Sharing this note from our Greater DC Region affiliate. We at NPower Seattle agree - Idealware is a great resource.

We are big fans of Idealware, a nonprofit website, which provides candid Consumer-Reports-style reviews and articles about software of interest to nonprofits. We find their product comparisons very useful and recommend them to you when you are selecting software solutions for your nonprofit. Topics covered include constituent databases, websites, email and advocacy, and a broad range of office productivity tools. They also have frequent webinars—cost is $40 for a live seminar and $20 for a recorded session. You might find some of the upcoming sessions of interest. Check out the Idealware site for more information —www.idealware.org.

Comparing Open Source CMSs: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and Plone
Thursday January 28th, 10:00 - 11:30 PST

Getting Started with Online Conferencing
Thursday February 4th, 10:00 - 11:30 PST

Screen cast snapshot

Our Web and Database teams recently completed a system for publishing and updating online store products from Salesforce to Plone for one of our customers (Faith Trust Institute). We included a short (3 ½ minute) video demonstrating the high points to help train staff on how to use the new system. See the video to generate ideas on how you might use such a publishing system, and contact us to brainstorm possibilities for your site.

So a while back I posted a short survey asking 2 simple questions around your nonprofits technology needs/challenges in the future. Thanks again to all of you who took the time to fill it out.

Many of you indicated that a big challenge for you next year will be around communications. Websites, enewsletters, Constituent Relationship Management (CRM), etc. This is great information for us here at NPower and it lets us know that we’re on the right path. We’re doing our best to help our fellow nonprofits with these issues. Creating functional website using Plone, an open source Content Management System (CMS). Implementing Salesforce, a CRM product with amazing functionality.

While we already provide training around enewsletters, websites, and other communication tools; watch for additional courses on communication in the coming year. We’ve heard a lot lately on the impact & use of Social Media by nonprofits. This is a topic that NPower is keeping our eye on.

If you didn’t fill out the survey, it’s not too late! While we drew for our 2nd ipod winner and closed out the drawing, we can still us your input. You can find the survey at http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22992K7SGQS

Have I mentioned how much I love NTEN lately? If not, here goes!

Holly has a great post today on Open Source and nonprofits. I think she makes numerous points that are spot on. Here at NPower we gravitate toward Plone, an open source content management system for websites. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a great product; but many of Holly’s points about open source definitely apply.

My favorite quote from her in this post is about collaboration.

“Collaboration, quite frankly, sucks: It’s hard, it’s messy, and it’s very uncomfortable. “

Boy do I agree! I’ve had the “pleasure” of being directed by a funder to collaborate with another nonprofit on a project. Almost 2 years later (it was a 1 year project at most), the project still isn’t done.

So what’s the point here? As with many thing around NTEN, it’s go check it out! They are such an amazing resource for the nonprofit community. They have several posts today, all around Open Source options.

It’s no surprise to anyone reading this here that NPower Seattle is a big fan of Plone, the open source content management system that helps us deliver huge features to our customers without building from scratch. As a matter of fact, I attended the World Wide Plone Conference a couple of years ago, have been on the circuit with Idealware talking about Plone (and other CMS tools) and recently send one of my senior web developers to the World Wide Plone Conference in DC.

Well - now some of that magic is going to be happening right here locally. Our friends and colleagues at ONE/NW are hosting the World Plone Day, and you should attend!

Here’s what you need to know about the event and how to sign up:

AGENDA

Speakers

• Jon Stahl, Plone Foundation Board President
• Sam Knox, ONE/Northwest Support Manager

Talks

Plone: How it helps you build great websites

A brief overview of what Plone is all about — led by Jon Stahl, Plone Foundation Board President

Plone for Content Editors: Learning and Teaching the Essentials

Plone is often touted as a great CMS for non-technical users because it is easy and attractive for content managers to add, update, and maintain content. While this is largely true, there are a number of essential skills that one must learn in order to become comfortable with all aspects of posting and editing content in Plone. Added to that, there are a number of ‘best practices’ to learn about writing for the web and using the Plone interface that can substantially increase the chances of a satisfactory experience with Plone. Sam Knox, Support Manager for the non-profit consulting organization ONE/Northwest, will present an end-user focused training with ideas and advice for both end-users and the consultants who work with them. If you are new to Plone, or are often engaged with those who are, this session is for you.

So that we have enough food & beverage, free swag from Google, and can tailor the talks appropriately, please RSVP.

LOGISTICS

World Plone Day
Friday, November 7th, 5:00 P.M. to 7:00ish P.M.
ONE/Northwest
1402 Third Ave, Suite 1000
Seattle WA
Directions at:
http://onenw.org/about/contact-us

RSVP at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ndrYO87_2fwkvwtUq6z1BH_2fg_3d_3d

We’ve been implementing websites for nonprofits for a long time, and we’ve been using Plone as a CMS for about three years. It’s no surprise that over that three year span - our websites are getting better and better, Plone is getting better and better - and sites cost a bit more, too. Here’s some of the why:

When we first started, there was a lot we didn’t know - so - as we learned how to implement effectively in Plone - we wrote off a lot of our initial costs to that learning curve. Some of those items were true learning - we had to acquire skills in web hosting, in writing user agreements, in understanding the open source model and more.

