ABYC – New Website Launches
Posted by Christopher in Apr, 2012
The ABYC Communications team has been working for the past year to put a new face on our website. We’re happy to announce that the date for the changeover to the new design is expected to be April 15. The address of the site will remain the same, and ABYC members should be able to sign in to the Members Only section of the website with the same login name and password that they have been used to using. But the look and organization of the site will be new and, we hope, exciting for everyone.
We have explicitly designed the site not only to offer easy access to important information for members, but also to attract and appeal to potential new members. Therefore, we will have a top level of colourful graphics and text that will be directed primarily to those unfamiliar with ABYC. Below this there will be a menu bar that will allow ABYC members to go quickly to the page they want to find. Virtually all of the content of the current site will be imported into the new site without much alteration. At the same time, we have a fair amount of new content that will showcase the wonderful features of our club.
When the new site is launched on April 15, there will still be some things that need work. Some of the images you’ll see on the 15th. are placeholders until we’re able to get a photographer to take more appropriate shots – for example, we will need new images of the docks with the boats in the water and of our new, redesigned north entrance when that is completed. We hope soon to have an entirely new collection of images to complement the design. As well, much content remains to be added. We obviously hope to complete the process as soon as possible.
The Communications Committee deeply appreciates the hard work of the many people involved in the project, especially Chris Reil, who designed and implemented the new site on contract through his company, ONG Solutions. Lauren Stephens volunteered many hours of design expertise, which has added importantly to the visual appeal of the site. Krista Slack, Kate Driscoll, Carolyn Weckesser, and Keith Robson provided helpful design and content advice along the way, and Cheryl Wright and Cindy Sampson oversaw the long process with wisdom and good cheer as successive VCs Member Services. Thanks also to those members – particularly Jeff Levine and Scott Elliott – who have offered support as the project has progressed.
The above quote was a recent email news release regarding the launch of a new website design. Included in the project was the porting of all existing content and the migration of custom applications without which the site would not function.