Website Help

We do have a small team that are helping with organisation, suggestions, content, and updates but we would do with one or two more keen beans to help out.  We have lots of good ideas for this website and perhaps you do as well, but we need help to make them happen.

So, with that in mind, I wonder if anyone has any of the following skills they could spare us.

Requirement 1 : A Backup Webmaster (an initial 10-20 hours or so to learn what the hell is going on and then perhaps 5 hours/week)

I need a backup for me.  If I get sick, then the website evolution might well come to a halt.  Ideally, this would be someone with some experience of the Wix platform, but I hadn’t used it up until two weeks ago and it is pretty straightforward.  However, I have used some fairly advanced stuff such as a content database and a bit of Javascript here and there so you will need a pretty good understanding of web technologies and hands-on experience of being a webmaster ideally.  If you feel in any danger of saying "oh, you don't want to have used Wix, you want to have used xyz product" then you may be right but just DON'T!  It is doing the job nicely just now and we are sticking with it.

Requirement 2 : An Website Administrator (probably 10 hours/week - maybe less)

We need to be adding new content from retailers and other content providers.  Also, compiling and sending out an update e-mail perhaps.  If you have used a CMS before and have a bit of an eye for design and a logical mind then you will be able to do this.  If you know very basic HTML that would be awesome, but I’m trying to make it so that technical knowledge is optional.  Good organisational skills are probably most important and finding your way around a spreadsheet - although I’m trying to avoid that now.  

Requirement 3 : A Geek proper! (Ad-hoc really.  I’m not making this too complex, but I like to do things properly!)

I’m not actually a web coder or designer, I just project managed corporate website builds for years and picked up bits and bobs.  I’m struggling quite a lot when some Javascript coding is necessary and it’s taking me way longer than it would someone who actually knew what they were doing.  This wouldn’t take a lot of time, just coaching me perhaps a bit and writing a bit of fairly simple code here and there.

Requirement 4 : A Designer (Ad-hoc - as and when)

A world crisis is no excuse for bad UI design!  I do my best, but my head hurts when I open Illustrator or Photoshop.  Can you help us make it feel nicer to be viewing?  UI design experience is essential.  Just a few graphics requests here and there would be great. i.e. can I get a blue box that is round, blue, square, all white and goes whoosh 😉

Requirement 5 : Someone with good general IT skills and organisational experience

There are a few parts to this and it may be a couple of people with different skills that could help?

1. Helping the Leighton Linslade Helpers Team with their IT problems.  We seem to be beset by gremlins and someone to provide telephone and remote assistance on all sorts of issues such as ‘my Zoom sound is not working’ or ‘my spreadsheet has eaten the cat’ would be awesome.

2. Helping local At Risk and Isolating residents with IT issues & training - not everyone is IT savy and some people have not shopped online or zoomed before.  We could provide telephone and remote support to help these people utilise technology to keep them safe.

3. Devising systems for the Leighton Linslade Helpers Team to make their jobs easier.  I’m seeing a lot of spreadsheets flying around, e-mails going back and forth and getting lost etc.  There must be a better way?!  I would love to setup a basic Helpdesk, perhaps, to help the organisers keep track of what the hell is going on!  Maybe an online database or two to keep our data in order?  Anything we do though has to to smooth the process and not to add more problems, so the process has to be 110% non-IT person friendly.  I have ideas, but no time :-(

Requirement 6 : A content curator/editor - would suit someone with a marketing or PR background perhaps?

There is a huge amount of information flying around and some of it could be really useful on our website.  It needs to be checked and verified first though of course.  This would involve scouring the local Facebook groups and pages, speaking to retailers and local organisations and getting their input.  Then the information needs to be put onto the website and perhaps into an ‘update’ e-mail which we can send to those who have agreed to have email updates from us.

If you think you might be able to help then drop us an e-mail at 

websitevolunteers@leightonlinsladehelpers.org.uk.   

Please be sure to state clearly how you can help and what role you think you might be able to fill for us.  We can't spend a lot of time training anyone, so please be really confident that you can do what you say you can do.