What’s in a Look?

I hope you are enjoying the new look of the Trail Walker [and the web]. In addition to full color pictures, it includes some tweaking of the Trail Conference logo for the first time in more than 15 years. This is the result of an online survey about the Trail Conference that we conducted last spring in which our primary goal was to gauge how well we are communicating our mission and programs to our members. Exactly 1,193 members participated in the online survey. Here are some of the things they said:

• Among a variety of reasons for being associated with the Trail Conference, 80% listed “to support hiking, trails, and/or open spaces in New York and New Jersey.” 30 % were volunteers and 36% were donors.
• Most of our members are also members of other outdoor organizations. People who responded that they were also members of the Appalachian Mountain Club amounted to just over 50%, to the Sierra Club just under 50%, and those responding that they were a member of either the Adirondack Mountain Club, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Audubon Society, or some Other Hiking Club amounted to about 30% each.
• We were pleasantly surprised that the vast majority of respondents were very well versed in the various facts and activities of the Trail Conference. Only two items received less than 90% recognition: “runs workshops to train volunteers” (83%) and “is a federation of more than 100 hiking and outdoor clubs” (71%).
• Our three most consulted publications are hiking maps (81%), Trail Walker (77%), and hiking books (45%). Only 32% reported that they regularly visit our website. The mix of opinions about the website were represented well by the following consecutive entries: “Website is difficult to use. I have alot of trouble finding info” and “I think the web site is very user-friendly and full of helpful information!”

What’s in a Name?

We also asked people about the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference name and circular logo. Two-thirds of the respondents felt the name and logo are strongly identified with the organization. But when asked if the Trail Conference should change its name, 58% said “Maybe,” with the word “Conference” identified as the most problematic part of the name. Reasons people gave for revising the logo included “looks dated,” “doesn’t say enough about the organization,” and “hard to read.”

In the final analysis, we decided to keep the name the same and tweak the logo. Everyone recognized that the word “Conference” is an anachronism and might be better understood today if replaced by “alliance,” “coalition,” or “federation.” But the current name has served for 86 years and we wanted to protect the accumulated goodwill that history provides.

In the case of the logo, we decided that we could make more subtle tweaks, retaining the basic shape, color, and idea while improving the clarity and consistent usage with supporting graphics on our stationery and other communications. The biggest change was to remove the date of our founding, 1920, from the logo itself and make it a part of our tag line, Connecting People with Nature since 1920, to both improve the readability of the logo and emphasize the permanence of the mission.

These various changes make their debut with this issue of Trail Walker. Four-color photos also help us look up-to-date, and the fact that in recent years the costs of color printing have dramatically decreased make this choice affordable. Since a picture is worth a thousand words and digital cameras are ubiquitous, we should be able to better illustrate through color photos favorite hikes, the work of volunteers, and the results of advocacy and land acquisition. We invite you to be part of these changes by submitting your (high-resolution) photos of trail work, beautiful vistas, or your member club activities to tw@nynjtc.org. [or add them to the web photo gallery]

– Ed Goodell, goodell@nynjtc.org [from Jan./Feb. 2007 Trail Walker]

Webmasters additions

New look on the web

The changes are minimal - new logo and new background color because the outer ring color on the logo is too close to the old yellow background of the web. This is not the redesign which is also in progress where the website will change significantly.

Website is difficult to use

Here are a few hints to make it easier to find things.

• Use the search box which is on almost every page (bottom of this page for instance). We use FreeFind to index our site every Sunday. This finds everything but does not have a good sense of relevance to put them in a good order. Google also indexes our entire site but only on a monthly basis. Click on Search at the left in the gray box below.
• There are more hints in the left menu on the home page under First Visit Here?
• Please report specific things you find hard to find or awkward. We are redesigning the whole site and will consider your comments in the process. Volunteer to help with the redesign, then it is more likely to incorporate your suggestions.

Web photo gallery

Members can post their photos in our photo gallery.

V3 Last updated: December 15, 2006   Copyright © 1996-2006  New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Privacy Statement.