Nnenne Designs Blog

Why Create a Personal Website?

nnennedesigns — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:46:07 +0000

What is a Personal Website? What Makes It Personal?

A personal website is a group of Web pages that someone creates about themselves. It basically contains things that are personal. It doesn’t have to be about you, and it doesn’t have to contain personal information but it does need to be personal.

A personal website must exhibit content that tells your readers about your thoughts, ideas, interests, hobbies, family, friends, feelings, or something you feel strongly about. Online diaries, self-written books, poems, family, pets, or a page about your favorite topic such as a TV show, a sport, or a hobby are examples of things that could go on your personal website. Or, it could be a page written to help others with topics like health, or how to’s on just about anything.

I Heard I Had To Use HTML, Is That True?

Absolutely not! Personal Web pages have changed a lot over the years. Back in 1996 Web pages were small files with HTML code, and maybe some JavaScript thrown in for fun. There wasn’t much else. They were very plain and basic. You could add graphics, but not too many because they make the pages load very slow, and back then Internet service was slow to begin with.

These days most personal Web sites are not coded by the writer of the website. They can often times add code if they want to, but they don’t need to. Most free hosting services have easy to use Web page builders with them. All you have to do is click, drag, copy/paste and type, and you have your very own personal Web page. Since Internet service, and computers, are faster you can add more graphics and photos to your site too.

Why Do People Create Personal Websites?

There are tons of reasons someone would want to create a personal website of their own. One of the most popular reasons to write a personal website is simply to write about oneself. People like to talk about themselves, they also like to write about themselves and tell other people who they are.

Another popular reason people write personal websites is to show off their family. They may include lots and lots of photos of their kids all over the site. Sometimes they create a separate page for each of their family members.

Online diaries have been popular ever since the beginning of the Web. This is where people create a website just so they can write about themselves in a more personal way then a standard personal website. They may post entries each day, weekly or monthly about what’s going on in their lives. Then they let other people comment on their entries.

There are also wedding sites, memorial sites, sites about people’s pets, and websites about people’s interests and hobbies. Maybe you really like the show “Survivor”, you could create a website about it and tell people why you like it. Maybe you like the Mets, you could keep a website that keeps track of their games and their standings.

A personal website is a place where you can relieve your soul. Create webpages about anything you like and get it all out there for everyone to see. If you’re a private person, you can still do create a personal website. Just make sure not to post your name or any other personal information that may let people know who you are.

http://personalweb.about.com/od/basicwebdesigntips/a/personalwebsite.htm

Content Ideas for Your Nonprofit Website

nnennedesigns — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:38:58 +0000

There are so many reasons to have good content on your nonprofit website, but perhaps one of the most important is that it draws the attention of the search engines. Good content that changes regularly will also keep your visitors interested and coming back. Here are some content ideas. You don’t need to pursue all of them, but you should pursue those that make sense for your nonprofit website: 1.Articles Your nonprofit is an expert on something…an issue, a disease, a social problem, some sort of research. Take advantage of your expertise and provide articles that draw on it. Such content will be indexed by the search engines so readers will be able to find you when they search on the keywords in your content. Acterra, an environmental group in California exemplifies this approach. See the pull down menu in the box labeled “Find Answers” to see a list of topics on which the organization has numerous articles. Similarly, the Living Beyond Breast Cancer website is full of useful information, including this extensive list of frequently asked questions by women facing this devastating and frightening disease. 2.Images Great images make your website a draw. Provide images of your clients, the people you serve, and your volunteers. Revolving images are great for keeping your website fresh and interesting. Take a look at the engaging and changing images at Rise, a Minnesota nonprofit that works with the disabled. The Atlanta Habitat for Humanity features a revolving photo gallery at the top of its page, plus a scrolling list of “news” items right next to it to give the site a wonderful dynamic look. 3.Video It is very easy to incorporate video on any website now with the use of YouTube. If you are appealing to a young audience, video is really required to entice your young audience to tune in and stay tuned in. See how Action for Healthy Kids uses a video contest to get videos that then are accessed through its site. CURE, which supports research into epilepsy, incoporates a video on its website that brings home the heartbreaking reality of epilepsy victims and their families. 4.Blog A blog is a great way to make sure that your website has continually renewing content. Besides, search engines love blogs and will visit your site frequently to pick up your latest content. Blogs can be easily incorporated into a website design and work well for organizations that are very active. Don’t try this if you can’t update the blog frequently. There is nothing sadder than a blog that hasn’t been refreshed recently. One of my favorite nonprofit blogs is the Washington D.C. Goodwill Fashion blog. The African Wildlife Foundation uses several blogs, written by various staff, to keep up with research on leopards, lions, mountain gorillas and zebras in Africa. These blogs are addictive for anyone whose passion is African wildlife conservation. 5.News Room A news or press room on your website can be a source of renewing content and an absolute blessing to visiting journalists. Post news releases and links to articles that have been published about your organization. See the American Hiking Society for an example of a vibrant news room. BeadforLife, an anti-poverty organization working in Uganda, has an outstanding “media” room on its lovely site. Even a start-up nonprofit like Strong Women, Strong Girls successfully uses a list of press coverage about itself on its home page to provide up-to-date content. 6.User Generated Content Get your readers and supporters to provide content for your site. If you can get a steady stream of content flowing from your readers, it will add a wonderful dynamism to your site. Encourage readers to leave comments on your blog and relate their own stories in a special location on your website. A good example of story sharing can be seen at the Ronald McDonald House Charities where families, children and volunteers relate their RMHC experiences. The March of Dimes does a wonderful job of inviting parents to tell their baby stories, complete with video and photos…there is even a map of where the stories come from. If your subject area lends itself to a discussion forum, this is another way to create content from your supporters. A discussion forum can be a great draw to keep people coming back and can be a real help to many. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance is a perfect fit for discussion forums and a good model for similar groups.

http://nonprofit.about.com/od/online/a/contentideas.htm

Hello world!

nnennedesigns — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:33:59 +0000

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