Dear Jon et al,
I'm really in the Wordpress camp here - Collections Trust has tried to go down the 'hosted sites/simple templates' route before and while it works for some reasonably defined applications (such as Subject Specialist Networks) it is very hard to do sensibly and in a way that doesn't disenfranchise a museum from its own web publishing.
Similarly, while tools like Weebly are great for very basic web presence, they very quickly become frustrating for anyone wanting to do anything more creative.
There is an argument that, even though the barrier to entry for getting online has come crashing down, there is still a minimum requirement both in terms of basic technical knowledge and enough time/people to do the job. Even if you get them through the first hurdle and get the thing set up, how capable will they be of keeping the thing going?
Below this level (and bearing in mind that a Wordpress install takes 12 minutes including the time it takes to buy the hosting, which can cost as little as £5 a month) I'd argue that the efforts would be better expended making sure you have a really good and up-to-date listing on Culture24 (assuming the original 'organisation' is something like a museum or venue).
All best,
Nick
Nick Poole
Chief Executive
Collections Trust
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Pratty <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 15:48:18
To: [log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Simple diy website hosting service
Echoing James' point -
it's been in my mind for some time that someone - CT, MLA or perhaps another
cultural digital organisation - could maybe commission a simple-to-use
bespoke Wordpress template setup aimed at typical museum sector
users/institutions/requirements.
Coupled with some off-the-peg cloud hosting [which the lead org could
wholesale] and some basic 'how to set one up' training, we'd be meeting some
really basic needs that are not often met in the sector.
JP
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
James Morley
Sent: 09 September 2009 15:28
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Simple diy website hosting service
I'd echo thoughts re: Wordpress, though you'd also want your provider to
give some (simple)guidelines/training as to use. That said, there's a huge
amount of documentation out there anyway, and you'd probably just want them
to distil it down to the key bits for the particular site.
On the other hand I do know a friend, with no experience, has just used
Vistaprint for her new B&B (<plug>http://www.streamcombefarm.co.uk/ -
beautiful if you need to get away from it all and have amazing
food!</plug>). She found it good as an end user, even though at first
glance it's something I wouldn't touch with a barge pole! In fact looking
at the site from an SEO and accessibility point of view I still wouldn't
touch it with a barge pole for something in our sector, so maybe there's a
good lesson there?
In my view a little bit of investment with a good developer/host and
something like Wordpress would certainly pay dividends.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
James Morley [log in to unmask]
Website Manager Tel. +44 (0)20 8332 5759
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew www.kew.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Jon Pratty
> Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 3:05 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Simple diy website hosting service
>
> Suzanne
>
> I think Wordpress takes a lot of beating. You can either use
> their free, hosted version, or download the full, 'host it
> yourself' option, which allows for quite a lot of user-customisation.
>
> Slightly left field, Ning also does good stuff, though
> there's much less you can modify and customise about it.
>
> The good thing about Wordpress is that there are legions of
> Wordpress developers/customisers/supporters who can set one
> up for you, download updates when needed and make it look
> really good. It's entered the web ecosystem.
>
> JP
>
> Jon Pratty
>
> Publisher/Manager
> Disability Arts Online
> [log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk
> <http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk>
> Twitter: follow us @disabilityarts
> Facebook: join our group http://tinyurl.com/kkks5e Check our
> FB fanpage: http://tinyurl.com/m43x86
>
> Mobile: 07739 287392
> 9/10 Jew Street, Brighton, BN1 1UT
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
> Behalf Of S Keene
> Sent: 09 September 2009 13:55
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Simple diy website hosting service
>
>
> Hi,
>
> I'm looking for a service to provide the means for a very
> small organisation with no technical skills to make a website
> and maintain it.
>
> The most likely source so far is the ISP Namesco, which
> offers a basic diy online service to create a simple website
> and edit and it as time goes on. The advantage of this is
> that a single organisation will register the URL, host the
> website and provide email forwarding, as it is quite baffling
> for people to deal with separate sources doing different things.
>
> But other ISPs must do this too - and maybe there are other solutions.
> (I rule out BT from terrible past experience). I'm sure some
> people will have cracked this - suggestions welcome,
>
> Suzanne Keene
>
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