permaculture

["April Sampson-Kelly" <askpv@ozemail.com.au>]

message for clare (no email address supplied)
we get 800 hits a week on our web page so in most people's books that's pretty successful.
first step was to get a pretty big bank of information together, not duplicating other good
work.
second step was to ORGANISE the page so that it is readable and not information pollution.
(though many could argue that one for fun)  SERIOUSLY, it has to be tidy and accessible.
there are some really messy pages on the net and people are less tolerant of wading and reading
through copious notes and silly little buttons and "under construction signs etc"
one of the most impressive sites i have seen lately is the bamboo world site - it's on my links page.
third step was to be pretty active on the mailing group and ALWAYS put your web page at the bottom with it's http: of course so that people can link directly.  THIS BRINGS a lot of people
who are already seriously searching and gets you on other people's links pages
fourth step - get on other people's links pages - this happened pretty much automatically for me, but a bit of promotion would go a long way.  as it is today - i will look you up and put you in my links page.
MOST PEOPLE COME TO MY SITE SIMPLY FOR THE LINKS nowadays, they even use my page off there own page as there links!! which is a bit cunning but i don't mind - others might really get nasty if
someone does it to them.  i get annoyed when people frame my pages as their own.  and in one case 2 years ago, a person simply copied my notes and pasted them up theirs!!!  that's incredibly rude and open to litigation but easily solved once i politely asked them to.
i am really lucky that i have people on the net that like my work and have actually gone out
of their way to help me protect it - like having my own guards on the web!!!!
I get a lot of promo ideas by listening to other web people and magazines.   one idea i am yet to explore is to set up a chat room of my web page so that people come to my site (but i see no
need if i get 800 a week anyway) 
I was careful to design the web to attract the sort of people i want to serve.
I aim to serve women in permaculture (for political reasons not sexist ones) so i
made the page as PRETTY as i could.  I have to add music next which is something i would really enjoy seeing my main occupation is music.

The most successful pages for me are ones that convey enthusiasm!!! 
this is a big ask in a static text but can be done.
April

Permaculture Visions International
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~askpv
Students and graduates in 15 countries

every state of Australia, Israel, Jerusalem, PNG, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Orissa India, England, New Zealand, Tonga, France, Brazil, Portugal, USA (Anchorage Alaska, Washington, Ohio, Wichita, Rowe NM, Asheville NC, Carbondale IL, Madison WI, GREENSBORO NC-you, Sooke BC, Indianapolis Indiana, Hopkinton NEw Hampshire, Pescadero CA, Port Townsend WA)Canada.

· Web visits number over 800 per week!

· new element still being trialed at our site: organic mower vs soil compactor/loosener- a miniature/shetland cross pony - "peppercorn". So far, we have learnt that: With regular management he is quite a good mower on flats and grassy area, but damaging damaging on slopes and wet areas. Could be a good pioneering animal, as he churns up the soil in short intervals, making it ready to plant out. (preliminary confirmation of Alan Savoury's cell grazing techniques). A pony needs a lot more than ½ acre of semi-shaded grass with this cell grazing management system.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Russ Grayson + Fiona Campbell [mailto:pacedge@magna.com.au]
> Sent: Saturday, 24 April 1999 9:44
> To: J B Sth Syd; R H-hunter; J F-willoughby; M E Willoughby; J + M F; A
> C-unsw; L S; Rhonda Hunt-Sth Syd; A S-Wollongong; A K-Kembla; D C-UNSW;
> J W-unsw; K B; L S; M J-Liverpool; M N-Manly; T L-newcastle; A C-unsw; P
> R; M D-Glovers; J K; J P C-Randwick; J G-UNSW; S R-Blue Mtns; B R
> Subject: Re: Marketing of demonstration site
>
>
> FYI:
>
> ...Fiona
> Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network
>
> Clare Constantine  (constant@numbat.murdoch.edu.au)   wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I am looking for ideas on marketing strategy for a
> demonstration site which
> > is designed on permaculture principles here in Perth Western
> Australia. The
> > Environmental Techolgy Centre is about 5 years old and we have
> realised we
> > can't grow without some local marketing, as word of mouth and
> campus (we're
> > part of Murdoch University) displays only generates a low level
> of students
> > for our courses. We have a new web site
> > (http://wwwies.murdoch.edu.au/etc/ETChome.htm) and would also
> like to know
> > how to advertise the web site. Any tips or feedback would be welcome.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Clare Constantine
>
>