Calendars, Pictures and More

Our next step was to integrate the Google Calendar. Our club can participate in 25-30 galas over one season alone and need to inform members what galas are planned and who they are aimed at. Nearer the time some members will need to access more specific information and share arrangements for the actual attendance. Google calendar has been ideal for this. We have been able to integrate it nicely on the website so it is shown both as a calendar and as a list of upcoming events. Again, updating is easiest handled through a collaborative approach. We provide all members with access to the calendar so they can all make updates as necessary. An additional bonus of introducing Google Calendar has been the seamless integration to Google Map. As long as we add the post code or even the name of the pool then the calendar will show a map, so there is no longer a need for posting up exact and exacting directions on the website.

From time to time the club takes photos of the swimmers in action. These photos are made available online in a secure 'members'-only' area on the website (due to child protection issues). Picassa, another Google product, is used to assist in publishing the photos.

During the last 5 years the club has grown significantly both in membership and achievements. This has led to an increased burden on the management committee, all of whom are unpaid volunteers. As well as meeting approximately 8 times a year at formal meetings; there is a variety of communication conducted between members between meetings. Most of this communication has been conducted using email but lately we have started experimenting with the use of Google Docs as a way of collaborating to develop documents in the virtual world. I am currently investigating the opportunity to integrate Google Docs onto the clubs website with links to documents such as Procedures and Protocols.

Until now the 'static' part of the website has been maintained using Frontpage which was the tool available for the club at the time of development. I am now keen to move away from Frontpage and am currently investigating Google Sites as an alternative but am aware that we need to think carefully about the secure members' areas before any move is made.

Keeping in contact and involving our membership is vital for the continuous success of the club. Using Google products is not only free but has been an ideal solution to many of the online challenges.

If you want to explore the site in more details have a look at www.stirlingswimming.co.uk