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So if you think this could happen in Your Rotary Club..., (...because it is happening in ours..!), take a look here... or take a look at The Plan...and the consequent Cultural Impact ... QUESTIONS Is this just another program or web site?... No, it is a complete system for data storage, publication, advertising, communication and management within your club, that marries what we do as Rotarians to the current 'information era'... It will enable you, and your Rotary club to adapt to the changing world in which we live. What club would benefit the most from using this software?... Any Rotary club would benefit, though those clubs which currently circulate a pdf newsletter and adopt email as their primary means of communication would have less difficulty getting this set up and in place. Does my club need to have a web site up and running?... No, if your club has a web site set up and running then this is good because your club will have some familiarity with the process and an appreciation of its value. If you do have a web site in place then you can choose to either a) link to your www.rotary'clubname'.'state'.inaust.org site from your existing site and vice versa, OR b) keep your current site address, place all your web page data on your www.rotary'clubname'.'state'.inaust.org site, and mirror your current web address as well as have your new web address. Your club can then further customise all your web pages as you see fit. If your club does not have a web site up and running then we will set this up for you. We can have a trial site in place within a day of notification. Your trial site will become your club site once your club joins. If you want to have all data deleted from your trial site database on joining this can be arranged. Club specific static pages will be your club's responsibility. We can arrange for assistance should you require it. Does my club need someone with an IT background to administer the system?... This would be preferable, though any member with a bit of training could work with the system. There is no requirement for Dreamweaver or Frontpage knowledge unless your club wants to specifically customise pages. Any number of pages can be customised however the database tables and fieldnames should not be compromised as this will destroy the long term value of the system. Your club can add databases or database tables and reference these from custom pages as you see fit. What web based system is being used?... PHP and MySQL are used as the language and database respectively for all pages on the site. All club files can be accessed via a password protected web based application called net2ftp or an ftp program such as WSFtp. If required your club database(s) can be accessed via a password protected web based program called PHPMyAdmin. How long would it take to get this system operational in my club?... The set up and running of the site will take very little time, just a matter of days. The decisions in regard to site configuration will depend on how well you currently run your club. ie do you have a meeting organiser, attendance recorder, bulletin editor, secretary, treasurer, web master etc and are those roles well defined. Do you have a roster system in place for meetings? What are the roster names etc. Training of these people to properly handle their responsibities and work with the site is critical to the success of the system. This work may take anywhere from a few weeks to months depending on how well your club is placed, and the skill level of your membership. Will this system mean that each club will see other club members email addresses etc. Will this then increase email communications between clubs?... No, in fact this system will significantly decrease email communications within clubs, between clubs, between clubs and their district and between clubs and the national registered bodies. Email addresses for members will remain strictly private and all current Rotary communication protocols will remain. There will also be a significant reduction in the current multiple handling of advertising data between clubs and their local district office. What is the compatibility of this software?... The software has been tested for compatibility with Internet Explorer(IE) 6, IE7, Mozilla, Safari and Netscape 8. Also compatibility with Windows Vista. It performs best with IE7. How much information will be made available to other clubs?... All information will be made available at your discretion. This includes your club meeting place, link to your club site, and advertisements or articles which are tagged by your club for sharing on InAust. All member contact information, database information and club files will remain private. |