I'm not a web genius (which my wife will attest to) ..I'm just a dad of a kid who attended Beavers & is in cubs currently.
The idea follows the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Simple Stupid) ..as we know volunteering generally is in stints (whilst your child is attending the" 1stRamseyScoutgroup") ..therefore having an all singing all dancing site that relies on one person is , well, a bit daft really.
Therefore as it worked well for me (a computer illiterate) & operates on a "drag & drop" principle, ANYONE could potentially update, add to & take this site forward in coming years...
All pages you see here are currently "pending" for test purposes & were conceptually based on a quick word I had the previous week, "Do you want a website"? .."yes" ..a week later we had around 16 pages in place (now 30+ pages) ..currently waiting for commitee to take a look months after being asked to offer input & guidance, therefore aspects, pages, or the whole site may dissappear if not sanctioned as applicable for use by the group for which it has been designed for.
I state, these are IDEAS, not set in stone, for instance the reason for Lego pictures which are spread over the site are two-fold, ..I feel, (personally) there is a high degree of "corporate" , identity in the current style & logo-ing that the scouting "recommends" you adhere too, making it recognisable but bland to a child, ..from a child's viewpoint i'd like a few places per page that they'll relate to & go to to, see what Akela says, to make sure they've got the right time & date for a trip, meeting & general Scouting group going's on's..
There is the option for a far more "commercial, adult orientated scouting website available via the scouting association which can be a mere clone of others out there, (it is also technically more demanding to use) ..therefore that may be the eventual outcome of this site.
Also whilst running blind with the initial concept I needed filler photo's Lego, scouting & the pictures are plentiful & free license use! (infinitely better than having numerous "awaiting image" boxes breaking up the feel of a potential site)!
(Not forgetting the opportunity for children to learn & earn their IT stage badges to a lesser extent, my own daughter did stage 1 as a beaver, & could have earnt stage two, however we didn't get there, she's actually assisting me with this website, adding links etc, another aspect of the IT badges are to publish (e.g. here) regular troop updates on what's happening within the pack) ..we could allow children to regularly update here & add another kid-spin on the site).
Paper, I lose paper memo's & HATE email, therefore with the coming of age of t'internet be it a pc at home or optimised for smart phone use (which this should now technically be) then it offers an opportunity to maintain contact between parents / carers & the group as well as offering a live feed (we have twitter for outward bound site message updates) for others to use as an update link or information tether.
As the site is finally "Testing"live ( Slowly, in part due to non uptake by commitee over the summer months which would have enabled me to mould the site via input rather than second guess based on my own research) ..currently I haven't quite finished the configuration of SEO'S (Search Engine Optimisation) which enable googlebots & other search engines to track & highlight the site in a search, so it remains fairly invisible (though being picked up a bit now) ...update "we have web presence" prepping the site in order that it may be found more easily in advance of any offical launch.
Administrators...
IF you wish to "play around with the site" I'd recommend you start a new page, (stick your name on it so others know) click the box that hides your page from published view then try dragging & clicking a few boxes, inputting some test type, pictures etc, then swap your lay-out around..
When creating a page click the "hide" (eye icon) on the newly titled "new page" so it won't appear live if you accidentally press publish ..& send the site live, this is where not having search engine optimisation helps, in that we'd still be all but untraceable) ..there is an unpublish & archival button in settings if you do publish anything erroneously.
Help!
Weebly's help page is second to none, I recommend you have the help page open in a separate tab to keep any anxiety under control, ..it's all drag, drop & click, help is literally recognise the icons ..& copy the actions!
The Help basic videos are excellent, simple & self explanatory, this is not a jargon filled site, though it does have room for those with programming prowess to tinker & add, ...however the option to copy & paste tracts of code for small widgets & the like is there should you wish to try & further your skills.
Ok, over to you lot, be you Parents, Beavers Cubs or Leaders, ..lets talk as to what errors you've found (eg links) what pages you would like to see added (& why) .try & think how it could take things forward, free up time (e.g. embedded documents) for quick location of items you use but once a year sort of thing , or how an addition could help information get out there etc (as suggestions)
Administrator invites were sent out a little while after the AGM ((one still to go due to lack of details..sorry)), ..I need to speak to individuals & where required possibly walk them through a few basics.
I don't (sadly) have a lot of time beyond the initial set up to make changes, as I've another site to get going, & therefore i'd be grateful to have input by the 20th August in order to tidy, & make agreed changes.... I don't wish to be still setting up in either September & October due to my own work.
My recommendation is to start your own page, hide it (privacy & password protection) & title it with your name, then play away, store info which can be copied & pasted elsewhere if, as & when, that way you can play & learn at your own pace with less confusion.
If needed I may be contacted through Judith, & on the administrators contact page for my mobile, I hate emails (not my modus) so a brief tweet to @Mr__Gus (my own account, views & not associated with Scouting) either as an open tweet as initial contact, thanks for your understanding, to me this is often more time saving than leaving me a mobile message which I then have to pay to retrieve, which I won't! (so please don't leave a message If I'm busy & don't answer, a text is fine).
There are a few aspects that will invariably crop up as we go along, however as an initial "from nothing to something" set up I hope you get a feel for the pages asap & like what you see currently...
Let me know either way, I have broad shoulders, broader when tempted away from a keyboard with builders tea & a Tunnocks bar!
To really set up handy embedded documents, pdf's etc (eg a permanent camping list for instance) we really should go with the pro version weebly offers (it's also very cheap), as well as (when agreed on a proper domain name ( a ".org" which would cost around £6-8 for several years) ..the advantage of weebly is that we COULD also work with a handful of other District cub & beaver groups & offset the hosting costs to (guesstimate) around £10 per year & potentially clone this site for their similar needs as we can have numerous sites running under one pay account! ..just looking at minimising payment (which is negligible at around £20 per year) but potentially could be shared hosting if feeling generous, I can, after all simply copy the site & appropriate links / content then personalise it for another district group! (for instance)
(I would hold all intellectual property rights of course on the basic web model as designed ..ie 1st Ramsey scout group & it's content herein which would not be for use in any other shape or form unless approved & signed off by myself in order not to lose potential opportunities & revenues).
There is also the potential to sell them (for a pack fund donation) a duplicated site & content to get them going & save them numerous hours building from scratch! ...thus far i've spent in excess of 120hrs researching likely components for use & "this" website as it currently stands.
Speak up ..or I won't know which direction to take & simply plough on regardless!
The above information may be deleted as & when info is finalised.
Cheers & I hope you find the site useful as a portal to often hidden information! ..enjoy! (& if not tell us why)
@Mr__Gus