Content -- What to say on your web site
By Darrell Dodge, (mid 1990's)
modified by Russ Hicks, September 2009
Before you do anything else, it's important to decide what you want to say on your site. Why? Not only because the message is the heart of your site. What you want to communicate will not only help determine the design of your page, but will motivate you to persevere during a learning process that may at times be frustrating and time-consuming.
You'll want to discuss the National Stuttering Association and how your Chapter relates to it, publish the location and time of your chapter meetings, discuss things you do at meetings, advertise workshops you're planning, and any number of other things. Post a group picture of your chapter or photos taken at a meeting or chapter picnic. In addition to a link to the NSA Web site, you may also want to include links to member home pages and other stuttering pages of interest to your members. Some of your members may want to post personal statements about what the NSA has meant to them. If you have a newsletter, you may want to include articles from recent issues. Or create an archive of articles from past issues.
A quick way to get ideas for content is to look at what other chapters have done. Check out the Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley and the Dallas chapters for examples.
Representing the NSA on your web site
Your NSA Chapter Web site is an organizational site, not a personal one. It's important to remember that your site will be viewed as representing the National Stuttering Association by anyone who may log onto it. In fact, your chapter site may be the first time someone has ever read anything about the NSA -- or even about stuttering.
It's also important for the Webmaster to consider the wishes and opinions of others in the chapter. A chapter Web site is not an appropriate place to put a prominent link to your personal favorite stuttering therapy program, especially if it is the only such program represented. And the organizational page of a Chapter site is not an appropriate place for the Webmaster to express controversial views or relay personal experiences in a way that makes them sound like the opinion of the NSA or everyone in the Chapter.
Specific advice about stuttering therapy that could be taken as an NSA "position" is also inappropriate, even if you happen to be a speech-language pathologist. For example, "professional stuttering therapy can be worthwhile" is an appropriate statement. "You should (or should not) seek stuttering therapy" is not appropriate. "This type of stuttering therapy is better than that type of stuttering therapy" is also not appropriate.
It is very appropriate to have information about how participation in NSA meetings has helped members with their own therapy programs or self-help programs or just in coping with life. Or how members have been helped in meeting public speaking challenges or going to job interviews or in self-advocacy by the support they received at NSA meetings. Specific examples or anecdotes are great site additions, as long as the people involved give their permission to post this on the Web site. Personal views about stuttering can be contained in a section clearly designated for personal articles by chapter members.
Check list of major DO's and DON'Ts
DO
- Use the NSA logo on your front page
- Publish your meeting schedule (for example second Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM)
- Publish your meeting location. An interactive map (like Google Maps) is extremely useful.
- Publish a "Contact Us" section.
- Publish a link to the National Stuttering Association website, www.WeStutter.org.
DON'T
- Recommend a specific stuttering therapy no matter how strongly YOU believe in it.
- Have ANY advertisements for stuttering therapy.
Published by Sarah D'Agostino, September 2009 |
