Each month we publish a web-writers tip, or review a website we think is great. The aim is to promote excellence in electronic publishing for and by tangata whenua and community organisations.
Websites featured demonstrate effective use of Internet technology, including good navigation, accessible design, quality content and opportunities for interaction. Visit the current tip, or scroll down for all tips and sites.
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[June 2008] The invitation arrived from a local community group: would I like to attend their next important event? It looked gorgeous --- it had a frame, the logo, beautiful colours, a 'handwritten' ...
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[May 2008] You may have heard about Web 2.0, social sites, services and applications such as Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Basecamp, Twitter, Delicious, Google maps, Google Earth, ...
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[April 2008] Whether it's volunteers, board members or a project group, meeting in person or on a conference call often involves a stream of emails: "I can make 3 pm on Tuesday", "I can't do 3 pm, ...
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[March 2008] In February 2008 Nielsen Online revealed that most New Zealand Internet users are generating web content. (Source: 02/26/2008 Consumer Generated Media: Evolution or Revolution? ...
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[February 2008] We use only 10% of our brains; everyone knows that. Funny, isn't it, how we all know that, and remember it, even though it's not true.
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[December 2007] Sometimes people come to your website *wanting* to join or donate or volunteer. Make it easier for them to give than give up.
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[November 2007] If you have something to say, make sure you say it on your own website. If you don't publish your own news you risk losing visitors, audience, readers, and potential sponsors, ...
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[October 2007] There's a lot happening on, with and to the Internet. Can your group keep up? Should you keep up? Could a Technology Scout be an answer?
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[September 2007] Let's face it, developing a website is normally done over months behind closed doors, and most people would probably rank its entertainment value right next to "watching paint dry". ...
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[August 2007] Q: What do Flickr, email, blogs, YouTube and phonecalls have in common? A: Oxfam recently combined all these tools together in a successful orchestrated campaign on behalf of Ethiopian ...
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[July 2007] The 'social' Internet is all about community. More people are more connected more frequently than ever before, in what some are calling 'ambient intimacy'.
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[June 2007] If your website links to outside sites then you have to watch out for 'link rot' — good links gone bad. It's fine to use software for this, but you need a human eye too.
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[May 2007] Do people complain that links in your email messages don't work? Using angle brackets may fix that.
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[April 2007] When you send newsletters to your whole address book you may be contributing to the spam problem. Are you sure you're not an accidental spammer?
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[March 2007] Do you publish newsletters, fact sheets, resource kits or other materials, and distribute them either in print or via email or the web? If you do, you probably have to submit them to the ...
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[February 2007] It's 2007 in the real world. What year is your website or email newsletter in?
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[December 2006] Prepare for a relaxing summer.
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[November 2006] First words matter most. Whether you're writing your own web page, or sending in a notice to CommunityNet Aotearoa, the first words are the most important.
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[October 2006] Does your website attract visitors or repel them? This month we mention a couple of website traps that can send visitors hurrying away before they've got to know you.
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[September 2006] Do your website's visitors see the dreaded "404 not found" page if something on your site is broken? They should, but it's not usually very useful — unless you choose to help ...
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[August 2006] In May 2006 hundreds of people paid hundreds of dollars each to hear top speakers on the subject of making great websites. Now you can listen to or watch the presentations, free of ...
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[July 2006] Share your work, but still get credit. When businesses create publications and other works they usually copyright it all and charge lots of money to those who wish to use it. On the ...
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[June 2006] Let people know how to get to your offices or public event.
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[May 2006] What address does your website use? What happens if your visitors leave out the www at the start?
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Accessibility, in Internet terms, means designing for people who may have physical disabilities, don't have the latest equipment or who have options switched off for security. That includes a huge ...
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[April 2006] Does your community group sell a few books or resource kits? Would you like to receive donations? You don't need a whole e-commerce setup on your website for small scale, casual sales. ...
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[March 2006] If you're not averse to a little carefully selected advertising, you can make a few dollars from your website without a lot of effort using Google's Adsense.
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[February 2006] When did you create your website or last do a major overhaul? Chances are that quite a few months or even years have slipped by since the last time you really paid attention to ...
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[December 2005] How do you manage projects? Scraps of paper? Expensive software? Brain cells? Try Basecamp, a free online tool.
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[November 2005] Phonecalls can be expensive, especially if you have to pay national or international toll fees. It's worth looking into using Voice over IP (VoIP), or in other words using your ...
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[October 2005] As a community group you may need to communicate with committee members, volunteers, 'clients', other community groups, the media, the general public, and you will use various means ...
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[September 2005] One thing community groups often want to do is take and share photos. Your conference, new committee, fundraising day, end of year picnic — whatever the occasion you might like ...
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[August 2005] Some websites use "frames" as a way to keep some information in front of visitors' eyes all the time while the rest of the information changes. This can cause a lot of problems for ...
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[July 2005] If you make files such as Word documents or PDFs available for visitors to download or you send attachments be careful how you name the files.
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[June 2005] Collaborating on a document can be hard work as you send a file to and fro, work out how to incorporate the changes, deal with delays. By using the Internet though, you could experiment ...
