EAA Chapter Web Editors

Resource Information for EAA Chapter Web Editors

This information is being provided as a supplement to the EAA Chapter Web Editors Workshop that has been offered at AirVenture. Also, if you have suggestions for additions to this information, please send that information to Don Parsons.

EAA Chapter Website Template

To help those tasked with setting up an EAA Chapter website for their chapter, I have created at website shell that you can use to help you get started. You can feel free to use the template as the actual shell for your chapter website, or just an educational example. You can modify the template as little or as much as you choose. (Download Chapter_Shell.zip). You can browse the template, or you can view the Read Me file that is also included.

NOTE: Please send me the URL to your website when it is posted so I can have a chance to enjoy what you have done.

Information Resources

The following list includes URL links to websites that EAA chapter web editors should find useful. Some of these websites will help you learn more about various aspects of creating websites. Others are links to helpful services.

• EAA Chapter Web Editor's Group E-Mail Address: Joining this group will allow you to post questions to, and participate in discussions with, other EAA Chapter Web Editors.
  http://www.YahooGroups.com/group/EAA_Web/
• To create your own group e-mail addresses, go to Yahoo!Groups to create your own accounts:
  http://www.YahooGroups.com/
• Search for Web Host Internet Service Providers using CNet Services:
  http://webservices.cnet.com/
• Use Yahoo! to get a comprehensive list of free host account providers.
• Research information regarding all aspects of website design, development, administration, and technologies:
  CNet Builder.com - http://www.builder.com/
  Yahoo - http://www.yahoo.com/ Click on "Computers & Internet" then "WWW". Another very good search engine is Google - http:/www.google.com/.
• Research current digital cameras that are on the market that can be used to get digital pictures to be posted on your chapter's website (this is an outstanding resource):
  Digital Photography Review - http://www.dpreview.com
• Registering your chapter's domain name:
  Network Solutions - http://www.networksolutions.com/
  Register.com - http://www.register.com/
  NOTE: There are other companies that you can register through as well. If you are setting up a Virtual Host Account with an ISP, the service you are going through will take care of registering your domain name for you.
• Registering your chapter's website with www.EAA.org.
• Interested in getting access statistics for your chapter's website?
  http://www.extreme-dm.com/tracking/

Web Host Option Comparisons

There are several options that chapters have available to them for getting web space. Those options and the advantages and disadvantages are included in the table below:

The most likely options for chapter website hosting falls into one of the four options listed in the matrix above. There is a possible fifth option which is to setup a chapter server either at a member's house that has full-time broadband Internet access, or co-located at an ISP somewhere. This one option is very advanced, and potentially very costly. Therefore, that option has been deliberately omitted.

