Welcome to our newsletter, key issues in this edition (dated August 17th 2024) include Members' Day reminder and details plus a call for a volunteer web master..
Click HERE for pre-May 23 newsletter; See separate archive HERE for earlier style newsletters)
MEMBER'S DAY
There is still time to input your preferences for location and workshop content for the next Members Day.
Please complete the form HERE.
WEBMASTER(S) NEEDED
Our Main Area website (HERE), Ribble website (HERE), Garstang Website (HERE) have been managed by one person who will not be available in the near future. They are independent sites. So we need one or more new webmasters, preferably while the current webmaster is still available for support.
There are two possible levels of interaction with these sites:
- A simple level requiring mostly word processing level skills.
- A more substantial full access requiring more significant webmaster skills.
There is also a support organisation providing tools, site support and substantial documentation.
The Ribble and Garstang websites are virtually identical, fairly simple and primarily provide an online presence to draw in possible new members.
The Area website contains the same basic elements as the other two but a great deal more to provide information to the whole Area.
The websites, host and URLs are Rambler funded but otherwise the sites are managed by the combination of local members and a distributed, volunteer, support group. Rambler staff have no involvement in these websites.
The majority of group and Area websites within the Ramblers are handled in this way (including Preston, Chorley, Fylde)
On a day to day basis the websites require minimal maintenance. Most commonly they are only updated when newsletters are released.
The websites automatically display all Area walks and various other dynamic displays, there is no human effort involved.
The text on all pages can be edited by simply logging into the website frontend and editing pages via a word processor interface. It is also possible to add pictures or PDFs or other documents with a trivial amount of guidance.
Hence it is possible for a member with basic IT skills to handle the bulk of website updates.
Changing structures, adding menus or galleries requires more comfort with a CMS (content Management System), in this case JOOMLA.
There is quite a bit of documentation available and the support team have provided quite a collection of standard functions to manage the common features of our websites (walk programme display etc).
The current webmaster, while quite IT literate, had little experience of such systems but has created all that is on the sites. So an interesting challenge is available if you are IT confident even if you have limited website knowledge.
WHAT DO WE SEEK?
The two simpler sites would benefit from someone to keep the site text more current and alive.To do that really only needs a basic level of IT literacy. Their structure rarely changes.The same is true of the Area site, even the quarterly updates to newsletters would only require that level. But we really do need someone who has, or is happy to develop, the skills needed to fully maintain the site.
If you want to know more, or are interested in being involved, please just reply to this email.