CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
“It's not aimed at the general public - it's for people who are already interested in cycling advocacy.”
That’s an interesting point. Do you know if that was actually the understanding/intention of Spokes?
There are many more copies printed and distributed than the number of Spokes members.
So presumably it’s getting to more than just people actively interested in “cycling advocacy”(?)
I can't speak for Spokes, but as I understand it, it's delivered primarily to members of Spokes, politicians, bike shops, police, urban planners and suchlike, and given to people who show interest at various Spokes stalls or cycling-related events. A relatively small number are also put on random parked bikes. Not all those people are cycle advocates, but they have either a personal or a professional interest in cycling. They're not ordinary members of the public to be converted to the cause of cycling - that's a different audience entirely.
I would say that the bulletin is as Colonies_Chri describes it.
Aa electronic version of headings,a synopsis and links would be useful for those who prefer to be paperless. I have had younger people telling me they'd prefer an emailed PDF.
Spokes produces other information for the public who inquire eg family cycling; bike storage.
It occasionally produces an A5 leaflet for stalls which gives the latest news. The bulletins only come out 3 times a year.
For reaching to the general public I absolutely agree we need a better landing page on the website. The Roseburn Support Group has plenty of excellent information and also looks good and less off-putting.
https://www.roseburncycleroute.org.uk/
I've looked at other campaigning groups' websites in eg London and wished we had something similar.
OK, it's possible this could be timely.
I was made redundant at the end of last year, so I currently have time on my hands while I look for paid employment. <tech jargon> As a software engineer I've primarily been involved with server-side development (database interface, APIs and the like) but I'm trying to reinvent myself as more of a 'full stack' web developer in order to broaden my appeal, so I'm currently doing some online training in HTML, CSS, Javascript etc. </tech jargon>
To that end, I'd be willing to volunteer in any effort to refresh the Spokes website, at least until such time that I'm back in full-time employment. And it could be a valuable addition to my portfolio in the search for jobs or freelance work.
I should point out that I'm not a web *designer* - someone else would need to help with that bit, or else some kind of template would be needed - perhaps using other campaigning websites for ideas. And I should stress that I'm still learning - I'm not a battle-hardened web developer yet. So the timescale would need to be relatively leisurely, to allow me to plug gaps in my knowledge where necessary.
If my time sounds as though it would be of use to anyone at Spokes, who should I contact in the first instance?
"I've looked at other campaigning groups' websites in eg London and wished we had something similar."
Whoever is responsible for decision making at Spokes needs to agree with you.
It may well be that some or all of them already do.
The second problem/opportunity is deciding on the various 'who is it aimed at', 'what should be on the front page', 'what should it look like' questions.
I understand about inertia and 'needing volunteers', but the latter is mostly an excuse.
At this stage it should be about considering the possibilities/options and making some decisions.
It's not about handing over control and waking up to find a whole new web site that may or may not be better.
All sorts of things can be tried online and viewed by a selected/restricted number of people.
Spokes has never been rich, but it is seldom destitute. Perhaps it's time to pay for a bit of advice? There are various organisations specialising in assisting Vol Orgs.
There has been some concern about 'losing the archive'. But that's not the way the web works. If you have "space" (basically very cheap) you can keep anything. In the past not everything survived a revamp or change of server, but that was presumably by choice.
If most of the concern is 'making the front page look more attractive to new people' then not a lot needs to change - though some new pages and thought about navigation would be wise.
@Panyagua That does indeed sound like felicitous timing (for Spokes at least). Upthread, McD said "If anyone wants to meet to discuss then drop them a line spokes@spokes.org.uk" but you could always DM McD as well
(In my experience it's often easier to generate offers of help to a real person, than a generic email....)
@SRD - thanks, yes, I was looking for a specific person rather than a generic contact address, as that does seem to work better in general. I'll DM McD...
Probably comes as a surprise, but i believe the Spokes website is actually Wordpress. Which should mean a lot of flexibility on reworking things without necessarily losing content or links. And means there's really no need to change the underlying technology.
“but i believe the Spokes website is actually Wordpress”
Yes, the user hosted variety which offers even more scope for customisation than the very excellent free service.
The issues for Spokes are mostly not technological...
To revive this topic:-
THE SPOKES WEBSITE NEEDS A MAKEOVER
We should like your ideas.
Deadline 6 January 2020
We are considering revising the Spokes website and would be grateful if you would complete the short online survey here.
Please complete the survey whether or not you ever use the Spokes website.
Bumped
Should this be added to the consultations thread?...
@chdot - have done so
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