Webmaster
Contact chair: webmaster [at] planopta.org
Resources
- Training and other materials
- See Directory of Plano PTAs for other PTA web sites.
- Top Ten Web Hosting: External web site. Start your search for a website host.
- Plano ISD School Web Page Guidelines
- Lunarpages K-12 Program Web Hosting Program: Though it talks specifically about K-12, they DO cover PTAs. We’ve asked and this site uses Lunarpages (Thank you, Lunarpages).
Web Robots
Web Robots (Also known as Web Wanderers, Crawlers or Spiders) are programs that comb through the web automatically. Search engines use them to index web content, which is usually fine, but spammers can also use them to collect email addresses. One way to protect individuals on your website is to edit your /robots.txt file.
- This file resides on your web server, probably in your public_html directory. [Click to view a sample robots.txt file]
- The “UserAgent: *” means that this section applies to all robots. The line following “Disallow: ” tells the robots which page is off limits. To keep robots off your entire site, use “Disallow: /”
- When using your Robots.txt file, remember that it’s more of a request than anything else. Robots can ignore your file altogether. Additionally, since it’s a public file, robots.txt tells malicious robots exactly what’s important to you. At the end of the day, it’s best to remember that the web is accessible to the entire world, and choose your content accordingly.
Books
- Learning Web Design for absolute beginners.
- Web Design in a Nutshell — a little more advanced than Learning Web Design.
Web Design Applications
- Microsoft Front Page has been replaced by Expression Web.
- Macromedia Contribute lets everyone in an organization publish to websites and bring them alive with up-to-date content and information. Free trial download available.
- Macromedia Dreamweaver and Studio 8. Free trial download available.
- Open Source CMS lists many free content management tools available for use. You can try them out on the web site without going through the trouble of installing the application.
PISD School Webpage Guidelines Guidelines for PISD not PTA, but important to understand especially “Links to “non-official” PISD related sites that are hosted on remote/external (non-district) web servers – Examples: athletic booster pages, PTA pages, teacher created classroom pages, etc.” PISD school web sites can include the PTA web site’s URL in text without a link like this: http://www.pta.org/.
- Online resources for academic priced software:
- Academic Superstore
- JourneyED
Podcasting PTA Meetings
The Dallas Morning News shared Highland Park ISD PTA’s podcasting experience. As a result, the webmaster contacted HPISD PTA and asked about the process for sharing audio recordings of PTA meetings.
The following outlines the steps they use to record and publish audio.
- They use iPods with MemoMics (lapel mic) and MicroMemos. The person speaking holds the iPod and wears the lapel mic while speaking. The lapel mic attaches to the MicroMemo. This provides good sound quality. It also uses software the record and play back audio from the meeting or lecture.
- After the meeting, sync the iPod with iTunes, the free music player software from Apple. Edit the file in another application (they use Audacity) and convert it to MP3 since everyone can play MP3 on most players.
- They have an Apple server that our tech department purchased this year. They load the files on that server. It has a website for each file that is loaded and they link that web URL on their school’s website so parents can open the file on their computer of save the target on their computer for placing on their MP3 devices.
Step 3 is a matter of uploading the file to a web server — wherever the PTA hosts their Web site — and linking to that file. Also, we strongly advise publishing audio from the meetings in a members’ only area of a PTA Web site.
Since TXPTX.org requires login to the members only area and changes yearly, you can use the same ID / password that appears on the back of the membership card. Most Web servers let you protect a directory. Create a “members” directory and protect that with the PTA ID / password.
Another option: Recording meetings with a laptop
An MP3 player involves more because they’re not made to record. So if someone is willing to loan a laptop with recording software and the PTA invests in a decent microphone, it should be easier to record meetings using a laptop. Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) is a free sound editor and recorder. It should work for recording and editing audio. No catch — a benefit of open source software.
http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/gs/gs-micline1.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/480163-REG/Zoom_H2_H2_Ultra_Portable_Digital.html#goto_itemInfo
http://www.wikihow.com/Record-on-an-iPod-for-Free
Suggestions of items to include on a PTA web site
- Links to:
- National PTA (www.pta.org)
- Texas PTA (www.txpta.org)
- Area 15 PTA (www.area15.txpta.net)
- Plano Council PTA (www.planopta.org)
- Plano ISD (www.pisd.edu)
- School’s Plano ISD site (see elementary or secondary list for school and its link)
- Staff email addresses (go to elementary or secondary list and select your school, click *Staff Email* and use that URL)
- Calendar (PTA and Plano ISD)
- PTA executive board roster with contact information
- About (info on the school and PTA)
- Newsletters
- Forms
- Volunteer information including opportunities, contact information, volunteer registration form and link to PISD volunteer application.
- Local PTA meetings dates, times and locations (Here’s Council’s meeting list)
- PTA mission/vision/purposes
- Local PTA goals
- Membership information, membership form and membership contact (non-password protected)
- Reimbursement and Plan of Work forms (or link to these Texas PTA documents).
- Link to TX PTA Legislative information and materials
- Texas PTA logo on every page
- Council PTA legislative updates
- Photos of school, PTA board, etc.
- Recognition of children, students, parents, teachers, administrators and PTAs
- President’s letter
- Links to TEA, state legislature or community resources
- Practical Parenting classes
