TOPIC:

Even Ambassadors appreciate feedback.

Please evaluate the website of the prospective club CBTP Toastmasters cbtp.toastmastersclubs.org

We know we have some broken links, but the are timeouts from the host or bad Facebook links in the member profiles.

Thanks!

Hi Roger,

As you may know from previous posts, I am just learning myself. I try my best to help.

I have to say that I love the way there is so much information for members and nonmembers on the main menu. I have borrowed a few ideas, such as having the brochures and steps on how to log into the site. I feel that all members, old and new, can use that information.

On the directions page you may want to include a way to locate the building. You could use landmarks or neighboring streets. Although, people may know the area a bit better if you actually live there. I can see why you may not have wanted to duplicate the information, but posting the location information that you have on the homepage onto the directions page may help.

This part I am not sure about, but the Site Title seems too big for the image; the top and bottom words lose their elegance when they merge into the gray border. Maybe you could try shortening the name and just include the name of the club without the location.

The MOM page also seems to need something, but I am not exactly sure what that is.

I can definitely see how adding a picture of the building really helps spruce up the page and makes it more easy to find.

Those are the main points that I found while looking through the site.

Jessica,

Thanks!

I dropped the City and State and it fits better. We put the city in originally for people to know that we were in Ithaca, but for people that know Cornell University, they will already know that. Our target market is the Technology Park, so the map is what we thought would work for us.

I added the directions on the meeting page as well as the fact that we are at the corner of Brown Rd. and Thornwood Drive and on the home page that Brown Road is the road to the airport. I guess we took it for granted.

As far as the MOM page, we need more members, but we are not chartered yet, so we are working on that as well.

The picture of the building is outdated, as there is no snow in the picture.

Roger,

I think the map is a great idea. I love the changes, the top of the page looks so much better.

As for the MOM page, I finally found the word I was looking for: aesthetic. It seems like there is a lot of gray on the page. Maybe using a different color will help. I have found colors to be very useful on our site; I want to thank you for that.

Seasonally outdated pictures are okay when they are conveying the same message.

Hi Roger,

Save money on the new membership fee is a great lead. Who does not like saving their pennies?

A bit of code or the demons of copy and paste are peeking out on the following line: ">Membership in Toastmasters is one of the greatest investments you can make in yourself.

The changing background colours were jarring. I suggest sticking with one colour for all pages. Keep in mind that mixing certain background and text colours may cause a problem for some people with visual impairments.

Seems like having the building picture on the main and direction page is tad redundant. Snap some photos of club members for the main page?

As a newbie to Toastmasters I found the list of acronyms to be helpful. In fact after perusing the list I believe I should have one after my name and will have to check at the next meeting.

Cheers ~ Catherine

Roger,

Overall I was impressed.. I like the background color and the way you placed things over it.

The only thing that bothered me a bit (and it might just be me) was the gray font.. for me it was harder to concentrate on reading it. I like something that stands out a bit more. (but then you have to realize that on my pages I was told to tone down my font - so there you have it.. probably just my eyes (which aren't as young as they used to be)

I didn't take time to pursue the menu items so - for later perhaps..

Thanks for all you do here.

Darlene

First Impression
Nice photograph of building; this is not an "out-of-the-box" site.

Homepage
You provide helpful and well-written text. I would move the "save $$" part below the "What is Toastmasters" part. Prospective members may not like talk of money before learning what there is available to them. There is a > in the last paragraph of that section.

Is there a reason to have the club number in the title? I find that with the added text "Cornell Business & Technology Park", which I totally understand having, the title is a little wordy. Removing the number would help "lighten" that area.

Meeting Information/Directions
Has all the pertinent information. I am not wild about the red background. The background is bold with the gray and yellow. How about using the same background that is on the homepage?

Meet Our Members
Well-presented.

Club Calendar
Has just club meeting dates to April. Since this is a weekly club and no other information is on the calendar, I think it superfluous.

FAQ
Nicely done!

Logging In to the Website as a Member
I like this. I think it would read better if the text and the images were built as a web page rather an image.

Sample Meeting Agenda
Nice!

Toastmasters Acronyms
I love this.

Social Media
Facebook had a post on 2 March. The only other posts were in October. If the club is going to have a FB page, it should be used. Otherwise, it gives the impression that things are lagging.

I would add a banner image to the FB page.

Hit Counter
The hit counter shows 124 visitors since 5 December. That is about 124 days ago. You are advertising to the public that one unique visitor comes to the site daily. I do not that that relays a good impression. This is the reason I like Google Analytics better.

