We Built a Website
I’m building a website.
I’m also exaggerating. I’m currently interning for a non-profit that is just starting to get off the ground, and one of my assignments has been to create the website. But, as mentioned, “create” might be too strong of a word. We are, like many before us, using Wordpress to create our site. Wordpress is nice enough to offer templates for you, and if you’re using the free version, you actually can’t use a custom theme at all. So far, the most labor-intensive thing I’ve done is change DNS name servers so that we could map the domain over to Wordpress. It sounds much more complicated than it actually is.
Still, the lack of required technical effort means I have more time to worry about other aspects; namely, what the site looks like. I am overly concerned about it looking like a blog. It is not supposed to be a blog. Those little social media link icons are sleek and easily recognizable, but are they too small? If they are, I can’t actually do anything about that — it’s not a customizable aspect of the template. Is the font in the footer too big? Again, I can’t change the font size, but I can change the font type. But do I have the authority to do this? Have I mentioned that this site isn’t even close to going live yet?
Perhaps I’m being overdramatic, but perhaps not. Today, a website is often a person’s first impression of an organization. And if the website is unimpressive, it could be their last impression. So, one has to worry about this sort of thing. Increasingly, an organization’s website (along with their social media presence) is going to be how they stay connected with their user base. If an organization neglects their social media accounts, or maintains a site that isn’t easy to use or doesn’t function well, they are giving the impression that they either don’t want to or are incapable of keeping up with the times.
Which is perhaps why it is so sad to see libraries with poorly maintained websites. The library community has come to realize that libraries’ future lies in becoming a platform. But how can a library expect to do this if their website is outdated or poorly organized? With the countless free and low-cost website hosting and building options available today, there is no good excuse for any organization to have a poorly-built website. If libraries want to survive in a world where Google dominates, they have to be willing to put the effort in. The website has to be seen as an extension of the organization. You wouldn’t want your building to look disorganized or be confusing for users, and your website should receive the same type of consideration.
Maybe I am overthinking the website. Maybe I am too caught up in the details. But it would be unfortunate if someone walked away from our organization because the color scheme made our website too difficult to read. It is a problem that is so easily avoided that it should never exist in the first place. I worry about the details because, ultimately, the details matter.
