Outdated web sites

scrapcat · #1 08-09-2011, 09:59 PM

Hi all! Since it's recruitment time, and my daughter will soon be among the screaming throngs, she and I checked out some sorority web sites. My oh my... Talk about out of date! I would think that every sorority would (first and foremost) want their site up and running with a correct address!! Especially knowing that eager pnm's will be checking out their site! Next, remove bid day photos from 2002! I think most of those girls are LONG gone! My personal favorite is the "under construction" posting. Ug. Anyone else find this odd? I've even seen some houses have really old recruitment dates (2008!!!)

AlwaysSAI · #2 08-09-2011, 10:06 PM

My SAI chapter hasn't updated their website since the 09-10 academic year.

My Phi Sig chapter got a whole new website, but never bothered to take down the old one.

My AGD chapter hasn't had access to their webspace since like 2006 due to some (stupid & petty) drama. Thankfully, one is now linked to the IHQ website rather than the "404 Page error" when they click on "more info" from the Western Panhellenic Page.

I agree that websites should be kept very up-to-date especially when the chapter is trying to recruit! An out of date website can make a chapter look uninvolved and unprofessional.

katydidKD · #3 08-09-2011, 10:08 PM

Yes. This was one of my BIG pet peeves as an active. Our website was mega out of date. When i had power, I kept that thing up to date on a monthly basis. It really is a problem, rec's and emails go to the wrong person, someone five years out of college sometimes.

I blame the high rate of turnover (most officers are in for a year) for the website being neglected.

ETA: speaking of drama, this is an issue. We needed to have a website taken down and I could not access the password because it had been lost two years ago. I contacted the school and they said they needed to verify my status as President in order to alter the website or reveal the password. That took a long time, it takes awhile for records to be updated with the school in the November-January turnover of officers. Once I am verified, I could have very well been onto the next issue of the day and forgotten to update the website. I think this happens a lot and why Chapter websites are almost always out-of-date.

scrapcat · #4 08-09-2011, 10:12 PM

Well I guess It's a plague across the country! You'd think with the "easy" technology and the easy of picture taking, that it would be a piece of cake getting new photos!

katydidKD · #5 08-09-2011, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrapcat

Well I guess It's a plague across the country! You'd think with the "easy" technology and the easy of picture taking, that it would be a piece of cake getting new photos!

Yes it is, but updating a chapter website is much more cumbersome than FB, TRUST ME!

KSUViolet06 · #6 08-09-2011, 10:28 PM

I think this is why chapters are moving to blogs, FB pages/groups/etc.

People forget about updating websites and the info becomes out of date.

Sciencewoman · #7 08-10-2011, 01:16 PM

The chapter I advise uses FB, but they still have an outdated website linked through the Greek Life office. I have found this to be typical. It's more of a rarity to find an up-to-date website. It would be extremely helpful for PNMs if the website was kept up, not to mention a positive PR move. I don't think the actives ever look at it, but it's probably one of the first places PNMs look, since they have to go to the Greek Life site to register for Recruitment.

Thanks for reminding me that we need to put this on the "to do" list!

HannahXO · #8 08-10-2011, 01:27 PM

I know our chapters' websites have to be run through our school's servers, and have to be updated under the supervision of our school's webmaster, so updating them becomes a massive PITA. They pretty much get one update a year because the school makes it so difficult.

indygphib · #9 08-10-2011, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HannahXO

I know our chapters' websites have to be run through our school's servers, and have to be updated under the supervision of our school's webmaster, so updating them becomes a massive PITA. They pretty much get one update a year because the school makes it so difficult.

^^^THIS

I volunteered to redo my collegiate chapter's website a few years ago. Since I wasn't a current student, I couldn't log in to the server to provide the updates. I tried to get the chapter to provide me with the login info to no avail.

UGAalum94 · #10 08-10-2011, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jen

I really think part of the problem lies in that each incoming website person wants to do their own thing design-wise, so the sites get redone totally each year, sometimes to the tune of a new web address. I get that - you want to make your mark. But sometimes I'd rather just see updated info rather than a brand new site every year.

Yep, and this is bad from the perspective of outside people getting the old site and thinking it's current. I was doing recs one year and had the totally wrong person to send them to.

Sciencewoman · #11 08-16-2011, 10:02 PM

Just updated our site and can check this off the "to do" list...PNMs can now browse to their hearts' content!

Always AlphaGam · #12 08-16-2011, 10:19 PM

My collegiate chapter's website has a fairly new design and I'm grateful that the most recent information was from Spring 2011.

HOWEVER -- it rarely ever gets updated. For the Gallery "Photos Coming Soon" has been there since its creation. The only photos are in the site banner and a few fraternity clip arts here and there. The president listed is someone from two elections ago. School's starting in a few days and the calendar has yet to be updated. UGH.

They recently created a Recruitment 2011 FB fan page though they already have a fan page for the chapter in existence. Why, I don't know. Hopefully they'll update those pages more frequently.