Club_Officers_Handbook_2016

Section 9: The Web Ruritan Web Site Guidelines One of the best new ways to promote your Ruritan club is through the World Wide Web. The Web provides an opportunity to reach out to different audiences. Creating a club website with an e-mail link is a excellent way to let people from your hometown, and all around the world, know about your club. It has become increasingly easy to set up websites, and there are even many excellent free, or very low cost, methods for maintaining a “web presence.” Before beginning, check out Ruritan National’s official website at http://Ruritan. org. Taking a look at the site can give you a good frame of reference for understanding what makes a website effective. Your club site can link to http:// ruritan.org and may duplicate a similar design and content if you like. To get a web page started, ask around your club to find out if any of your members have web page design skills. In addition to the experience this person may have, he/she can also purchase a book on designing pages or go to sites on the web that offer instruction. Posting a message at a college requesting a student website designer is another way to get started. Once the person who will create the pages is identified, think about content. Be sure to include general information about your club on the website – when and where it meets, club activities, and how to get more information. Have an e-mail link to someone in your club for people to send their questions. Other suggested items to include on your site are photos, a club history, and calendar of events. There are many items that could be included – be creative! Once your website is up and running, register with web search engines so when people enter a keyword search, they will be able to find your website. Do not forget to put your e-mail and web addresses on the items your club distributes. We also offer publications that can easily be downloaded through our web site at http://ruritan. org. However, because it has become so easy to set up a window to the world, there are cautions that should be observed.  We encourage all publications (regular and on-line) about Ruritan and Ruritan National to maintain levels of good taste. Do not link your website to any site that might have questionable content. When in doubt, be conservative.  Do not provide actual physical addresses and telephone numbers for ANYONE

connected with your Club, District, or Ruritan National.  You may, however, provide the physical address of your meeting place and the date and time of your meetings in case someone would want to visit your club. You may also provide an E-mail address as a contact for someone interested in Ruritan.  Keep your site as current as possible. Changing the first page of information will keep people checking back to see what is new.  Make sure that your site references the latest information concerning Ruritan National. Feel free to copy Ruritan’s history, current National Convention information, or Ruritan National Foundation programs from the Ruritan National website at http://ruritan.org.  It is not a good idea to publish club correspondence and minutes of your meeting on your web site/. E-mail, fax or write members directly with those kinds of things. Websites should be for general promotional vehicles not for specific record keeping. Internet regulation is very limited and anything put out on the web may be pirated for any number of inappropriate uses. Electronic Mail (E-Mail) Guidelines Electronic mail, or E-mail, has become ex­ tremely popular and nearly as indispensable as the telephone. As with websites, the easy access by millions has caused some problems of which we all must be aware. Abuse by just a few can cause nuisances for many. We strongly encourage E-mail interaction between club members, clubs, district officers, and Ruritan National. It is efficient, fast, inexpensive, and generally less intrusive than a phone call at dinner time or during your favorite activity. To protect our Ruritan members and clubs, we ask that you follow a few simple guidelines to keep from being a target or from becoming a nuisance. Unsolicited E-Mail We strongly discourage individuals and clubs from sending unsolicited mass e-mails that are not directly intended for or requested by the recipient. Use it as you would a regular mailing from your club. If you’re having a special event, it is OK to send information to other clubs in your area, much like you would send a news release to the local media.

PR

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Revised 8/2016