[UbuntuWomen] [troy.sobotka at gmail.com: Website]

[Vid_A]

hi,

here are my thoughts :)

On Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 00:17, Carol Meertens <mouz at xs4all.nl> wrote:
> ----- Forwarded message from Troy James Sobotka <troy.sobotka at gmail.com> -----
>
> When was the last time you updated the website?

I had initially designed the static pages (under a weeks deadline) in
2006. The design colors largely mirrored the main Ubuntu colours but
may seem out dated now.


> Is there an organizational direction for the site development?  Is there a desire to
> have one?
>
> My time is _extremely_ limited currently, so I'll make no promises.


I would love to see something new if there is enough interest _and_
participation along the lines of  "i have this idea, can do this, here
is a design mockup" instead of just suggestions. Sorry if that sounds
harsh but each of us is busy (am working on an article and a libre
packaging project) with different volunteer stuff so its tough to do
this without help.


> 1) Who is the audience?  I'm assuming this one is quite easy -- women
> who use Ubuntu.  I am also assuming that the default audience is one of
> a more mature demographic -- perhaps in the later twenties to thirties
> range?


Re, Design aspect :  I would assume so. Does designing across age
bands (20+,30+,...) differ too much in the technical space? In that
case we need to be generic to cater to the teen to 60+ age group. I
dont see a one size fits all approach for that large a demographic,
not to forget that we must also cater to women of different
nationalities.

Re, Language aspect : Initially whilst writing it I had to keep in
mind not to exclude the men (or anygroup/nation/etc/...) whilst
defining our goals. That neutrality-yet-all-welcoming aspect would
still be relevant, more so now that we have grown a lot over the 2.5
years.


> 2) What would the team like communicated?  It appears right now judging
> strictly from the language that we are suit-and-tie formal.

I am wondering how we will be taken (within Ubuntu) if we change the
tone and seem less starchy while trying to attract students/teens? At
this juncture i'd hate to hear cries of "revamped to exclude <add age
group/gender/...>".  So these would need to be considered , along with
the "fun" and "welcoming" aspects , while designing the site.




> 3) What is the absolute bare amount of need-to-know elements on the
> site?  What is the purpose of the site?  What are the key areas that
> must be delivered / communicated?

Mostly,

- convey why we exist, as in how we make a difference.
- what we do
- who we are vis-a-vis Ubuntu (not separatist , blah blah)
- how folks can contact, join and help us.

Currently we have a minimum of 4 static pages and more wiki pages - a
collaborative tool which I think is the best way to encourage
participation.  Forums : I had not installed it as we already have
UbuntuForums.

Also, It may be useful to keep a news ticker box (similar to the press
box at http://www.ubuntu.com/) so UW can push local events/talks by
women across the world.



On Tue, Aug 26, 2008 at 13:39, Thorsten Wilms <t_w_ at freenet.de> wrote:
> First sentence on index page contains "Ubuntu" 3 times. Instead of:
>
> "Ubuntu-Women is a team functioning under Ubuntu to provide a platform
> and encouragement for women to contribute to Ubuntu-Linux, a Debian
> based free and open-source GNU/Linux software."
>
> How about:
>
> "Ubuntu-Women provides a platform and encouragement for women to
> contribute to Ubuntu-Linux."
> Where "Ubuntu-Linux" links to an explanation. I would guess that most
> visitors and especially potential members will already know what it is.

Could you rephrase it without removing the references to either the
Debian or GNU project since both these projects are important from the
philosophical aspect and form the bulwark on which Ubuntu stands. Its
seems unfair to not give credit where it is due. YMMV.


> The navigation links are sorted alphabetically. That's good if you know
> the label you are looking for. But maybe it would be better to sort them
> by priority for a new visitor?
>
> You might want to split them in 2 groups for internal and external
> links.
>
> "Links" could be dropped, it doesn't set much of an expectation and
> there's already "Wiki". "Mailing List" and "Mentoring" could perhaps be
> content for "Get Involved"?
>

right, nice point Thorsten.



> I wonder if icons should be introduced for either the most important or
> all points, to bring some life to the site, graphically.
>
> BTW, the banner image on http://planet.ubuntu-women.org/ appears to be
> squashed.

how about adding the new logo on the main page, planet, etc... might
help create a flow.


> The exact style, tone and content should be dictated by your _primary_
> audience. You don't communicate with a 12 year old girl like you do with
> a 61 year old man. In less extreme examples it's not easy to define the
> differences, admittedly.

ah ... dont forget the men, else its separatist \o/  ... just kidding :)

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