District Website Support

The new District 1 website, www.district1kin.ca, has been developed using a “content management system” (CMS). With a CMS system, the site becomes a collaborative effort of the District Executive, Deputy Governors (DG), and each individual Club.

In other words, the website is what YOU make it. If important information about your Club or your Zone is not on the website, it’s because you haven’t provided it! Over time, this collaborative framework can develop into a knowledge base to provide an “institutional history”, become a Kin Education resource and “idea depot”, and assist with continuity and communication across the District.

This year, the District Executive and Deputy Governors will be responsible for maintaining the website. As a Club, your task is to provide news, photos, event information, success stories, Quills … anything you want to share with other Clubs in the District.

If your club has a website:

• Please forward the link to Webmaster Russ (click here) for inclusion in the District One web directory.
• Submit news, photos, etc. to your DG for inclusion on your Zone page, which can include a link back to your Club site.
• Watch for information on making the most of your website in the “Website Resources” section of District1Kin.ca.
• Submit your website for any Zone, District and National Website awards.

If your club does NOT have a website:

• Your DG can promote events and celebrate your successes on your Zone page.
• Submit news, photos, etc. to your DG for inclusion on your Zone page.
• Watch for information and tips on creating an effective website for your Club in the “Website Resources” section of District1Kin.ca.

How to submit news, information and photos:

• Keep your Deputy Governor informed of any upcoming events, fundraisers, service projects, special meetings or celebrations in your club.
• Photos should be in .JPG format. An ideal size would be no more than 1280 pixels in the largest dimension (width or height). The photos will be converted to thumbnails by the website CMS automatically, but most digital cameras produce images that are unnecessarily large for web use.
• If you need to resize images to make them easier to email and more suitable for the website, check out the “Website Resources” page for links to free photo editing software and online services.
• Documents should be provided in PDF format. There are free PDF creation tools listed in the “Website Resources” section.
• Videos and other multimedia can be included on the website. The easiest way to include video is to first upload it to YouTube, and submitting the link to your Deputy Governor. This will not only make it simple to embed the video on the District 1 site, but will also reduce the server and bandwidth requirements for District1Kin.ca.
• Scans of newspaper clippings, 3rd party photos, and many graphics or images found online are protected by copyright. If submitting material that was not produced directly by a member of your club, please be sure to have documentation giving permission to reproduce the article / photo / artwork on the District 1 website.
• For local newspapers, this may be as simple as obtaining an email from the editor or publisher granting permission to reproduce any Kin related stories provided a link back to the newspaper’s website is included.

Questions?

The “Website Resources” section of the District website will evolve to provide advice, tips, and resources for making the best use of the web in promoting your club, both within your community and across the District.

If there are any resources you would like to see added, or have a question or issue not already covered, contact District 1 Webmaster Russ Jackman directly for assistance.

RussJackman July 13, 2008, at 07:16 PM

Thank you to our sponsors!