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[May 2005] If you need to keep people informed but e-mail isn't enough and you don't have time, skills or money for a website, then a Blog may be the answer. It's free, and really easy; read on for a ...
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[April 2005] If you use Microsoft Word you can easily protect a document - but don't lose the password!
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[March 2005, Updated January 2006] What's the best file format for documents you want to share electronically?
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[February 2005] You've designed a conference programme with photos, explanations of the workshops, a registration form, extra information. What's the best way to distribute this?
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[December 2004] Add some movies, images, sounds to your web site as you see fit, but tell your visitors what you're doing and give them the controls.
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[November 2004] Continuing our Tips for Terrific Sites, this month's Tip tells you how to make sure your pictures don't drive away your visitors.
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[October 2004] Continuing our Tips for Terrific Sites, this month's Tip suggests keeping pages brief and using plenty of headlines.
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[September 2004] Static or dynamic? Continuing our Tips for Terrific Sites, this month's Tip explains the difference between static and dynamic sites.
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[August 2004] Getting Around. Continuing our Tips for Terrific Sites, this month's Tip suggests making sure your visitors can find their way or navigate around your site.
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[July 2004] See with the visitor's eyes. Continuing our Tips for Terrific Sites, this month's Tip suggests you stand back and take a new look at your site
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[June 2004] This month our Website Review takes a slightly different turn. We present you with … Make Page Titles count.
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[May 2004] This month our Website Review takes a slightly different turn. We present you with Top Three Tips for Tremendous Sites.
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[April 2004] The Peoples Advocacy Network provides advocacy training packages, one day workshops, specialist training, assistance and advice. The website has been made so that people with interests ...
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[March 2004] Touch Compass Dance Trust is a charitable organisation providing performances and training for people of all abilities. The trust aims to break down physical and psychological barriers ...
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[February 2004] The Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals strives to encourage the humane treatment of all animals and to prevent cruelty, to provide shelter for animals in need and to promote a humane understanding of animals. ...
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[December 2003] The Development Resource Centre (DRC) is a specialist information and education centre in Aotearoa New Zealand focused on overseas aid and development and global issues. The DRC’s ...
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[November 2003] As hay-fever season rolls around again the itching and sneezing begins. But there's much more to allergies than hay fever as this informative website shows.
Allergy New Zealand's ...
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[October 2003] Man Alive is a secular, non-political organisation offering a broad range of counselling services and programmes. The goal is to support men and boys of all ages to gain understanding ...
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[September 2003] What's Up is a free, national telephone counselling service for New Zealanders aged 5 to 18 years. The service operates seven days a week from noon to midnight. Paid, trained and ...
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[August 2003] The Northland Disabilities Resource Centre Matapuna Hauora aims to empower people with disabilities by providing information and support enabling informed choices and decisions. Their ...
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[July 2003] Eating Disorder Services provide services to the Greater Wellington region. They offer a range of services for people with eating disorders, their friends and family, schools, ...
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[June 2003] NZORD Charitable Trust provides resources and information for rare disease support groups. Set up in September 2000 it helps people affected by rare disorders and their families to find ...
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[May 2003] The Family Help Trust operates child abuse-prevention services for high-risk families in Christchurch, New Zealand. It confronts the causes of family dysfunction and provides client ...
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[April 2003] This group provides a high profile forum for the promotion, establishment and development of Supported Employment Services for people with disabilities in New Zealand, through ...
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[March 2003] Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is the Catholic agency for Justice, Peace and Development, focusing on Sustainable Human Development, Justice and Peace — Advocacy and Education, ...
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[February 2003] Manawa (mangrove) is a website for people and groups working for the environment in the Auckland region. Its aim is to build an online community of conservation and environment groups ...
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[December 2002] Volunteering Canterbury, an incorporated charitable trust that supports and promotes volunteering, has a well-designed website that is useful and information rich.
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[November 2001] ESOL Home Tutor Service website offers an extensive and impressive wealth of information about English for Speakers of Other Languages.
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[December 2001] The New Zealand Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisation (NZFVWO) is a national umbrella group for voluntary social service agencies.
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[February 2002] Diabetes NZ has an attractive and fast-loading website which is full of detailed information about diabetes for those who have it and those who just want to know about it.
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[March 2002] The site for Kaitiaki Maori working on behalf of whanau, hapu and iwi, particularly on environment and resource management issues. The many sections of this comprehensive site are ...
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[April 2002] Family Planning provides sexual and reproductive health information, clinical services, education, training and research.
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[June 2002] The Deaf Association provide numerous services to deaf people and their website is one of them.
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[October 2002] Envirofunz is a database which covers funding for environmental and conservation projects in Aotearoa / New Zealand. The Funding Information Service developed this database under ...
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[November 2003]
Note: This site is no longer on line and so this link has been removed.[September 2002] PasifikaNET's mission is to help improve networking and interaction within the Pasifika ...
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[August 2002] The YWCA of Aotearoa - New Zealand works to empower women, especially young women, by enhancing their spiritual, physical, mental and cultural well-being. The YWCA consists of 10 local ...
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[July 2002] Age Concern New Zealand is dedicated to promoting the quality of life and well-being of older people, advocating positive healthy ageing for people of all ages.