Q Why is the website free for our organisation?

The not-for-profit organisation’s website is free because WebSuburb together with the business sponsors pay for the cost of the website. By getting involved in this way, the business benefits positively and constructively, showing its support and appreciation to the local community.

Q How can our not-for-profit benefit from having a website?

The internet has become such a powerful medium for information that it makes good commercial sense for a not-for-profit to have one to improve how their organisation operates. Here are just some of the advantages of your group having a website.

Receive help with fundraising

• Earn advertising and sponsorship revenue through your website.
• Add a Google search box and Google Adwords or Amazon ads to earn click-through revenue.
• Receive donations online.
• Receive special offers for your group’s members from the local businesses.
• Offer current sponsors a better value proposition through exposure on your website to increase fundraising opportunities.
• WebSuburb actively seeks out new sponsors in the local business community for the benefit of all not-for-profit organisations in the WebSuburb network. As the WebSuburb network grows, so does the potential for your group to earn more sponsorship revenue.
• Have an online store to sell your group’s merchandise (E.g. club t-shirts) and other items related to your organisation’s activities, e.g. referrals to Amazon for books.

Increase membership and improve publicity

• Get your website onto Google to attract new members, and link it to other relevant sites to catch the attention of like-minded people.
• Attract the interest of potential members with an attractive, informative and up-to-date website that showcases your organisation as a fun, vibrant group that looks after members and is great to be part of.
• Streamline paperwork by receiving membership subscriptions/applications online.

Keep your members in touch

• Alert members, coaches and officials to late-breaking information, such as change of match times or venues, either by website updates or SMS messages from the website.
• Make it easy for members to stay in touch and keep motivated with online newsletters, surveys, interactive forums, chat rooms, blogs, tips, and more.
• Showcase your group’s activities and achievements with information such as match reports, articles and photos.

Q How much will the website cost our organisation?

Our standard website package for an organisation is free. It includes the basic website and 3 email accounts. WebSuburb will also provide up to 6 hours of support and/or training free of charge in the first year, followed by up to 3 hours of free support per annum thereafter. This training and/or support is given to the member who will manage the website, and includes website and email training and administration. The standard website includes a large number of modules with common functionality found in websites, e.g. text, images, feedback forms, FAQs, newsletters. These are available free of charge.

Customised modules may be purchased or developed by WebSuburb and these may be charged for. A domain name is purchased by the organisation, and costs about $2.50 per month. This is not a WebSuburb function but we will happily assist with this process. There are premium services available (such as sending SMS messages).

Q Our organisation already has a website. Can we move or copy our current website to this new platform?
Yes. The content of an existing website can be copied to the WebSuburb platform as a Word document, or other text-based content can be copied and pasted. Other organisations have found that this is an easy and cost-effective way to get started.

Q Our organisation already has a sponsor. Can our sponsor advertise on the website?

Yes. As WebSuburb relies on advertising revenue to cover the cost of running the website, we are prepared to negotiate a suitable arrangement with the existing sponsor(s). In general terms, WebSuburb would look to receive the same revenue from the sponsor as from any third-party advertising. WebSuburb advertises in the banner space at the top of the page and/or in one of the panels (either left or right).
The sponsor may find it desirable to have their ads placed on other locations on the organisation’s website to make their advertising dollar stretch further.

Q Can the organisation control who advertises on the website (i.e., Google Adwords, Amazon ads)?

Yes. Google Adwords and Amazon ads on the website can help raise funds for the organisation. It is possible to restrict the types of ads placed on the website. Your group has absolute discretion on what types of ads are acceptable or appropriate.

Q Can we have our own website address?

Yes, your website can be accessed directly from a URL (e.g. http://www.manly-masters-swimming.org.au), or via the WebSuburb main site (i.e., http://www.websuburb.com.au/kyokushinwr). There is a nominal charge of $2.50 per month for this facility. Most organisations prefer to have their own domain name.

Q How long will the website take to set up?

A total of 3 hours of your time is required to get a website up and running. This can be completed within 1 week. Most organisations start small, say 5 or 6 pages, and add pages as they go along and their experience and expertise grow.

Q What about ongoing support and assistance?

WebSuburb has designers, copywriters and technical experts to assist clients with content creation, customising your website, search-engine optimisation or integrating the system with your other business systems. WebSuburb provides up to 3 hours of support per annum at no charge to not-for-profit organisations.

