Websites are great tools to market a cause, business and a
media center. Advertising what you can offer your customers is not a new
concept. The way in which the advertisements are delivered has progressed.
Creating a website for your media center will attract the students, faculty,
administration, staff and community patrons to visit your media center in
person. Including social media links will allow your customers to follow you on
the go and share your website with others.
I understand the concept of promoting through the Internet.
I have had a business website for many years and that presence on the Internet
has brought customers my way. Things to keep in mind is knowing your target
audience, what you want your website to do, and what other websites offer
compared to yours. Those will provide a foundation for you to build a website
to meet your needs and satisfy your customers needs and wants.
While creating my media center website for this class I have
viewed many different websites but they all have the similar motivation to
attract and deliver information to their patrons. Information is a powerful
reason to create a website. Why not deliver that information over a powerful
tool like the Internet. The Internet reaches many people all over the world. Patrons
can access information and use resource links that you provide.
How should my media center website look? One of my favorite
acronyms is K.I.S.S., keep it super simple. Having a simple and straightforward
website is a must. I have accessed websites and was turned off by the layout,
color scheme and navigation. I have exited websites because information is hard
to find and navigation was a pain. Too much information can overwhelm your
visitors. Balance the information provided on the website. Provide background
information of the staff and the media center. Media center expectations; procedures,
photos, links and external web links should be provided as well. Your color scheme should a line with your
school colors, incorporate the school logo or mascot so your website is easily
linked to your school. Patrons will appreciate the feeling that they never left
the schools main website. Those are just a few of the elements to have on your
website. Once again, your website should be customized exceed your needs.
The World Wide Web is a great place for you to promote your media center free. You can get feedback with surveys, you can solicit volunteers through a distribution list, and you can promote special events. Media Center websites can provide safe links to learning with ‘pathfinders’. As you mentioned you need to attract and deliver information to your patrons. While developing your website media specialists need to remember that our patrons are not just students, they also include faculty, parents, and community.
ReplyDeleteI like your K.I.S.S. analogy when dealing with websites. Unfortunately, media websites need to contain vasts amount of information. I do think you can have a large website and it still can be easy to navigate if each page is consistent and clean. That works when you keep you colors in line with the school website including colors and mascot as you suggested.