SSCO Web Redesign Project RFP
October 27, 2009
Overview
The current SSCO Web site was made in 2004. At the time, the new Web was well received and met the needs of the organization. Since then, Web technology has taken off and the SSCO Web seems dated and lacks interactivity. Furthermore, the SSCO has subscribed to a variety of other Web 2.0 (list serve, Facebook, Flickr, etc.) products that are not integrated with the SSCO Web.
Our main goal is to create an interactive, integrated, attractive, and easy-to-navigate forum for Stevens Square residents to get information and share information. Other goals include increasing the visibility of the SSCO and the neighborhood as a whole and streamlined communication between volunteers.
Staff currently spends approximately 2 hrs per week working on current Web. They prefer to keep this time commitment “as is” unless there is a demonstrated benefit/correlation to current work. Staff is open to having key volunteers manage parts or all of Web.
Scope
SSCO has a budget of $3000 for this project
Target Audiences
1. SSCO board, committee members, volunteers, and active community stakeholders
2. Stevens Square-Loring Heights residents, business owners, and workers
3. Potential residents, businesses, and developers
4. Other community orgs?
5. Other?
Goals
a. Improve navigability and information design
i. Give visits better sense of Web contents on homepage
ii. Scrap current navigation labels and use more intuitive labels
iii. Create site searchability
iv. Create Web map
b. Update Web content
i. Identify appropriate content
ii. Photo gallery
iii. Page for crime information
iv. Include links to businesses and rental property owners and to condos for sale.
v. page to promote events, along with an archive of information and photos about past events.
vi. Fundraising page
vii. Link to upcoming meeting agendas on the front page.
c. Implement new and/or integrate existing tools
i. Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Yahoo Groups, others(?)
ii. “Donate Now”/PayPal
iii. Mass email tool/contacts database
1. doesn’t have to be part of Web, but ideally should integrate with Web sign up form
2. Ideally “in the cloud” (i.e. accessible via Web and with controlled access for key volunteers)
3. list-serve/email list building capability
4. Opt in/opt out option
5. Newsletter template and subscription tool
iv. Blog?
v. Surveys
vi. Discussion forum(s)
vii. Photo gallery
viii. Calendar that can download events into personal calendars
ix. Document upload/download
x. Others?
d. Inexpensive content manager/framework, possibly open source like Drupal (SSCO has access to affordable software through Techsoup.org)
i. Currently use Contribute 3
1. disk is missing
2. software is only on 1 SSCO computer
3. text editing tool has bugs/doesn’t always work, particularly with using different fonts and font colors
4. can’t (or don’t know how) to insert pictures and graphics
ii. Web access would be ideal
iii. Easy to use for staff/adequate training
iv. Doesn’t require HTML knowledge
v. Can add new components in future, if desired
vi. Relatively affordable and doesn’t require regular software updates/upgrades
vii. Stable/doesn’t crash
e. Plenty of bandwidth and storage capacity
i. Auto backup/saving/archiving
ii. In past have had problems with slow uploads
iii. Previously maxed out server space
iv. Redundant server space to avoid “atom bomb” scenario
f. New “skin”/graphic design
1