Stephen Miller
This year saw a complete redesign of the NECKRA website. On
the surface, the website has an updated look with improvements to race
information, results and classified ads. Behind the scenes, the website has
been migrated from a dedicated hosting service to Google Sites.
What follows are some of the highlights from the year.
Timely Results
The migration to Google Sites has made the website easier to
maintain. This enabled timelier posting of race results. For all NECKRA Points
series races, the results were posted on the website within a few hours of when
they were made available.
For Points Series standings, the website was set up so that
the people calculating the results could post them directly on the website. Much
credit goes to Shawn Burke, Eric Jones and Mark Wendolowski for getting the
Points Series results posted quickly.
Improved Race Information
One of my primary goals with the new website was to provide
better race information. While this information has been available in the race
packet for years, it was time to make this same information available on the
website.
For every Points Series race, there is a dedicated page,
which includes a copy of the page from the race packet. In addition, a Google
map is provided to make it easier to get to the race. In addition to the
individual race maps, there is an overview map, which shows where the races are
located. This makes it easier to find a race near you.
To make certain that the race schedule is current, online
forms were provided to submit races to the schedule or update race information.
Classified Ads
With the addition of online forms for submitting and
removing ads, the classified ads page has become an active forum for buying and
selling boats and equipment. Since the beginning of the year, there have been
50 new ads posted. This includes both items for sale and items people were
looking to buy. During this same time period, 25 ads have been removed by
request, indicating a large number of successful transactions.
Picture Storage
A Picasa account has been set up to allow for permanent
storage of race photos. This allows contributing photographers to share their
photos with the NECKRA community without needing to use up the storage on their
personal accounts.
Usage Information
Visitors to the website come from all over the country with
the largest concentration coming from New England. Approximately 10% of the
visitors view the website with a mobile device (iPad, iPhone, Android, etc).
By far, the most visited pages are the race schedule, race
information and race results, including the points standings. As might be
expected, there is a spike in visitors on the days leading up to and following
a race. The next most visited page is the classified ads.
Looking Ahead to 2012
Although there is currently an online form for joining
NECKRA, this still requires mailing a check to complete your membership. Beginning
in the not-so-distant future, the option for PayPal payments will be added to
the online membership form.
Another change to the website in 2012 will be the return of
some historical results. These had been available before the website redesign
and will be made available again sometime during the winter months.