2009-09-14 Web Design status meeting

Old Business:

1. Agenda modifications

2. Subteam status reports

* Office status (Josh)

• Store issues
• Feedback processing

* Google Analytics (Doug)

• The reporting within Drupal falls short for providing the charting and visualization necessary to make informed decisions. Any thoughts on, if and when, Trellon can address this?
  • Now that Google stuff is working, use those tools for visualization (DONE)
• Another issue is the page titling on alot of the content.
  If we address this, it will also improve the organic SEO performance of the site.
  All of this adds up to more traffic, with the potential to increase new memberships, and drive sales of maps, books and merchandise, etc.
  • Have done on one page. Need trimmed images for remaining pages. (Doug and Walt to do.)
• Just a reminder for discussion: a Bobcat study from 2005 is in the top 10 page view rankings over the last 30 days. 84 unique visitors.

* Business model (Ann/Ed)

• Poll policy -- could make better use of poll facility. Poll of the week? E.g. Should TrailWalker be quarterly or six times a year? Put in left hand column? Decide what to highlight based on Google Analytics?
• Update on CRM database project
• Interactions with office on Web-related issues: e.g., product pricing

* Content (Georgette)

-- Unwieldy search results for parks and hikes ... can we improve? Walt to look into providing advanced search on hikes page / parks page
-- Should the default display when a park page is opened be the map instead of a photograph?

-- Problem of map pointers moving when we switched map and photo order.

-- Can we add linked TC books to display in the parks, under the TC Maps (essential for marketing). Walt needs to diddle with theme.
-- Action re Feedback suggestion to make Trail Walker more prominent on home page. Put in left hand column? Let's try to do that. Walt still working on left hand content
-- Bigger maps for store products:
(from Jeremy:
The most up-to-date index map (http://www.nynjtc.org/image/index-trail-conference-maps?size=_original) is currently linked to from the map catalog page (http://www.nynjtc.org/catalog/maps) at the end of the opening paragraph. It is not very prominent, though, and could definitely be more visible.

I can supply JPEGs of all the individual locator maps if they are to be shown with the maps.)

When Jeremy gets back, Walt will get them from him - images need to be put on Web. Use create image to create an image page.

Currently hard to find images in Drupal. Better when move to Drupal 6.

 

-- Possible content project:
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Walt Daniels
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 9:57 AM
To: 'NYNJTC Web-Content list'
Cc: 'Jeremy Apgar'
Subject: Re: [Web-content] Displaying a hike

This presentation is not unique to Trimble, they just use other stuff that is already there and we have a sample on the old website that Jeremy did using Google Earth and KML files. Jeremy has promised us a description of how to do these and we have looked for volunteers to do it. We have tons of GPS data that we use to generate our maps that can be converted to KML and displayed. Go to www.nynjtc.org/trails/googleearth/index.html and at the bottom click on the Wanaque kml link (after having installed Google Earth.)

The KML files can also be displayed directly on Goggle maps without all the fancy fly through stuff available in Google Earth.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Philip J. McLewin
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 9:15 AM
To: 'NYNJTC Web-Content list'
Subject: [Web-content] Displaying a hike

http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripID=17301&mode=TripSummary

The URL above was attached to the most recent "Hike Forum" message; it
links to Backpacker Magazine. What an impressive way to present a
hike, including the little yellow flags and their pop-up descriptions.
According to the site, the software is "powered by Trimble Outdoors."
It is a service that works through (selected) cell telephones a far as I can figure out. Anyone familiar with it? Could a Google map generated like this one be displayed on the TC web site?

Process: Get GPS data, put markers on map, verify it's correct. Need volunteer to do this.

-- Author/submitter (person responsible for content) vs source of content. Walt to expose source field for Web viewing.

-- Add ability to rate hikes back in when we go to Drupal 6.
-- Add Camping to parks database.
-- Revisit features we expose.

 

* Technology (Walt)

-- This weekend's outages: due to bug in external server (Mollom) we use for captcha
-- Procedure for Web site outages

-- Backup plan
-- Drupal 6
-- Store issues: Ubercart membership process: removed role

 

3. Set goals for next couple of weeks

* Walt's priorities

1. store issues
2. ebase import and follow-on synchronization procedure
3. migrate to Drupal 6
4. other things that need tweaking
* Other high priority items

4. Specific action items requiring discussion.

See http://nynjtc.org/meeting/actions
Review outstanding actions from prior meeting minutes

New Business:

Meeting schedule:
Next meeting: phone call next week
Invite someone to next status meeting?

Parking lot (for later discussion):
Ed requests we discuss: Publication pages; Member org pages; Sponsor pages