Where's tonight's meeting? Is there one? Frustrated by old websites! Why The New One is A Success

I just lost 30 minutes trying to find out if there's a meeting on tonight. I'm a member of a club. If I were a visitor I would be equally perplexed. Lucky I wasn't working or I would have given up looking or got told off by the boss for wasting time.

I find this problem all the time on older websites. First you go through the whole preamble of sign in as a member.

What's Good
The best websites - even on the old one there was one great feature. Your log in - first commend, very good that the site tells you that you can log in with your email. Lots of sites ask you for your 'username' - what's that, my married name, passport name, maiden name, pen-name, nickname, name I use on blogs, last year's password, the one I changed to after being hacked, the site's own password. At least one good website lets me sign in with my email and tells me to sign in with that.

Hurray! After trying assorted passwords, including my last known password and the default welcome one, suddenly the site activates. (I still don't know which of the previous attempts hit the power system).

Now I can see some useful information: correct spelling of all members' names, useful for my write-up of club meetings, as well as their Toastmaster status such as CC competent communicator. This helps me address them correctly in documents. Later I can give them status on an agenda or website. When I am toastmaster of the evening I can introduce them properly at meetings, handy if I have not had time to research anything else to say. Other bonuses, their qualification level helps contest organisers decide whether members are eligible to enter a contest, judge a contest. For regular meetings, it helps you to know if a new member  should be encouraged to take on a beginners speech or easy role, or a challenging advanced members only role at a meeting.

Later I learned that I was using an old site. That explains why only three people other than myself had logged onto the site in the last month. I was wondering they the president had not logged in. On the other hand, it shows that four of us were hunting on the internet and had inadvertently looked at an outdated site without the latest news.

After trying various links I still don't know whether there is a meeting tonight.

Why don't I know when the next meeting is? The last meeting (a contest) changed venue. I just received an email from a member (another Angela) who missed it by going to the wrong venue because the venue was changed. She had just got off the plane and rushed to the meeting without spending time checking emails.

The club venue has changed in the last year, also the meeting dates (second and fourth to first and third). I have to remember the dates for another toastmasters and a writers group, meeting the same night as the Toastmasters at two different venues according to the week. (Not counting clubs in another country, nor the book group, the gardening club and computer training lessons. They all change date and time and venue, sometimes a week before and sometimes the same week.)

When I try checking the next meeting as a visitor what do I find?

What do I like as a visitor to a site? Seeing information immediately. I now see why the new site is such an improvement.

Down with Dowloads
On the old site, four items all required download. My reaction was, Sorry, I am not downloading. My laptop has jammed up because of too many files. I can't open my photos. I keep getting warnings to delete stuff. Every email wants me to download something and every website. My computer is so full I have had to buy a new one. Spent all week looking at old secondhand out of date computers which are better than the new lightweight models which won't take discs - but have to check the specifications of each to see what's compatible. Hours listening to music trying to get though to get quotes from two companies to compare or change company.

I shall be out of action for a week during the changeover. (More passwords needed for both my mobile phone and laptop. First the temporary one from the company sending the goods.

Meanwhile - even if the visitor wanted the downloads. The first has the unexciting title Corporate info. the first word is too long and abstract. Many toastmasters manuals tell you to avoid jargon and long words. The second word, info is too short, and totally inconsistent in style with the first word. you alienate the texters who like things simple with the first ugly word 'corporate', upset the pundits and erudite with the second word 'info', and the aesthetes and style lovers with the bizarre combination.

Worst of all, it's entirely a sales pitch and doesn't reach the call to action which is COME TO THE NEXT MEETING DATE >>> TIME ??? PLACE!!!

I am one of Toastmasters Internationals most devoted members, member of two clubs. I was a member of three when one club offered half price membership if you were already a member of another club (meaning you already had the manuals and magazine and didn't need the one of joining fee to get you on the HQ system. Then they discontinued the reduction. Now they are flourishing you'd think they might reinstall it. Maybe that's the problem. They don't need members.

Back to the downloads.  No, don't lets go back. I shall now phone somebody. But half the people are creatives like me who won't know.

Who will know? The scientist, the diary keepers, the follow the rules and agenda types. They are called 'Yekkers' in Yiddish, from the German for jacket-wearers. Yekkers know the date and time but get angry if you ask. All clubs are run by yekkers. The membership secretary should be a salesperson who wants you to feel praised and wanted. But the unfriendly accountant is busy following the rules. (That has a plus side - it is great because he or she will not run off with the money).

They will make me feel unwelcome and a failure, an idiot, an unwanted member, by saying to me, "I don't have time to tell you. Why can't you look it up on the website?"

Rant over. What do I want? Call to action!

On the front page of every website. Call to action. Box in top right hand corner with flashing lights all around it.
COME ALONG TO NEXT MEETING.
DATE .........
TIME .........
PLACE ......
FREE PARKING IN .......

PS Final gripe. Harrow Council wants to cut the free parking at Harrow Leisure Centre. After widespread protests they agreed to consider allowing free parking for two hours. The main letter from a bowls club member says that's not enough. You can't meet and go off for coffee or lunch afterwards.  Any meeting to which you invite another club is likely to last four hours. You can't have everybody dashing off at assorted intervals to move their car or feed the meter or check or go home early.

Summary and reiteration of main point:

By the time your website reader has been distracted by the delivered local newspaper, the postman, a phone call, the server has gone down, and your ember or guest has accepted the invitation to do something else such as go to dinner or coffee with a neighbour or friend.

When I'm in Singapore or America I meet somebody in the lift (elevator to any Americans reading this). I have one minute to tell them, 'When you are in London go to the Toastmaster Speakers club in Harrow / wherever. Just look at the website.'

I am told that our committee have spent unpaid and unappreciated hours upgrading our websites. It's great that the BBC and other sponsors are helping the next generation to be technically trained on computers.

For those who set up websites, which club and committee members have to spend hours adapting and transferring information - it's great to have the vital information on page one answering the classic questions you are taught at the start of any journalism course on news reporting:
WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY?

PUT THE NEXT MEETING ON PAGE ONE OF A CLUB WEBSITE VISIBLE TO BOTH MEMBERS AND GUESTS!
Thanks for reading my rant. Hope this helps you make user-friendly event sites.