Background and Site Information

ABOUT THE KOS

The Kent Ornithological Society is a county-wide organisation responsible for providing information about birds and birding in Kent. The society has a large membership scheme - members subscribe anually and the money generated goes towards society activities. In return members are kept informed by way of newsletters, indoor and outdoor meetings, bird reports, e-mails and via the web.

The society actively collects, collates and publishes records of birds in order to provide a complete picture of bird life in Kent. Surveys ensure that the importance of each habitat is known - vital for protecting bird-rich sites threatened by development.

ABOUT THE WEBSITE

The KOS approached me when it was felt that the current site (although comprehensive) needed a fresh, new look. I worked closely alongside society member Chris Abrams to achieve an attractive design, with an intuitive 'portal' style navigation system. The site is required to illustrate the role of the society and encourage membership and to provide birding information to members and non-members.

The re-design of the new site threw up many challenges. Much of the content from the old site, needed to be translated into the new design. This content was sometimes extensive and needed significant maintenance to work it successfully into the style of the new site. The entire project took several months. Highlights include the stunning photo gallery (managed by Marcus Lawson) and a regularly updated latest sightings page.

The initial ideas for the design were realised in Macromedia Fireworks. Dreamweaver was then used to create template pages based on the design. These templates were then used to create the individual site pages - ensuring a high degree of consistency throughout the site.

Since its launch earlier this year, the site has expanded and several members contribute to the site content. This ensures information is fresh and encourages visitors to return. To enable members to edit the site, Macromedia Contribute had been used. Contributing members get access to specific (admin defined) areas of the site where they can update content using a basic 'WYSIWYG' interface. Contribute has proved to be a highly effective content management system both in terms of cost and usability.