What is main purpose of quilt guild website?

LEBANON, OREGON, November 20... Surfing quilt guild websites, one finds quite a range of ideas & non-ideas. This leads to the question — What is a good set of reasons & designs for a good quilt guild site?

Most quilt guild front pages you always skip
Many sites have front pages that are static. They don’t really serve any function.

In contrast — E-commerce sites, news sites & similar sites have proactive front pages.

Front pages need newsy info designed to attract public
Look at big quilt shows (Sewing and Stitchery Expo ), flower shows (Philadelphia Flower Show), fair websites — Their front pages have news, frequently updated information, interesting photos & 1 click to helpful stuff.

Some guild sites have such features — They serve members proactively and offer "hooks" to attract non-members.

Some quilt guild front pages help members, public
St. Andrews Bay Quilt Guild has some proactive member & non-member attraction aspects.

SABQG front page offers recently updated news items, info

• Next meeting date, time, location & potluck lunch
• List of update dates & what's updated
• Direct link to latest newsletter
• BOM thumbnail graphic link
• President's "Head shot"

SABQG has 1 click to other active pages

• Member services
• Scrapbook page... Photos text —Shows they are a fun guild!
• Calendar has photos of quilters
• Meeting location map
• Quilt show... Photos, list of winners, preview of next show, entry forms... More than just poster

Front page — Guild’s best chance & place to help & attract members & non-members

• Why a front page saying, in a static message, “Welcome to our guild”?
• Why a front-page with no new info?
• Why a front-page with more than 2 clicks to find where, when, what & who is the next meeting?
• Why not What? — Headline* main meeting program, agenda item, fun activity
• Why not Who? — Headline* program quilting speaker & topic

*Headline NOT label — Gudrun Johansdottir shows Spoon Licker: 13 Elves styles of Icelandic Christmas quilts — NOT— December Show & Tell by Gudrun Johansdottir

Why not update front page at least monthly?
Even a small guild website is updated monthly — At a minimum guild newsletters are added monthly. When your Webmaster does that quick FTP — Add 3 to 5 other quick updates...

• Put newsletter update date on website front page
• Put 1 or 2 main newsletter headlines on website front page
• Link both directly to newsletter
• Add photo of most recent guild Show & Tell
• Photos of recent youth class quilts

Why have a guild website?
In many cases a guild board or publicity committee needs to decide what is the mission or purpose of the guild’s website.

If you don’t have a guild website mission or purpose — Why have a guild website?

What are 10 main purposes, functions, missions of a quilt guild website?

1. Stimulate guild activities?... Active stimulating? Or just source of links?
2. Reference for members?... Bylaws? Members list & contacts? Routine, scheduled updates?
3. Guild news for members?... On front page? More frequent than newsletter?
4. Attract new members? ... News/photos on front page?
5. E-commerce for guild?... Cookbook sales? Community service? Guild specials?
6. Place for guild talk?... Forums or blogs? Past BOM source?
7. Place for guild photos?
8. Newsletter source?... Link directly to latest newsletter? Newsletter headlines?
9. Guild promotion?... Quilt show posters? Quilt show PR? Meeting program PR? Guild classes PR? Guild community service promotion?
10. Guild calendar?
11. Website committee?
12. Share guild photos?
13. Guild members post quilt related articles, tips, info?
14. Share guild BOM, patterns, recipes?
15. Updated regularly?
16. Guild contact source?
17. Next meeting date, time, location & potluck lunch on front page?
18. List of website update dates & what's updated on front page?
19. Direct link to latest newsletter on front page?
20. BOM thumbnail graphic link on front page?
21. President's "Head shot" on front page?
22. Member services pages?
23. Scrapbook page?... Photos text —Shows they are fun!
24. Calendar has photos of quilters?
25. Meeting location map?
26. Quilt show info?... Photos, list of winners, preview of next show, entry forms... More than just poster
27. Guild meeting notices & details?... Date, Time, Featured program/speaker, main agenda item?
28. Show off work of our talented, award winning quilters?
29. Lists of guild quilt show winners?
30. Guild budget?
31. Guild bylaws?
32. Quilt show forms?
33. Public guild info?... Meeting minutes, etc.
34. Promote self-confidence & skills of beginning guild quilters?
35. Showcase (i.e. YouTube, MyFace) for youth quilters?
36. Give non-quilting public exposure to & info about guild?
37. Educate quilting & non-quilting public about quilting?
38. Show public our commitment & level of community service?
39. Promote to public guild events & activities?
40. Seek public input on future guild activities & events?
41. Initiate discussions on guild activities?... Like comments on blogs, forums, newspaper articles
42. News for guild members
43. Reference for guild members
44. Attract new members
45. Promotion of guild events & activities
46. Educate public about guild
47. Educate public about quilting
48. Link to guild newsletters
49. Please post your ideas of most important purposes

Thanks Chris (Peggy's husband)