My gift to my team was to overhaul our website, and have it completely controllable through a back end so mentors/future students can add/change whatever they want (think PHP nuke/ PHPfusion type system).
So, finally, after much debate about how it should be done, we were allowed to transfer over our site, catapulting MORT into web2.0 (anyone who knew our site before hand, it was from the 90s).
i’d love feedback, positive, negative, all feedback is great, since a lot of it isn’t done yet (the media system has some bugs in it, and I’m going to add a calender, polls, etc.) Any ideas would be great! I do my best thinking with others:)
Anyway, it’s http://www.mortteam11.org (yes, i’m aware that there is a horrible refresh after you click the splash page, it’s not my choice.)
A site does not have to be a completely modern fully functional web 2.0 site to be a good website. Web 2.0 is a standard created for websites that promote user interactibility, which is not what most FIRST websites are. Most FIRST websites are an advertising and information tool, giving team updates & history, as well as a place for possible mentors and sponsors to go if they want information in helping your cause. Adding Web 2.0 elements to a website with this purpose would be difficult and in the end make the website too gaudy and maybe even unusable (not saying it isnt possible)
As for this website, i think it is very well designed and navigatable. You need to work a bit on your content… im noticing that your About page and media galleries are a bit sparse… but its nothing a couple weeks of info gathering couldnt fix.
first off, that web2.0 site i was linked to made my head hurt… was it me, or was it just a giant ad site? I’m confused. but whatever… My personal definition of web 2.0 is anything with use interactivity. Correct me if i’m wrong:)
As for our media page, that was my friend’s part. And the server we’re on doesn’t allow us access to the temp directory, or, rather, we haven’t “gained” access yet. So it makes uploading directly to the site a pain in the neck.
We just got it working though the other day, and what you see is more of a test than our actual media. Unfortunately, I’ve been so busy writing our chairmans presentation that I haven’t had the time to upload many photos.
Eventually, users will be able to register (a function currently disabled) and be able to upload photos, which will be submitted for approval to our site admins.
as far as our about page, we quite literally took it from the old site to appease the whole “too much change” fact. Our site got a major face lift, and change is hard to do all at once. But eventually it’ll all be rewritten, and more open to our team members content.
edit:
Also, the back end is the part that i think is more impressive. the side bars you see are all completely individual modules, and can be moves up down, left or right. What’s displayed inside of them can be taken from a script file in another folder (which is how the login system is running). the links in those boxes can be moved from box to box, up and down. All through the back end eventually. (we’re coming up with a way that is very “apple” in it’s intuitively obvious to the casual user controls).
I wrote a lot, but then the quick edit didn’t post it… So, beware of the quick edit, for it is buggy.
-Chris
super edit:
taken from good old wikipedia:
Ribes understands Web 2.0 as:
"...all those Internet utilities and services sustained in a data base which can be modified by users whether in its content (adding, changing or deleting- information or associating metadates with the existing information), or how to display them, or in content and external aspect simultaneously."
okay, I’m confused, please tell me why my vision isn’t web 2.0. I can understand that right now, since i’m not allowing the world to register and change things, it isn’t But once the necessary measures have been put in place (I.E.:it’s pretty and simple so i don’t get a flood of “help” emails) i think it’ll be “web2.0”
please help me understand a better definition, thanks.
Ohh… i see now. I thought you just said that at random.
Anyway, all your excuses to why things aren’t done are great and all, but they still need to happen. Especially now that the website stuff has already been submitted.
for user interactibility, i think you are set on that. For your purpose, i dont think you want the general public to do much more than look at your website, or perhaps comment on a few sections of it. it is nice, but as i said what it needs is more content.
I’m not very knowledgable about website design, but I work with most of the content on our team’s website and I’ve visited a lot of other team’s websites. Giving other students/mentors the capability to add and change things is a real plus, and I’d say that was a smart move. However, your site is slightly lacking in content. I’ve read your reasons why, but I’d suggest you get a crew together to update it ASAP because it is very, very important. Also, you might want to set standards of what kind of details to put into news articles/updates, because they seemed a little sparse. You’re on the right track, though.
shrug im a programmer… And the site was literally just swapped over, so up until then, we’d been doing “mort in a min” PDF files. which are all in our team docs section. So thats where our team got most of it’s news from up until about a week ago… as far as submitting goes, Eh, i’m not in it to win it. I’m in it to make something I’m proud of.
my part really is just the site, and the means to add content. I’m leaving it up to the kids behind me to add stuff now that we can. I’m trying to get a real webteam started, but it’s hard during competition season, so many people are busy. Any ideas on how to motivate them?
thanks for your comments though:) i’ll be sure to get a team started to work on content. you’re right, it is sparse, but i’m more in it for the programming
thanks so much, love ya guys! good luck at your competitions! see some of you in atlanta i hope!
I know you said you do not have any say over the web host. But just thought I would throw it out there. Ill let you use my server for free. If you have any other questions or anything I could help out.
Nice job though!
Being on hold for hours and talking to people who have no idea really stinks!!!
I think I’m the person who will be managing/adding content to the site next year. If you have suggestions of what more to add just PM me or leave it here. Thanks in advance.
It has most if not all of the things I would expect a team website to have. I’d try and get a better banner and background it seems a bit plain to me. I’d probably add a contact link on the side instead of having it in about but that’s just me. Maybe a few highlight pictures in the background.
