InternetBar.org main site vision
I'd like to suggest we do a splash page like the one at www.bigmind.org. It doesn't need to look like that one of course, but the functional challenge we have right now in my opinion is we are failing to create proper context to diverse sets of people whom we want to attract to the site for very different reasons. They are: sponsors, members, contributors to specific projects and customers for courses and later certifications.
The result, in my opinion, is a home page in which there is too much happening and none of it can be tied together contextually. By analogy, we are like a book with many diverse chapters and we're trying to explain, highlight and attract readers to all these chapters at the same time. Instead, we need a title page so to speak. We need to flow people easily and quickly to the parts of the site that they'll be focused on.
My suggestion:
Simple splash page with the mission stated clearly and then six content boxes each linked to content-specific areas of the site. Finally, one larger box or area with a direct link to something free--initially it would be my Multicast Your Practice Course--so it just links them to the page at the Institute where that resides
Box 1: Free Resources -- links to a page with podcasts, blogs and free e-courses or links to those e-courses. This would be our page where we're constantly adding news, articles, podcasts, etc. and its behind this FREE box or button to highlight that we've got good stuff for everybody and you should bookmark this, etc. ALSO--we want to have RSS hooked up to all of these content pieces or pages so people can subscribe. This page is also what we'll use to drive affinity-based co-marketing with our friends like Abacus, Practice Smarter, Transformative Law, Lextranet and others we need to work this content to drive its spread by making it simple to e-mail it to someone, subscribe to it, etc. What we need, therefore, is a blank template page that can:
1) show blogs;
2) play e-courses;
3) contain articles;
4) provide links to our friends.
On the menu off the home page it would simply be called "Resources"
Box 2: Africa Microcommerce Project -- links to content-specific pages for this project--and RSS where appropriate so people get auto-updates. If we don't have a dedicated page for this project, then we need a blank template page that can:
1) host articles;
2) display photos;
3) play media such as podcasts;
4) link to forums or chats or other resources once the project is humming; AND
5) list our friends and sponsors for the project.
Box 3: Training & Certification -- links to the Institute
Box 4: IBO Contest Site --links to the Contest Site
Box 5: Sponsors & Friends -- links to the sponsorship page and roster of friends, partners, sponsors
Box 6: Membership Information -- links to the "benefits" page and/or the page for joining
Essentially, this is just a splash page, 2 new blank template pages and some linking.
What do you think?
Ed
I'd like to suggest we do a splash page like the one at www.bigmind.org. It doesn't need to look like that one of course, but the functional challenge we have right now in my opinion is we are failing to create proper context to diverse sets of people whom we want to attract to the site for very different reasons. They are: sponsors, members, contributors to specific projects and customers for courses and later certifications.
The result, in my opinion, is a home page in which there is too much happening and none of it can be tied together contextually. By analogy, we are like a book with many diverse chapters and we're trying to explain, highlight and attract readers to all these chapters at the same time. Instead, we need a title page so to speak. We need to flow people easily and quickly to the parts of the site that they'll be focused on.
My suggestion:
Simple splash page with the mission stated clearly and then six content boxes each linked to content-specific areas of the site. Finally, one larger box or area with a direct link to something free--initially it would be my Multicast Your Practice Course--so it just links them to the page at the Institute where that resides
Box 1: Free Resources -- links to a page with podcasts, blogs and free e-courses or links to those e-courses. This would be our page where we're constantly adding news, articles, podcasts, etc. and its behind this FREE box or button to highlight that we've got good stuff for everybody and you should bookmark this, etc. ALSO--we want to have RSS hooked up to all of these content pieces or pages so people can subscribe. This page is also what we'll use to drive affinity-based co-marketing with our friends like Abacus, Practice Smarter, Transformative Law, Lextranet and others we need to work this content to drive its spread by making it simple to e-mail it to someone, subscribe to it, etc. What we need, therefore, is a blank template page that can:
1) show blogs;
2) play e-courses;
3) contain articles;
4) provide links to our friends.
On the menu off the home page it would simply be called "Resources"
Box 2: Africa Microcommerce Project -- links to content-specific pages for this project--and RSS where appropriate so people get auto-updates. If we don't have a dedicated page for this project, then we need a blank template page that can:
1) host articles;
2) display photos;
3) play media such as podcasts;
4) link to forums or chats or other resources once the project is humming; AND
5) list our friends and sponsors for the project.
Box 3: Training & Certification -- links to the Institute
Box 4: IBO Contest Site --links to the Contest Site
Box 5: Sponsors & Friends -- links to the sponsorship page and roster of friends, partners, sponsors
Box 6: Membership Information -- links to the "benefits" page and/or the page for joining
Essentially, this is just a splash page, 2 new blank template pages and some linking.
What do you think?
Ed
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