Keep your chapter websites up to date!
 

The web designer in me is having a fit.

I've been trying to find out some information online about my alma mater's upcoming recruitment. What I found is totally embarrassing.

Panhel web site:
- Recruitment info page has links to each of the 5 NPC sororities' recruitment pages. Two of the links are broken.
- Lists last year's formal recruitment dates. (Recruitment starts a little over two weeks from today.)
- Includes last year's recruitment registration form.
- No photos more recent than 2003.
- Link to Greek Week information is broken.

NPC sorority web sites:
- Two sororities' sites include 2004 recruitment info rather than 2005 info. Two others have generic recruitment pages without dates. Only one has the 2005 dates.
- All sororities have their membership rosters posted. Three of them still list 2004 graduates as actives.
- Four sororities' sites include plugs for charity fundraisers that happened last fall.
- One sorority includes a message congratulating last spring's new member class on their initiation.
- One sorority includes links to websites of other chapters of that sorority. One of those chapters has closed (though the website is still up).

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of keeping your website up to date. Each chapter should have a webmaster. Keep dates current for things like recruitment and fundraisers. When an event happens, change your website ASAP to indicate that the event is now in the past: "Our spaghetti dinner was a huge success!" or "Congratulations to our new members!" Check for broken links, especially links to external sites. Stale information reflects poorly on your org, and very stale information may lead people to believe that the org is defunct.

<off to knock some sense into whoever my chapter's webmaster might be>

amen!

Ditto

Check with whoever does your composite photo. The company that does ours can put the photos on our website.

I cannot stress this enough.

As a former webmistress for my chapter, it was hard to ensure that the website was going to be kept up to date when I graduated. I came from a small chapter where not all offices were filled, so appointing a webmistress (or someone who had the time who was willing to upload new pix and pages) was difficult to find.

When updating pages, make sure your pictures are also recent in addition to the information you provide.

If the pix aren't recent, how will PNMs and others browsing the site know you're a part of the chapter when all the pix are of people who have since graduated?

Props to hawaiiagd who maintained the site between the time of my graduation and the appointment of the new webmistress! Always MaiLy to the rescue!

Question.
In small chapters where you do have doubling of positions. Is it better/possible to have the alumnae organizations sponsor the chapter website if the chapter is ok with it? How can alumnae help the chapter keep it up? Because honestly, who has time to learn website design and upkeep with a full class load, sorority obligations and everyother thing they are involved in?

Honestly? Having the alumni help with the website is a GREAT way to keep interested alumni active with the chapter, for a number of reasons...

1) It gives them something to contribute to that isn't money specific

2) It gives them a reason to continue to come to meetings if they can make it (and be involved in the meetings)

3) It takes a load off of the actives' plate, especially with a small chapter that might be struggling to fill offices

4) It virtually forces active-alumni interaction, which solves that issue. :)

Even with a larger chapter, have your local alumni help out with the website. Create a committee if needed to gather materials for it, write articles, interview sisters, etc. Make it interesting and put the effort into it-- it will NOT go to waste.

~ Mel.

Anyone who wants to do the webpage can. If you have an alumnae that is willing to do it, maybe you could appoint someone to keep that alumane abreast of any info you want on the site. That way the collegian would just have to email the alumnae with dates, info, new pictures, etc. and the alumnae can worry about the design and programming.

Chapter websites really are a great tool for parents and alumnae who want to keep tabs on what's going on, and can even be a great resource for active sisters. They're a labor of love but should definitely be kept current.

That's why I ask. They are a great PR tool on so many levels. But how do collegians feel at the idea of the alumnae taking over the site editing?

I completly agree- it has been so hard for me getting ready for rush at a brand new school when there are broken links all over the place on the schools greek page and many of the chapter sites haven't been updated in literally years. I had thought chapter websites would be a great way to get a little info about chapters before rush started.... It would have been really nice- But i'm still excited about Rush!!:)

How many people really think this is good for the chapter as opposed for bored alumni and groupies/parents who want to read up on things at work or at home? I think it's probably a little of the first but a lot more of the latter :)

-Rudey

I've been an alumna of my chapter for about 2 years now. I was the website designer/updater/etc for about 4. I just recently relieved a good chunk of my duties to a younger active. I still keep tabs on the administrative part of the site (paying the bills, keeping the guestbook in check, etc) but I've left the updating, recruitment and photo pages up to the active chapter. Like I've said in the past to my chapter, it's YOUR website, you have to provide me with updated pictures and information.

If your webmaster is good enough to put up a password protected section for the collegians it can be really helpful. You can put a calendar, announcements, forms, etc. up there and it really can be a resource. If it's just pictures, chapter history, a list of awards, then yeah it's sort of just something pretty for people who aren't in the chapter to check out.

I did that for our chapter a few years ago. Maybe it's different from fraternities and sororities, but I had a lot of difficulty getting anyone to adopt it as a resource like that.

-Rudey

Eh, I just wasn't good enough. I couldn't figure out how to password protect parts of our site. White Daisy did a good job putting resources up on the NCSU DG site (not password protected).

http://www.ncsudeltagamma.org/dg/forms.htm