The site is nicely presented. Obviously, you have taken care in building this.

Roger,

I am still new at this, but I have learned many things from the evaluations given. Here is what I saw.

Main Menu

1 I like your title for web page "Welcome to the CBTP Toastmasters Club Website"

2 I don't like the gray font on the page, as well as, the gray on the Main menu. It is distractive; too much gray with the web page being gray too. For example, why not change the Main Menu background to a golden color and match the text on your page. Anything of that nature would work with darker color schemes.

3 I like the link about the no $ money for membership link. It is very appealing.

4 I like the link to the Club calendar for extra support.

5 I know that the club is working on chartering, but I would still add district information as it becomes available.

6 Link to your email contact is fantastic.

Meeting Information/Direction

1 I like the picture with written directions, as well as, the map that gives the option for directions.

Contact Us

1 It is nice that the contact you have has furnished a phone number, but see if there are other toastmasters that would give the viewer the option to call somebody else.

Public Downloads are actually for the public..Good.

FAQ's

1 I like this informative page and the fact that the viewer can scan the entire website and if interested view this page.

Download pages were apropos

I like the link "Login in to the website as a member" on the Home page, but I would shorten the name, possibly "Member Login Instructions". However, the actual page is hard to read. There is an easier page that I have seen on some other websites and now have on my websites. You might want to check it out. This is just an opinion.

I actually love the acronyms page. I can see a visitor using this if they are really interested in the club.

Sorry if I missed anything.

Be Blessed and thank you for letting me evaluate another club.

Karen

The background for the Website is gray I would like to see some contrast .

I am only going to add a few comments...

1. I tend to prefer photos on home pages showing members with welcoming faces (individual or group photos) or "accomplishment photos". Here is my thinking on this... Most of us (if we were new) would probably like to attend a club where we are welcomed with a smile at the door and feel "taken care of". In essence, whether or not that happens shapes our initial impressions of the club. Analogously, I look at a club website home page as sort of like the "person at the door" to welcome you to a website. Also, people's very first impressions of a club can get formed from the home page well before an actual visit to a meeting. So, then the logical questions are ... How well does a home page welcome a prospective new member to a club? Are there welcoming faces on the home page to make the website visitor glad that they came to this website? Does the home page allow a visitor to quickly get a sense of the club? Does the home page provide easy to find, intuitive links to the supporting information (on other pages) if a user wants to use those? (the "taken care of" element)

The home page photo for this website is great for a Meeting Info page because it helps me know the exact building and entrance that I am looking for the meeting. However, using it for the home page photo makes me wonder (my impressions) if there will be any people at the meeting to welcome me. It makes me wonder if I have to deal with a receptionist when I enter the front doors shown. In other words, it just leaves me with some unsettling questions about the club. As a result, I may be inclined to look for another club with a website that is more welcoming.

2. You are using links on your home page which is great, but I would suggest setting the advisory titles for the links. It looks more polished and tells the user what to expect when clicking a link.

3. The "elevator pitch"/value proposition section (How Does It Work?) is a bit generic and not specific to this club. (It promotes Toastmasters but not this specific club.) What is special, unique, or different about this club that would make a prospective member want to visit this club as opposed to another one? For example, "We are the only club that meets at Cornell Business & Technology Park during business hours. Take a break from your workday to spend with us and improve your communication and leadership skills." I a not saying that you should use that statement, but just something more specific to the club that promotes the value of the club itself.

OK, this is bizarre.

Karen, RD and Cat all mention the portion on how to save $, but when I go to the home page that part is missing.

So, someone has logged in to the site as an admin and made changes in the past hour or so.

I do appreciate all of the feedback. We have gone from a "you need to add color and contrast", to "You need more contrast", to "You need less color.", and even, I like black and white. The nice thing about FTH2, and Toastmasters, is that there is not a one size fits all evaluation.

I plan on moving things around on all 3 of the websites I maintain, and not make them clones of each other. (Each of the club numbers are in my signature).

As far as the pictures, etc, this is a new club still in the chartering phase. We don't have a group picture yet, but the building is recognizable to our target audience, which is members of the Cornell Business and Technology Park. The same would be said about 7 Valleys, but we have even fewer commitments with that prospective club.

It seems to look different every time I go to the website.

I was not necessarily implying a group shot. Perhaps we could just Photoshop your smiling face into the exterior photo so it looks like you are welcoming people to the club? (kidding) You could just borrow a photo of you speaking from your main club. Nobody will know the difference.