Club Website

An officer who is tasked with the duties of the webmaster should be encouraged to do so by the preparation of a checklist of what this officer should do. This checklist should then be reviewed by the outgoing and incoming webmaster, so the transfer is smooth. Of course, this can be the case for any other officer, but it is particularly useful for the webmaster. TI does not have any specific recognition for a webmaster – for example, there is no provision for training a club webmaster, even though the work clearly overlaps what a VPPR might be asked to do, and can also include the tasks both VPM and VPE normally do. But any club can designate an officer on the Board with the webmaster responsibilities, and being webmaster can certainly be used to qualify for an HPL project or can be part of the process of setting up a blog that is required for a Path, for example. SO there can be rewards and recognition for being the webmaster. It might even gain the attention of a member’s supervisor at work, providing an opportunity to gain recognition in the job, just as achieving DTM can prove to have job benefits.

3. Decide what it might look like: If your club has members who compete in contests, take pictures and even videos and post them on the site. If you have members who are interested in offering testimonials – how Toastmasters has helped them in their job or career, for example, enlist them in writing such a presentation, perhaps even capturing a video of them giving such a commendation of your club, that is valuable. Every member achievement – completing a Path, winning a contest trophy, earning DTM – should be documented and presented on the site in a prominent location, such as the home page. If you have a history of your club, consider putting that on your site. Any ribbons that the club receives for member or officer achievements should be touted on your site.

Include links that any visitor or member might find helpful: a link to the District home page, for example, would make it easy for a member to learn what other nearby clubs are doing, the contest schedule, what special offers the District has currently, such as membership growth recognition. A link to resources that a member might find valuable when planning a speech, including speaking tips, aids in researching a subject, videos of World Champions of Public Speaking, etc. Beware of the risks in not doing a website properly. Posting information about your club, such as the current slate of officers, is perfectly appropriate – as long as it is updated routinely. A visitor to your site who reads that the officer list was last updated five years ago is likely to believe that the club membership is not interested in this effort, and will look elsewhere for a club she can join. A site that is difficult to navigate, or that has links to other sites that are broken, is similarly likely to form a poor impression of your club. If you decide to include such information or those links, you automatically decide that those features will be kept current for visitors. This can be crucial: anecdotes have revealed that upwards of 80% of guests who visit your club can be driven to do so by your website, and if they find either that the site does not show your club in a good light, or that the impression of your club site is wildly exaggerated when compared to the sense they gain from the actual visit, they are unlikely to return and join. Be honest and enthusiastic about your club on your site, and especially give guests a reason to visit and then return, and the site can be a major engine that will drive club growth and success.