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  • From: "Bart Anderson" <bart@cwo.com>
  • To: "Permaculture List" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] http://www.permacultureactivist.net/
  • Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2005 01:18:44 -0800

Hello Keith,

> ... 8 years (and about 2000+ hours) of managing the site without pay,

MANY THANKS for the volunteer work you've done on Permaculture Activist site
and magazine. It was one of the sites I first used when I was discovering
permaculture and I'm sure it's helped many others.

Feedback on the site:

1. Reduce the download times of the pages.

For those of us using 56K modems, each page on the site takes a couple of
minutes to load. Because the pages take so long to load, I tend not to
browse, but to go only to the page of interest (e.g., "Books and Videos").

I'm guessing that the reason for the long download times is that pages are
typically filled with graphics. There may be other reasons as well.
Re-structuring the pages to be shorter or being selective about graphics
would probably reduce the download times.

Presumably the download times aren't a problem for people with fast
broadband connections to the Internet. However, not everybody in the US and
certainly not everybody in the world have fast connections.

2. More back articles!

Reasons: a) brings people to site b) spreads the word c) content has already
been created d) if articles are in digital form, they would be easy to put
online e) encourages people to buy back issues

"Permaculture Magazine" (UK) has about 40 articles online
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/mag/Articles/Articles_Menu.html

"Hopedance" magazine (San Luis Obispo, Calif) seems to put most of their
articles online.
http://www.hopedance.org/new/backissues.html - click on the Issue Number
(e.g. "Issue 47") for online access to the articles. I notice that
Hopedance sells back issues and subscriptions online via Paypal.

3. Content is more important than color/graphics/bells-n-whistles.

The strong point of Permaculture Activist is the content -- very few places
have anything like it. If resources are limited, then I would like them
devoted more to content. A simple format is refreshing to read and is
easier to create and maintain.

I admire ATTRA for their simple, effective format, as well as for the
quality/quantity of information. ( http://attra.ncat.org/publication.html )

5. Separate content into different sections.

The menu bar has a variety of different items in it (e.g., "Intro &
Definitions", "Books and Videos", "Ad Rates," "Permaculture and Energy" ).
It is a little confusing as it is, and if you add more items, it will get
more so.

Could some of these items be organized into separate sections?

For example, create new pages like "Online articles" or "Permaculture
Background"... these pages would contain links to online articles, etc.

6. If you update the site frequently, have a "What's New" page which lists
anything significant that you've added. Such a feature motivates people to
check your site for new material.

7. Unless you have a budget of $50,000 and a score of employees, keep
processes and formats simple. Complicated pages are a real time sink.

8. Is there a way to apportion some of the work to other people, so you
don't get burned out?

- Bart





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