Cooking up a website

COOKING UP A WEBSITE

understanding how websites work – free briefings

Cooking up a website

  • Need a new or better website?
    Free briefing/masterclass from VANEL’s IT Supporters Network to help voluntary and community organisations build, improve and support their online presence.

    ? what ingredients does a website need ?
    ? how much does a website cost ?
    ? how long will it take to build a website ?
    ? who needs to be involved ?
    ? how long is a piece of string ?
    ? can I get a volunteer to build it ?
    ? who should I approach?
    ? what are html, css, php ? should I care ?
    ? will someone do it all for me?
    ? Should we bother ?

    Keep reading for more information
book onlineclick to book online

Places still available for 18 May session. Book a place now.

The next free briefing is on Wed 18 May 2011 at West Marsh Community Centre.
Session runs from 1.30pm – 3.30pm. Space is limited so places are restricted to 2 people per organisation.
Places are free for staff/volunteers from voluntary and community organisations.
See other terms and conditions below.

Call Vicky at VANEL on 01472 231123 or email training@vanel.org.uk to book. Or click button to book online via Eventbrite.

Why should you attend?

These days an organisation that has no-online presence can be invisible (to funders, potential partners and potentially even to beneficiaries). An organisation with a poorly designed and implemented website can present themselves badly and waste their opportunity. Even a great website that is out of date and not maintained can be a waste. But a website can be quick, easy and very cheap to have at least some form of online presence. Voluntary and Community organisations should try not to miss out on getting online.

But a website is complex. It involves skills and expertise, resources and time – and potentially money. But it can also be free or low cost to at least start out. And a decently designed and useful website often costs no more than a poorly designed one – it’s a choice on how to do it that matters.

If your organisation needs a new website or needs to update an existing one or improve how your current site is supported – then this session is for you. If you are the one responsible for IT or websites or budgets or marketing or promotion (etc) in your organisation, then you’re probably the one who should attend. The session is a non-technical introduction for anyone.

What will you learn

The session will not build you a website. Nor will it teach you html, Dreamweaver or all the clever tools used for building websites. But it will explain what those tools are, what a domain name and hosting is, how to design an effective website (or how to consider whether you need a website at all). We’ll talk about social media tools, ‘cloud’ technologies and importantly who you can use to build your website – will you do it yourself, use a volunteer or hire a professional.

Even if you’re using someone else to do the technical stuff, someone in your organisation has to do the planning, write the material, take the photos, test the site, plan its design, promote it and so on. This session will help you understand all aspects of getting a website to happen.

So if you need to get past the barriers stopping you building (or re-building) a website, then this session is for you.

We’ll talk technology in non-technical terms so that everyone leaves understanding what they can do next.

About the session

The session is delivered by Karl Elliott, Development Hub Manager at Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire as part of our IT Supporters Network initiative. The Network helps cacade support and knowledge to those in our local voluntary and community organisations who end up responsible for IT, websites and technology.

The session is around 1.5-2 hours long and involves a presentation covering web technology & development in understandable terms. The session is interactive and will be as technical as the audience requires. Tea/Coffee will be available.

Extra support

After the session, attendees should understand much more about the steps needed to build or improve their website. But after that it’s up to you to follow through.

But you may need to have further conversations, further support and someone to help push your website development along. Obviously if you hire a professional web designer they’ll be able to help, but otherwise it’s a case of finding support for yourself.

That’s where the IT Supporters Network can help you. Or VANEL can carry out a further one-to-one review (fixed price) to help you take your first design steps and perhaps brief your web designer. Contact Karl Elliott at VANEL to discuss.

IT Supporters Network

www.vanelhub.org.uk/itnet

The IT Supporters Network is a VANEL initiative to help the sustainability of local voluntary and community organisations through better application of technology. We hold quarterly networking meetings, regular technical surgeries, specialist technical training courses and briefings and other events to help share knowledge about IT amongst those in the sector responsible for technology. Our website and blog keeps members up to date with news both from the Network and relevant to our local area.

We can also help with IT resources & equipment, signposting to others, projects such as our CTX masterclasses, regular newsletters and more. If you are in the voluntary and community sector and need help with IT, visit our website and find out if you should get involved with the Network.

The Venue

West Marsh Community Centre is the venue for the next session on 8 April.

West Marsh Community Centre
Beeson Street
Grimsby
DN31 2QH
01472 722120

Visit their website at www.westmarshdevelopmenttrust.co.uk


“Cooking up a website” is a course from Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire (VANEL).
This website built in house and copyright 2011 VANEL.