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The Engineering Society of Detroit
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Webmaster's Corner
November 2, 1998
It's been some time since I've had the time to write copy for this "column." I do want to thank all those who visit the site for stopping in, and hope that they find it to be useful! I am proud that we consistently have the MicroExaminer published on-line before it arrives in the mail, and that our scholarship and student outreach activities are centered on the site.
Please do not hesitate to let me know what suggestions you have to help me improve the quality of ASM Detroit, the leading ASM chapter website!
January 19, 1998
For the second month in a row, the ASM Detroit web site featues the Micro-Examiner before it reaches your mailbox! Get in the habit of dropping by to get the latest scoop on our newsletter!
Visit our Emporium for some fine ASM products!
December 13, 1997
As you can see from the new logo adorning this site, the ASM International Detroit Chapter web site has been chosen as one of the top 250 association web sites by the 1997 ASAE Web Survey.
The survey, conducted by Fusion Productions for the American Society of Association Executives, surveyed 1,200 organizations and scrutinized over 500 web sites.
ASM Detroit was one of only two chapter-level sites to receive the award; the balance were national organizaions.
I am extremely proud of this award; I have been working to try to improve the average quality of ASM International websites, and feel that this validates my vision of what a chapter website should be. It shows that a site doesn't need to be full of graphics and Java applets, but that well-organized content and attention to detail are important.
What's my secret? Well, there are two: I pay attention and I work.
What do I mean by that? Well, to be a webmaster you need a lot of skills: knowledge of HTML, an understanding of design principles, consideration of resource limitations, and common sense. I will be the first to admit that I may not have a lot of depth in these areas, but I have the breadth.
I read over 30 magazines a month (well, I at least skim them looking for "buried treasure"), many of which are devoted to computer-related topics, and all of which are free. For cost of a subscription card and a stamp, I receive a lot of useful information. I also visit a fair number of web sites regularly, looking for new information.
I also try to think like a visitor to the site. It needs to be fast-downloading, and fast to navigate. One reason I really like the TMS web site is that their navigation links are all neatly organized in a table; you can choose where to go without having to scroll down. A lot of sites I visit could really benefit from that simple trick. You also won't find a single navigation button (aside from logos for organizations which may contain links). Although ASM Detroit looks plainer, one doesn't have to wait for buttons to fill in or imagemaps to become visible to move around the site.
Finally, I make sure people can find us! I registered with the search engines, set up the web ring, asked for reciprocal links, etc.
When I say I work, I mean it. I put a fair amount of time into the site to keep it updated. The effort is sporadic, driven by the amount of material I need to process. I estimate that anyone can do a reasonable job if they spend two hours a week on a site. How? First, your productivity will be higher if you use WYSIWYG authoring tool. You won't waste (yes, I feel VERY strongly about that) time coding HTML. You need to know enough to put in META tags and such, but any decent WYSIWYG tool will let you modify the source. Most will also verify hyperlinks and automatically generate internal ones. Second, you can require that submissions be sent electronically via e-mail and/or floppy disk. This reduces your work to simply editing and formatting.
I will be glad to help anyone who wants to improve their web sites; please feel free to contact me. I also strongly encourage you to visit the Webmaster's Friends section. I have compiled some of the most useful links around!
November 26, 1997
Well, we've completed a major site overhaul sparked by the release of Microsoft FrontPage 98. I've taken advantage of its ability to automatically generate navigation bars to redesign the site, which no longer uses frames. The left & bottom sections are automatically generated for me.
It just goes to show how much using the right tool for the job can help!
November 9, 1997
I am pleased to report that my high school is now on-line, at www.ignatius.edu. No educational institution had a more profound impact on me; it was the best money ever spent on my education. I strive every day to live up to its motto: "Men for Others."
AMDG
November 4, 1997
It's been a long day, and I sit here updating the site with the latest MicroExaminer. It's the eve of my 28th birthday, which makes my Nov. 10th acceptance of the 1997 Young Member of the Year Award quite timely.
