense? Valuable?