Managing a web site

Parish or local council web sites are typically maintained by part-time or volunteer workers, often using primitive tools such as free web page editors, graphics programs and FTP programs.

Even with the help of professional tools, creating and maintaining a web site that makes information easily accessible takes time, effort, skill and experience. The evidence suggests that the majority of parish council web sites fall short of what web-savvy visitors might expect.

A new approach

One solutions is to use a web site driven by a Content Management System (CMS). Essentially, a CMS is a database of information - held on your web server - that is maintained using a series of relatively simple secure web pages. The really clever part is that this information is automatically published in a professional-looking format on your web site, without you having to do any web design at all. As more content is added, it automatically becomes available on your site.

Extra features

At its simplest level, a CMS-driven web site might contain just a series of pages, accessible via a menu, that can be used to upload meeting agendas and minutes, make announcements and perhaps list the council's members and contact details. These pages could be edited by the parish clerk and/or one or more volunteers. In this way, the effort goes into providing content, rather than the design or mechanics of the web site.

A CMS can also provide many additional features that encourage community involvement:

1. Discussion Forums can be used to get a debate going on local issues
2. Polls can be set up allowing people to vote on particular issues
3. Local groups can set up blogs to keep residents up-to-date
4. Collaborative books can be maintained by the community, such as a local history or directory of services

Why doesn't every council do this?

Setting up the infrastructure to get a CMS-driven site running requires a good deal of know-how and bringing together of resources. This is what ActiveCouncil specialises in - we have 10 year's experience building business-class internet solutions. Further, we have created a ready-to-use ActiveCouncil CMS solution that incorporates the most frequent requirements, such as placeholders for agenda notices, meeting minutes, council membership, and discussion forums. We have based the solution on one of the most popular OpenSource CMS offerings, so that you will not be locked in to a costly commercial or proprietary solution. If you decide to move your site away, you are free to take your CMS and content with you.