Club Web Sites?

[davetherocketguy]

So it's been a spell since I last had a foray into the world of HTML and coding ... probably 10 years maybe? that was back when HTML 4.0 was a new thing and CSS style sheets were all the rage and if you wanted something animated it was time to fire up the old Macromedia Flash. Well now, I am wondering if it is still worth the hassle of getting a domain name and re-learning all that HTML - especially now that 5.0 is out - or just relying on social media to do all that work. How do other DG clubs do it on the internet nowadays? Is it just reliance on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/DiscGolfScene/Etc and a free site on Wordpress? Or what do all of you do for your clubs?

 

[discdrive]

My local club has had 3 web designers (including me) over the last 15 years or so, and all of us did a good job when it was our turn. However, while I can still envision a good club disc golf site, for the most part I think Facebook can do it all. Our current site has gotten very dusty.

 

[ToddL]

I'm a fan of having a permanent place for things. I hate scrolling 20-30 posts down a facebook page to try to find the flyer for an upcoming tournament. Our webpage is pretty old and boring, but we keep the next 2-3 tournaments on the front page with details, flyers, and links to the pre-reg site.

 

[scarpfish]

If it's a large club, might be some good to it. The thing is anymore, designing for mobile is absolutely necessary.

For a smaller group, I wouldn't even bother.

 

[Fraser]

I maintain my club's site and it is nice to have a static page that everyone can access. Not everyone uses social media either. Just something simple suffices.

Our site is primarily used for our tournament schedule for the year, a pre-registration element that's in a sql database, a place to view scores from previous tournaments that aren't pdga sanctioned, and a place to announce workdays. It is worth the time for us. We are a fairly large club though.

As for re-learning html/css, html4 and css2 will work and adding html5, css3 and js is pretty strait forward. However, design for mobile first, then with css, design for desktop. That pretty much goes for any site nowadays.

 

[thrembo]

Facebook makes it easy and that's what everyone uses down here for league stuff. I can't remember the last time I went to an FL league website. Some if not all of them are dormant.

 

[jeffmonty]

http://www.wsdga.org/

That's the link to our club website. It's mostly just the basic introduction and schedule of events. There is also a FB link up in the corner of that page to that portal. That one is mostly tourney results and club meeting notifications.. Then there's a 3rd FB page that a club member set up that gets all the daily traffic. Just posting this for an example.

 

[DavidSauls]

That's excellent. Pretty much what a club website should be.

Websites and facebook (or other social media) serve very different purposes. Ideally, a club of sufficient size should use both, and link them.

 

[jeffmonty]

That's excellent. Pretty much what a club website should be.

Websites and facebook (or other social media) serve very different purposes. Ideally, a club of sufficient size should use both, and link them.

Keeping the info up-to-date is important, too. I looked over our club website after I posted it, and I noticed that I need to make a phone call to get some of the info on the site updated. One of the course maps is ancient!

 

[DavidSauls]

That website makes information easy to find, for locals or out-of-towners or the non-playing public or city officials. I can't imagine sorting through a Facebook page for it all.

Facebook works great for the day-to-day conversations, promotions of events, etc.

One thing I like to see on a website, as a local, is league standings, updated promptly. If you're in a league, it's great to be able to quickly check where you stand. It brings locals to the website, and makes the website useful to locals.

These two online sources should definitely link--as yours does---as it makes both better.

 

[Grayson]

Those of you who do have a club website (not Facebook), what program do you use for maintaining the site? Wordpress? Online freebie? Or something else?

IMHO, the most useful resource of a site is advertising upcoming tournaments and then communicating results. Creating a Facebook events is certainly the best means of advertising an event, but posting results become a challenge. Question #2 of this post is, how does your club post results if it's not a PDGA event?

 

[DavidSauls]

Sad to say, my club has a very weak website. Though I haven't volunteered to handle it, so I'm not about to complain.

Our private course has both a website and a facebook page, and they serve similar purposes as a club might use. I maintain it with an obsolete program, because (1) it suffices and (2) I haven't got around to replacing it. The latter is on my agenda for this winter, along with 18,319 other items. I'll probably go with a hosting service that offers templates, because it's about information, not dazzle, and that's the easy way.

