New Online Training Course
In November 2006, AAVC released a new self-paced online training course for Web Content Managers to teach them how to edit and update their affiliate group website pages. It includes a downloadable reference document.
How to Maintain and Update Your Affiliate Group Website
As of April 2006, every affiliate group now has a basic affiliate group website consisting of four "tabs" or "pages" in a new template design contained within AAVC's new website, which expand vertically to accommodate added content (see example below). These affiliate group websites are behind authentication; that is, only registered members of AAVC's Online Community can access the websites and their content, by logging in.
The following describes the basic content added by AAVC to each page of an affiliate group website, and what your affiliate group web content manager(s) can edit/update:
- Home: Affiliate group demographics, updated once a year by AAVC staff, links to other areas of the AAVC website, and messages generated by AAVC are in the top part of this page. The rest of the page may be filled with any other content/images desired by your affiliate group (the template will expand vertically to accommodate the content). (Note: AAVC has moved relevant content from former affiliate group websites to this page.)
- Events:This page lists your upcoming affiliate group events, with links for further details, and/or online registration. This is a non-editable page (events must be submitted to AAVC for inclusion in AAVC's master online Calendar of Activities and this page).
- Discussion Group: Discussion groups are electronic mailing lists to which your members may subscribe to discuss matters of common interest. This page is pre-filled by AAVC with relevant discussion group information, but your group can change it, if desired.
- Contact Us: A list of your affiliate group officers and other affiliate group volunteers is on this page, initially without contact information. Affiliate group web content managers are urged to edit/update this page to include the preferred contact information for your affiliate group officers and volunteers.
What You Need To Do To Maintain/Update Your Website:
- Select an affiliate group officer or another member to be your web content manager, responsible for editing/updating your affiliate group website pages. Your web content manager does NOT need to know HTML, but merely needs to have internet access and a browser, with the ability to use a Word-like interface for adding and updating content. (If you do not have anyone to be your affiliate group web content manager, AAVC can update your content for you.)
- Have your web content manager(s) take AAVC's new self-paced, online training course.
- Prepare content (text and/or photos) for your Home, and Contact Us pages, and provide it to your web content manager(s).
- Any questions, contact AAVC's Associate Director of Alumnae/i Web Services, Susan Brkich, at subrkich@vassar.edu.