Re: User Group Web Sites
Re: User Group Web Sites
- Subject: Re: User Group Web Sites
- From: Nicholas Pyers <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 19:06:40 +1000
Over the years our User Group has experimented with different ideas on our
web site to try and serve our members better. We offer the basic
information for our group along with a downloadable newsletter and brochure,
an iCal link for meetings, and forums for discussions. I was wondering what
else other user groups are doing on their sites to attract members.
My local user group, AUSOM, maintains an reasonably extensive website
at
http://www.ausom.net.au/
We offer some of the items you do including;
- an iCal entry that lists the dates, times,locations and topics of
each of our three meetings each month
(
http://www.ausom.net.au/nextmeeting.html) and the actual calendar
uses a link to iCalShare
(
http://icalshare.com/article.php?story=20030324100805313)
- 12 months worth of sample back issues of our magazine
(
http://www.ausom.net.au/magazine.html)
- A blurb about AUSOM and a downloadable application form
(
http://www.ausom.net.au/joinausom.html)
- Our online discussion forums are provided using a separate
FirstClass system, which is usally access via a dedicated client
although a web interface now exists
(
http://www.ausom.net.au/firstclass.html)
=====
Having had a look at the MauiMac site, one feature you have yet
didn't mention was the Chat Room option. I think is a great idea and
something any user group should offer - particularly considering it
costs you nothing to setup nor to operate.
Your book library listing is extremely helpful, as is your "iLink"
member directory.
=====
Other things AUSOM offers on our site that you haven't mention include;
- Offering a variety of Vendor Specials - both those Lorene arranges
for all MUGs each month, and those we have arranged ourselves with
local vendors
(
http://www.ausom.net.au/specials.html)
- We offer a couple of basic news feed from MacCentral and MacNN
(
http://www.ausom.net.au/news.html)
- We provide a QuickTime movie that provides some info about what we
actually do
(
http://www.ausom.net.au/about.html)
- We provide a series of banners, buttons and text blurbs that
members and other interested parties can place on their own websites
to help promote AUSOM.
(
http://www.ausom.net.au/linktous.html)
- We detail each of our Special Interest Groups and explain what they
are actually do
(
http://www.ausom.net.au/sigs.html)
- We have a mailing list called AUSOM-Announcements that has usually
only has one or two messages sent to each month and the contents of
those messages to promote the various meetings and specials we are
having that month. Each section has a URL pointing to the relevant
webpage on our site.
(
http://www.ausom.net.au/lists.html)
- We offer mirrors to the AppleSpec Database and MacTracker
(
http://totally.ausom.net.au/applespec/ and
http://totally.ausom.net.au/mactracker/)
BTW: I wrote a couple of articles earlier this year highlighting
aspects of the AUSOM Website, which can be downloaded as a PDF from;
http://www.ausom.net.au/AUSOM-Web-Highlights.pdf
Also does the group leadership track statistics on the site to see
how well it is
being used?
We have sort of kept an eye on these in the past, but weren't totally
happy with the way the analysis package (analog) presented the info.
Last month, I switched us across to Webalizer and it produces much
more user friendly reports.
The things we are most interested in monitoring include;
- Total Pages (no of pages people actually viewed)
- Total Visits (no of uniquely identifiable visitors)
- Total Unique Referrers (Pages people followed links from)
- Pages per day (average no of pages actually viewed)
- Visits per day (average no of uniquely identifiable visitors per day)
- Totals URL ( see which pages people actually visit )
- Total Entry Pages (shows which URL people actually visit FIRST)
- Total Exit Pages (shows that last page they viewed)
- Total Referrers (This is the MOST IMPORTANT stat section as it
tells us where people are finding us.)
- Total Search Strings (the SECOND MOST IMPORTANT stats section.
This is what people are entering into search engines and directories
like Google and Yahoo to find AUSOM)
- User Agents (This is interesting as it shows which web browser is
used to access the Site)
Aloha,
Rick Ortiz
President- Maui Apple User Society
mauimac.org
Nicholas Pyers
Special Events Co-ordinator
AUSOM Incorporated
--
AUSOM Events (email@hidden)
AUSOM Incorporated - Australia's Leading Apple Macintosh User Group
http://www.ausom.net.au
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