• Free Web Presence Accounts - Although this option is free, your chapter may suffer because websites based on these free services are frequently slow, and problems at the ISP can cause your website to be unavailable intermittently. Sometimes those out times can be on the order of one day to an entire week. Since you are not paying for the service, the sense of urgency for providing you uninterrupted service is typically not there. In a sense, the attitude that you are paying nothing, therefore you really are owed nothing prevails. This option is currently commonly used throughout EAA chapters because it is free, but it can be problematic.
• Chapter Member's Space from Internet Access Accounts - Almost every Internet access account that is available today comes with anywhere from 5 MB to 100 MB of disk space for posting web pages. Many chapter members in each chapter have these kinds of accounts. Most of those chapter members are not using that space, so it makes sense to have one member "donate" it's use to the chapter for "hangering" the chapter's website. This option is free to the chapter. The problem is that once the chapter website is up, you will want to advertise the URL as much as possible to help people find your chapter's website. The marketing efforts may include printed flyers, "business cards", t-shirts, registering with search engines, getting other chapters to post links to your chapter's website, registering with the chapter section of www.EAA.org, etc. Once all of that has been done, your chapter is firmly linked to that URL. If the chapter member cannot move to another ISP to get better pricing, or better service because that would break all of the printed and recorded URLs to the chapter's website. Further, if the chapter member leaves the chapter, what happens to the chapter website? If chapter access to the account ends, then all of the links leading to the chapter's website will be broken. This option is commonly used and at first consideration is logical. In the long run, it should be avoided. One way around this problem is to register a domain name through Register.com and then set up URL Forwarding to the chapter's website. For example, Chapter 12 has the domain name EAA12.org. The URL http://www.EAA12.org/ used to forward to http://www.DParsons.com/EAA12/. The chapter can advertise the Chapter URL. If the actual location changes, the forward is changed to point to the new location.
• Virtual Web Host Accounts - There are many ISPs that sell accounts designed for giving people, organizations, or businesses an inexpensive web presence on the Internet. These accounts typically come with 25 MB to 300 MB of space, a custom domain name, and some number of e-mail address. Some even come with an unlimited number of e-mail addresses that you can setup. The price for a basic account of this type typically range from $10 to $25 per month. Frequently you can get a slight price break if you sign up for annual billing for the account. The obvious disadvantage is that this account will cost the chapter money. There are several potential advantages with this option. The first is that the chapter can have it's own domain name such as EAA12.org. This simplifies Chapter 12's URL to http://www.EAA12.org/. This is the prevailing standard for EAA chapter domain names. Sticking with this standard make it easy for someone to find your chapter's website provided they know your chapter number. If the chapter needs to change to a different ISP for any reason, the domain name can be moved to the new ISP. None of the URL links to the chapter website are broken. E-Mail address within the chapter can be preserved so chapter e-mail addresses continue to be valid after the transition. Host accounts that come with unlimited e-mail addresses can be used several different ways. Two possible ways of using the e-mail addresses involve making a chapter e-mail address available to each member of the chapter. If the chapter does not charge members for the address, this becomes an added value the chapter offers to members. If the chapter charges a minimal fee for each address, the cost of the chapter's host account can be easily covered, and the excess is revenue to the chapter. This is the strongest option for web hosting available to most chapters.
• Schools / Corporate Servers - Area schools or businesses can be talked into allowing the chapter to "hanger" the chapter's website on existing servers that the school or business has up for other reasons. This solution works, and is in use by several EAA chapter. Most of the time, these deals come about because a member is either a student, faculty or staff at a area school, or is an employee at the company that will host the website. This solution is also typically free to the chapter. However, this option usually is subject to management approval. These days, management can change literally over night. The original approving manager may very well be supportive to EAA and recreational aviation. Subsequent management may not and may not like the burden or responsibility associated with the chapter website. I have seen these service disappear without warning, which leave the chapter scrambling to reestablish a new website and to fix all of the broken links into their website because the old URL is no longer valid. In most cases, this option is the least desirable of all of the four options.

Chapter Website Content Development Tools

When it comes to creating a website, there really is a broad range of tools that you can use to get the job done. The following matrix identifies some of them.

Several of the packages listed above can be downloaded for a trail period to give you an opportunity to "test drive" the program.

It is possible to author websites by using a basic text editor. In this case, you would be writing the HTML code manually. All computer operating systems include a simple text editor that could be used for this purpose. There are some text editors that are aware of HTML code that helps you write the code by providing syntax assistance. They may also help by applying formatting to the code based on a set of formatting rules. This makes it easier to read the HTML code that you write.

Another option is that there are many programs that were designed for various purposes, and the formatted pages can be saved as HTML files. Most word processors, such as Microsoft Word or Corel Word Perfect, are capable of this. Page layout programs like Microsoft Publisher can also be used.

There are many programs that are also available that can be downloaded for free, or are available as shareware (you send the developer some amount of money if you decide to continue using the program), one good source for downloading software is CNet's Download.com. This website has a very diverse selection of utilities that can be helpful.

Chapter Website Content Ideas

If you have started an EAA chapter website, or you are thinking about starting one, you have most certainly asked yourself the question "What should I include in this website?". After spending a significant time visiting literally more than half of all of the EAA chapter websites, I compiled the following list of good ideas.

• Newsletters (Current & Achieve Issues)
• Articles
• Tip & Techniques
• How To
• Safety
• Lessons Learned
• Experiences
• Historical
• Personal Stories
• Educational
• Product / Service Reviews
• Project Information (Summary & Photos)
• Calendar of Events w/ Links to Event Websites
• Event Summaries w/ Photos
• Trip Accounts w/ Photos
• Program Marketing (Young Eagles, Etc.)
• Chapter Resource Lists (Tools, Videos, Books, Etc.)
• Links to Other Internet Information Resources
• Local Airport Information
• Travel Information for Visiting Out of Area EAA Members
• Links to Weather Information Resources for Flight / Trip Planning
• Discussion Boards & Special Interest Groups
• Chapter Committee Summaries & Updates
• Chapter Officer Meeting Summaries & Updates
• Chapter Information & Chapter Marketing for New Members
• Meeting Dates, Times, Locations, Maps
• Chapter Officer Names / Contact Info.
• Join Instructions / Application Form
• Classified Adds
• Content Disclaimer Information

For the web editors' session at AirVenture 2002, an EAA Chapter Website template will be posted here. EAA Chapters will be able to use the template to help facilitate constructing their own website.