ASM International has been quite good to me over the years, and I am glad to be of service to the Detroit Chapter. As you know, I run the web site, chair the Young Members/Student Affairs Committee, and help Caryn with computer issues. I am also active in a host of other organizations, but ASM is my top priority. However, there is one thing about our chapter which deeply disturbs me: the scarcity of other active young members! I fully support our chairman's initiatives to welcome more young members into our fold, and am trying to forge closer ties with our student chapters and other student groups.
However, my committee and I cannot be everywhere. It is up to you, the individual active members, to encourage new participants. Even today, as an elected official of the chapter, I can pass undisturbed through one of our meetings, ignored by all but a few friends from work and committees; if I try to strike up a conversation, I usually get a handful of words and then the individual returns to speaking with his/her "buddies." This doesn't bother me, because my activity with ASM Detroit is repaying a life-long debt to ASM International, but someone without that motive and without friends to meet will soon become discouraged and abandon our chapter.
Many of you are from the era when everyone belonged, and companies were more likely to subsidize memberships. You probably came as a "herd" with a bunch of your colleagues. In today's lean times, with huge number of activities competing for everyone's time, we cannot afford to waste that rare individual who not only signs up as a member of ASM, but also braves a trip to a meeting to see what we do! These people are treasures, and we cannot afford to sqaunder them!
I ask each of you, take a few moments from chatting with your normal acquaintances, and make any new face feel welcome. Don't just turn them away after speaking with them; make sure that you introduce him/her to someone else; if we all work at "passing the new person," they'll get to meet a lot of people, and it won't be too great of a sacrifice. Without a steady infusion of new active members, this fine chapter will face extinction, or at the very least, "brain death" (a lack of willing members to serve on committees or as officers).
At this point, I am going to switch gears a bit. I want to thank my wonderful wife, Angela, whose selfless efforts and sacrifices make my participation in so many things possible. As anyone who knows me can attest, she is not a "football widow," but she often is an "activity widow." I am the one who receives the recognition and accolades, yet it is her hard work in the shadows which make it possible. I am fortunate to have found such a wonderful companion. Thanks, Angela.
October 21, 1997
Well, Microsoft FrontPage 98 should be available within the next month or so, and I plan on a major overhaul of the site when it's released. I also plan on setting up an ActiveChannel, so you might want to consider trying Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 out.
I'm using it, and I think it's the neatest thing since sliced bread!!! It has a snazzy "full-screen" mode that really maximizes your screen real estate.
I recently deleted the background image because I had received a few complaints that it made the site hard to read. Please let me know what you think of our new look!
To my fellow ASM webmasters, please join up with the IWA and subscribe to the Association Webmasters Special Interest Group mailing list. Let's get a discussion going!
September 3, 1997
I created a pair of "5-Star Chapter" logos for the web site. If you are a webmaster of a 5-Star chapter, please feel free to use them.
As a side note, we have added a few more sites to the webring. Feel free to visit our sister sites!
August 27, 1997
I was toying with the idea of a major site overhaul to get rid of the frames, but I've decided to hold off until Microsoft FrontPage 98 is released.
August 25, 1997
I just added a few new links to the Webmaster's Friends section; including a link to Fusion Productions; they have some excellent strategic insights into association web sites and best practices.
I am trying to help establish ASM International as a premiere on-line society with unparalleled chapter and national content. If you have any suggestions, or wish to assist, please let me know.
August 23, 1997
Success! Our printer just shipped me an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version of the chapter history information from our yearbook. We had tried this in the past without success; now we're in business.
Since they can now provide us with PDF files, I will be able to post our monthly chapter newsletter! Watch our Documents page for details!
August 21, 1997
I found a batch of educational materials web sites which I've added to the Other Links page. There is an excellent CD-ROM available, which provides interactive simulations of nucleation, SEM operation, disclocation theory, and a host of other materials topics! I downloaded the demo, and was quite impressed. There are also discussion questions embedded within each section, making it a perfect teaching supplement.
If you are a Detroit area science teacher, and are interested in this software, please let me know. We may be able to donate a copy for your use.
August 19, 1997 -- Our First Award!
I am pleased to announce that we received our first award today: the Super Cyber Site Award. I have created a separate page to house our award, in the hope that it will have company!
