Website!

[Epeeduelist84]

Wow! People should really check out the most recent incarnation of the Debates website. I understand it's still a work in progress, but I think our Comm Sec deserves a round of applause.

*Applause*

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~debates/index.html

People will probably need to just cut-and-paste this...

[Jessica]

Thanks!

Something to note:

The shiny, new UDS website that you're seeing now will soon be redirected to the site I'm currently creating on one of the Union's minisites. Since the Union is redesigning their site, and offered us an minisite we thought associating ourselves more closely with the entire student body would be a good idea. The new website is offering us ads (how much??? I hear the tinkle of money in the bank!) on our own site, ads in linkup emails, on-the-web dinner ticket purchases, hoodie and bowtie sales, photo gallery, and (wait for it...) a LIVE ticker!

Should be up and running soon.

[Jessica]

Hello all-

At risk of inviting lots of criticism at very early stages, I'd like to give you the link for the new Debates website (the old one will be gone VERY soon). I wanted to put it up because it has valuable information about training session times (what we're covering) and IV dates... Also the term card, and alum info.

Please understand that the site is still under construction. I do want suggestions, criticism, and such... just remember, IT'S NOT DONE YET.

You'll notice some nice, new shiny things. Enjoy:

www.yourunion.net/debates


Yours truly,
Jessica

[Alex Jennings]

Haha Jess!

I'm loving the fact that winners, etc, have their names as links to their facebook profiles. Hilarious.

[hr]

"Look, I told you when we met that I was not a leprechaun, that I was from Rhode Island, and that I was half Korean, but you said it didn't matter."

[Jessica]

My pleasure, Alex.

[unregistered]

Just a small comment: The majority of people set their screen resolution to 1024 by 768. This means that the average person will miss the icons at the bottom of the page (e.g. training, social,photos). I cannot see them an my screen resolution is set to 1280 by 800.

If people can't see these things instantly they are going to miss them.


There are two ways to solve this, either the graphics e.g. Message board, LPH etc. need to be shrunk or a new layout may need to be devised.

On a different topic...

Do you have to stick with the union website's layout or is it totally up to you because if the latter is true scrap the sidebar and the advert banner etc. at the top because its a waste of space.

If you need to stick with the union's layout, make the border round the side black as well, and perhaps make all the union website graphics balck as well (just invert all the colours using a paint program). However this is not a big issue.

[Jessica]

We do have to use the union layout because it provides continuity (hence, why we're part of the union's web pages and why they're giving us all the benefits that go with that...) I'll see what I can do about shrinking the icons down over Reading Week. Glad to see that it's functional. And to address a question about the website that came up on a different thread:
All the debates DO have dates, it says what week they are. This is for students.

Yours truly,

Jess

Question: can you find the training info quickly enough?

[Al]

Quoting Jessica from 19:31, 29th Oct 2006
This is for students.

What is?

[Sally]

Quoting Al from 23:05, 29th Oct 2006

Quoting Jessica from 19:31, 29th Oct 2006
This is for students.

What is?

The list of debates, so students can look up which debate is which week? Or at least thats what I'm assuming.

Aaargh! Is it already week 6???

[Jessica]

Yup. The dates of debates are for students, but hey, I'll stick dates on it soon.

[Al]

But the term card is obviously not just for students as there is a link to it from the alumni part of the website.

[exnihilo]

Indeed, you really can't have it both ways. Either the website is an information resource for all your members, or it isn't. And you certainly can't have a part which invites alumni to speak and then tell us we can't know the dates because it's only for students.

Speaking as one of, very few, Honorary Life Members of the House, and someone who has spoken umpteen times and worked bloody hard for the Society I'm a little miffed to be dismissed by a Board member in quite so off-hand a way.

[RJ Covino]

Quoting exnihilo from 10:53, 30th Oct 2006
I'm a little miffed to be dismissed by a Board member in quite so off-hand a way.

I'm sensing a "Don't they know who I am?!?" moment coming.

What's the exact number of UDS HLMs anyway?

[hr]

http://www.ralphcovino.com

[Alex Jennings]

I thought there were 3 UDS HLMs: Simon Pepper, Sir Clement Freud and Ewan MacDonald. At least, those were the ones that I can remember, I bet there are a few more in the years before I was on board.

[hr]

"Look, I told you when we met that I was not a leprechaun, that I was from Rhode Island, and that I was half Korean, but you said it didn't matter."

[exnihilo]

Myself, Eliot Wilson, and for reasons I still don't grasp Chris Bustin.

Don't, of course, forget our many Honorary Vice-Presidents (Donald Findlay, Abdur Rouf) and Chaplains (various and many, but best forgotten).

[Jessica]

Right. Well just to clear things up a bit:

Of course we want you to know what date all the debates are on so that you can come to all of them. I'll add the dates to the weeks just as soon as I can. I was merely commenting that first and foremost, we want this website up and functioning so that it can be as much a resource as possible, and seeing as more students come to our debates than anyone else, that was the primary goal. Of course, for it to be a functioning resource for EVERYONE, it needs those dates. I'll be happy to look at the calendar on the university website and add those in for you.

Secondly. Are the freshers finding training info easily enough? Ideally, the website can also serve to cut-down on the amount of times everyone has to email people to find out when and where training is.

Soon, you'll see links on the LPH page to some research resources so that people can research the debate topic and know a bit about speakers before they come.

Bring on the feedback, and let me know if you still can't see the dates in a week or so.

[exnihilo]

It's not that I can't see them, it's that they're not there. It's also not that I, or any other alumnus, would want to come to "all" the debates, but how can alumni prostrate themselves before the Board and petition to speak - as you ask us to - without this information?

[Jessica]

New photos from many of this term's debates can now be found here:
http://yourunion.net/debates/gallery/



Special thanks to Frank George who took the amazing photos you're looking at and drooling over.

[exnihilo]

Well, I'm going to be told off again for always being critical, and, yet, I can't help but note that nothing much else has changed on there, still no actual calendar dates, for example.

You must realise that through online information is pretty much the only way graduates have of finding out what's happening in the Society - seeing as despite signing up for it there doesn't seem to have been an alumnus email.

For all the touting of it on the website, alumni relations seem not to be happening - indeed when I emailed with a direct question I was told I'd be got back to and then ... nothing.

Still, nice to have some pictures. Probably.

[Mr Comedy]

I also see that a student has made a floor speech wearing the Student Support Officer gown. Two things to note:

1) I don't believe that you are allowed to use Association Gowns for floor speeches;
2) I had sex in that gown.

[hr]

"I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea. " -Lu Tung