But some of those costs were related to implementing hard designs - and that hasn’t changed!

Here are some things that we’re doing now:

• We test to make sure that your website renders well in IE6, IE7, and in Firefox. IE7 wasn’t out when we started, and Firefox was barely on anyone’s radar. Now we have IE8 on the way, the browser by Google (called Chrome) and Firefox 3 to get ready for.
• We implement one (if not two) analytic tools to make sure that you can measure site traffic
• We add additional tools that you can use, such as Plone Form Generator -a tool that lets you create forms for visitors to fill out and send to you
• We create "quick tip" documentation sheets to go along with our overall documentation
• We’ve implemented a cache scheme that makes your site render more quickly

And there’s a lot more. On top of THAT - our customers are asking for more, too:

• Deeply tiered permission structures so that board members, volunteers, and others can view restricted content
• Connecting to Salesforce.com databases to display and get information
• Expanded typography, using Flash and other tools, so that your website isn’t "stuck" using standard website fonts only
• Custom widget building, such as for a Resource Library, highly customized Calendars, stylized blogs
• Extended tools for tracking Search Engine Optimization

And there’s more of THAT, too!

We’re still able to implement highly affordable websites, if that’s what you want and need. We’ve recently helped a pair of customers move their old website (couldn’t edit them) to Plone, keeping much of their existing design. And we’ve had a few customers pick an already designed site (so the feature set and design didn’t have any moving pieces) and re-use with their own color scheme and content.

So - there are a lot of options. After three years (and just about 50 sites) - we’re excited about the future of Plone and how nonprofits can gain access to editing and posting content with it!

Helping you quickly enter and edit great content!

That’s it. Don’t get me wrong - Plone is HUGELY featured, and it integrates very nicely. But I think it is the printing press of the decade, if you get what I mean. When Martin Luther nailed his treatise on the church door in Wittenberg - it wasn’t the content of his note that was radical -it was that he was able to use the printing press to evangelize (no pun intended) his message:

The printing press is discovered and put into action in 1450. … Luther would have just been one more reformer in a small area if it had not been for the printing press. But thanks to the printing press, Martin Luther became the bestseller throughout the empire. He out-published all of his Catholic opponents. … He discovered the power of the press in ways that no one else had used it up to that point: everything from woodcuts being used in a polemical way, ditties and rhymes. He mastered this new medium; he used it to spread and turn what would have been a local affair into an international movement. ..

Plone can do that for you - but you have to have a communication plan, you have to know how to write for the web, and you have to know your audience. And (most of all) you need to regularly provide content updates to your website.

When you consider moving to a content management system such as Plone - make sure you START with an effective communication plan, that you identify the features of your website (NOT the visual design elements) that are most important, and implement your visual design in such a way that you further your goals, rather then just look pretty!

We’re in a changing world. The clunky CRT monitors of a few years ago are fading quickly - replaced by skinner flat panel monitors. Overall - that’s a good thing - they use less space and less energy and can be easier on the eyes!

But we’re in a world without a clear standard when it comes to sizing up your website. When you implement a new website, you’ll need to choose a size for your website that will meet the needs of most of your constituents. There aren’t a lot of terrific demographics out there to help, either - so this may very well be a bit of a guessing game for you. Do your stakeholders have older  CRT’s? Maybe in the 15 to 17 inch size? Perhaps they have one of the first flat panels - perhaps also in the 15-17 inch size?

But maybe they have a newer flat panel - more of the rectangular shape? Mine is like that - it’s a 19 inch monitor - but it’s long on the bottom (about 17 inches) and about 10 inches wide.  That means long-ish spreadsheets are dreamy to look at, while some websites seem to have a LOT of white space!

Here’s a quick grid to help you size up your website dimensions:

Page widths available (in pixels):

•     600 (suitable for 640×480)
•    720 (suitable for 800×600)
•    780 (just about suitable for 800×600)
•    840 (suitable for 1024×768)
•    900 (suitable for 1024×768)
•    960 (suitable for 1024×768)

Kudos to my senior website consultant Jesse Snyder for the research and to PE Ideas on Web Design for the details!

The folks at NTEN have turned out a survey regarding how nonprofits are using Content Management Systems. Since NPower Seattle uses Plone - I was delighted to see that Plone achieved high marks in Quality, Support, Usability and more.

You can download the entire study from the NTEN website  -free if you are an NTEN member.

A lot, it turns out - your designer can make choices in the design phase that can significantly reduce the ease in which search engines can find your site.

Search Engine Optimization is important -both during the design phase of your project AND after your site has launched.

During design, you’ll want your designer to understand how and when the use of tools such as Flash or AJAX may reduce the searchability of your site - and you’ll want to review those choices and measure the benefit: is it better to look great or is it better to be seen? This is a business choice that you should make before you approve your design!

AFTER the design phase - you’ll want to keep an eye on your keywords, the titles of your pages, and much more. There’s a terrific SEO Guide for Designers available at Web Designer Wall - it will take you all of 5 minutes to read - but a lot longer to implement!

PS - We implement Plone here at NPower Seattle - and I’m happy to report that Plone does a terrific job with “friendly names” and with other items mentioned in the article, such as managing your keywords!