I have received two complaints to date about the background at this site. I don't have a problem with it (obviously), but I am curious to learn what the users think. Is this background hard to read? If so, please e-mail me and tell me a bit about your system (browser, screen resolution, # colors, etc.). I try very hard to keep the site "clean" of extraneous graphics to keep downloads fast; the background is about as "artsy" as I get.
August 10, 1997 -- Leadership Days
I was fortunate to meet many of my fellow webmasters at the 1997 ASM Leadership Days. ASM International did its usual fine job of hosting this program; the entire session was well-planned and well-executed. It was particularly gratifying to see their attention to detail, including the collection of post-session surveys which will be used to improve future sessions.
I'm sure that all of the attendees will benefit from the "cross-pollination" that occurred at this session. Leslie Chom put on a fine presentation (describing guidelines for chapters which wish to establish a web presence). She also highlighted many of the current chapter web sites, and showcased numerous innovative practices.
I hope that my brief contribution to the web discussion will help other chapters. I firmly believe that ASM International has an opportunity to become the premiere "web-enabled" technical society, and that the cooperation of each chapter webmaster will lead to unprecedented coordination and communication between chapters. The bonds that we forge each year at Leadership Days can only be strengthened by our continuing electronic interaction.
I will stand behind my commitment to assist any chapter with website issues, and I am certain that my peer webmasters will also make themselves available. Don't forget to make sure your chapter has joined the webring! And while I'm on my soapbox, I am going to pitch the HTML Writers Guild. Membership is free, and it's an organization that provides a lot of useful information. If nothing else, qualifying for their logo program makes you FEEL like a pro!
I mentioned several other links during my short speech; visit the Webmasters' Friends section of my Other Links page for URLs.
August 7, 1997
This is a good opportunity for me to discuss my philosophy for maintaining this site. I continually strive to either be a leader, or a fast follower. To maintain this as one of the premiere ASM web sites, I continually update the site based on my experiences with other web sites (as well as original ideas of my own).
I noticed that some of my peer web sites offered e-mail meeting registration; a little bit of digging, and I learned how to do it with my web authoring software.
Never be afraid to integrate others' good ideas! Feel free to make use of any techniques that we use here, or drop me a line if you need assistance!
August 5, 1997
Well, we're into the summer slump as our membership and officers enjoy vacations and such. The site will be fairly static (although I've posted some news about Leadership Days).
I am gratified to see the number of hits we're getting, and am glad to welcome new members to the ASM Chapter webring. Also, if you're a sustaining member and have a web page that does not yet have a link, please contact me.
July 12, 1997
I have posted my public PGP keys for the use of anyone who wishes to send me e-mail. See link above.
July 8, 1997
More webring sites added; I'm pleased to see the number growing. If you are an ASM webmaster, and need assistance in joining the ring, please let me know.
I will probably be dropping the no-frames version of this site very soon; most people are using Netscape or Internet Explorer or some other frames-capable browser. To be quite frank, maintaining the no-frame home page is getting to be a chore. If you feel strongly about this, please e-mail me.
June 23, 1997
We welcome our third webring site today: Northern Iowa!
June 16, 1997
I re-furbished the webring management pages to make it easier for my fellow webmasters to sign on. I think that this will help our members visit all the ASM sites; only time will tell.
June 15, 1997
I added an icon for the Gold Key Encryption Campaign to the home page. This addition does not reflect the views of ASM Detroit, only my own. Please visit the Other Links page for more information!
June 14, 1997
Well, I've created a webring to allow easy navigation between ASM Chapter sites. The next step is to convince other chapter webmasters to "join up." We'll see how it goes!
June 10, 1997
I'm trying to keep after the site to keep it timely; if it isn't fresh, it's not useful! The 1997-1998 Meeting Schedule will be posted soon, along with more information. Please let me know if there is anything that you feel should be added to the site!
May 30, 1997
Welcome to the ASM International Detroit Chapter home page! I hope that you find this page useful and informative.
One of the challenges faced by any webmaster is the search for content! We are still finding new ways to provide information to our members through this web site. If there is something which you would like to see, please let me know!
Michael J. Vinarcik
Chairman, Young Members / Student Affairs Committee
Webmaster