 

[Lazerface]

It's almost exclusively FB in my area. It got to the point I had to join the club pages through my wife's account because I would hear about stuff that I was unaware of after the fact because almost everyone stopped using the website. I HATE IT, but I'm in a very small minority not having FB, and I understand why it went that way. As others have said a dedicated website is much better suited for club/event information, but FB is just the way of the world these days.

 

[Grayson]

Although FB serves most, it is actually a terrible alternative. Just try looking for that wonderful post you wanted to revisit from last October ..... 2014. Dang near impossible! An actual web page is actually best for historical data.

Anyway, any of y'all that viewed my previous posts over the years know I dabble in technology that promotes the sport. I assisted in creating an android putting app for putting competitions, and designed an entire program for advertising and recording tournament events with points series similar to what most get through the PDGA.

I can't truthfully say either of these have "taken off" as expected but I am considering investing/developing a Wordpress plugin where a PDGA type of event data and player stats can be implemented with club's WP sites with ease. (the previous program really needed a club guru who knew his way around the backend admin side of the site).

Recouping of the investment for such a plugin is the real question? Would a club purchase a $20 plugin so they can offer historical data, stats, and league and point series for their club on a continual basis?

 

[DavidSauls]

FB may be terrible as an alternative---but it's great as a complimentary service.

Among other things, it's great for stuff that has a short shelf life---Found a disc. Playing at 2:00 today. Photos posted by anyone. Last minute scheduling changes. Kicking around ideas.

 

[Royal Hill]

I havent been on here (site) for a quite a while.. but logged in today - glad to see JeffMonty already linked up our local.

Yes - a static webpage for a club or assoc. should still exist. It can be simple, almost like a brochure of and for the club. Active calendar and need to know info is great. I would think of a great non profit webpage to be simple, clean.

Any group or interests that want to "look in on you" will look there first. One wants no dirty laundry to be found. yes to mission statements, no to litter or behavior shaming.

Facebook (social media) is essential now to every club or assoc out there. Again, having one that is "clean" is also important. The "official" one should be clean and strive to be conflict free. Should use the name of the club as the name of the page, or group. Imagine an interest group that wishes to find out more about you (for good or for ill) is searching for you.

Secondary ones can exist, that may be player proctored, and such that anyone "in the know" is aware of for daily use. This one can get messy as they do and be arms length away from the main org.

 

[Nubes]

I would much rather go to an actual website than Facebook. I really think people should log off of Facebook entirely. I personally choose not to participate in Facebook but sometimes you have to visit that site for family or for reasons mentioned above but I am a firm believer that Facebook cause much more harm than good and Mark Zucherdouche doesn't need anymore money. I believe its past time for people to log off of Facebook but that is my opinion and to each their own.....

 

[scarpfish]

It's almost exclusively FB in my area. It got to the point I had to join the club pages through my wife's account

Emphasis on pages (plural). Where I once had a single dedicated website with organized subforums, with subject headings I could choose to read or ignore, I now have to join a dozen or so area pages, and Facebook decides what information on those pages will be brought to my attention...and when. So now I miss the important league or tourney schedule posts, but when some casual player in a town three hours away, wants to go throw a round at their local course in a couple of hours, that makes it to my feed, about 15 hours after he posts it.

Not what I call an improvement folks, not one damned bit.

 

[Grayson]

Since posting on this thread a couple of months we've come a long way in developing a Wordpress plugin with many features for handling disc golf events. I post back here in search of possible clubs that would be good beta-testers for the plugin.

Requirements:

1) Wordpress site that can run plugins ... not the wordpress.com freebie version.
2) admin for installation and settings set up
3) A club needs to test features of weekly minis, leagues, and points series
4) Valid feedback and review on Pros and Cons of the plugin after testing

Private message back if interested with contact details, site URL, and some info on the type of events, number of players, and number of events held on regular basis.

Thanks

 

[Nova P]

It's almost exclusively FB in my area. It got to the point I had to join the club pages through my wife's account because I would hear about stuff that I was unaware of after the fact because almost everyone stopped using the website. I HATE IT, but I'm in a very small minority not having FB, and I understand why it went that way. As others have said a dedicated website is much better suited for club/event information, but FB is just the way of the world these days.

If it were not for the need to know what is happening with tournaments, I would ditch FB entirely. I hate that DG in my area basically chose that platform.