Q What skills are required to manage the website?

The person updating the website only needs basic computer skills. If you can operate Microsoft Word, you can manage your own website. WebSuburb has extensive support pages with easy-to-follow steps, tips and examples. To look at these pages, go to Online Help pages to maintain web pages.

Q Where does this all happen?

WebSuburb can train you on your organisation’s computer. We prefer to use your computer so that you’re reassured the system works in your environment. We can also do training at your premises and in internet cafes.

Q Will we need any special software to manage the website?

All the software you need to manage the website is available online and can be accessed with a browser, e.g. Internet Explorer. Preparing images for use on the website (e.g. red-eye removal, cropping to size) may require photo-editing software, but most digital cameras include software to edit photos. There is also free software available on the internet that can be used.

Q Is the website based on templates?

Yes and no. The website can be built using standard modules and design templates (also called “skins”) that are available in a template format, which makes it very easy to design and maintain. But a developer familiar with ASP.Net may also customise designs and modules to use in the system. WebSuburb has access to developers who are able to customise the system.

Q Can we update the design and look or feel of the website after it’s been created?

Yes. The website comes with around a dozen design templates (also called “skins”). Many third-party templates are available for download from the internet. Many of these are free but some can vary in price of up to about US$150. WebSuburb has graphic designers who can customise a website design if required, and developers capable of converting an existing design into a skin package. Generally this requires at least one full day of effort to achieve.

Q What do the websites look like?

Websites can be very simple or elaborate. This depends entirely on the amount of effort that your organisation wishes to invest in developing content. There are many free templates, low cost templates or custom designs. A more detailed explanation of the skin design options is available on our help desk.

Q How much space is there for photos on the website?

This depends somewhat on the size of the file images stored on the site. Generally there will be enough space to store up to 300 well-optimised photographs.

Q Can the website accept payment (e.g. subscriptions, donations)?

Yes, a payment module can be installed on your organisation’s website by WebSuburb. This is a premium service. To request a quote or further information please send us a message using the feedback box on the left of this page.

Q Can bookings be made on the website (e.g. squash-court bookings)?

Yes, a booking diary can be installed on the site. This is a premium service. To request a quote or further information, please contact WebSuburb using the feedback box in the top left of this page.

Q How much bandwith does the site get?

Bandwidth refers to the volume of data that can be downloaded from a website, which affects the number of visitors that can view pages on the website. Bandwidth is unmetered and unmeasured (although WebSuburb reserves the right to review this policy if we see that a site is causing an excessive amount of traffic on our servers).

Q What is a content management website?

A content management system (CMS) allows you to change and update your website quickly and easily. It provides easy-to-use tools to store your website’s images, text and page layout in a database.

Q What is DotNetNuke and why is this important?

DotNetNuke (http://www.dotnetnuke.com) is freely available (and 100% legal) content management software used to build content management websites. The benefits are many:

• It has an open-source online community of more than 400,000 developers continually upgrading and adding new features.
• Hundreds of third-party module and design templates are available.
• The software is not proprietary so the website owner can easily move to alternative support without losing their website content.

Q What is search-engine optimisation?

Search-engine optimisation (also called SEO) is the process of organizing the content of your website, so that when someone enters one of your keyword phrases (e.g. “surf lifesaving northern beaches”) into a search engine such as Google, your organisation comes high up in the search results, funneling more visitors to your website.

Q Can WebSuburb help us to improve our search-engine ratings?

Yes. WebSuburb uses a comprehensive credibility checklist to ensure that your web pages are optimised for search engines. Search-engine rankings are extremely competitive and no supplier can guarantee a specific search-engine ranking. WebSuburb can help you get started with Google Adwords campaign and other on-line promotion strategies.

Q Are there any guarantees?
Yes. WebSuburb gives the following guarantee:

• Website creation is quick and easy.
• You won’t need advanced software development skills in order to maintain the website content.
• After four sessions of about 60 minutes, you will be able to add, move and delete pages, images and text content from your organisation, or we will invest the time free of charge until you are able to do so.
• If you are not satisfied with your sponsorship arrangement within 30 days, you can cancel, and keep any sponsorship monies received -  no questions asked.

Q How does WebSuburb protect the privacy of members’ information?

WebSuburb fully complies with the provisions of the Privacy Act. Personal information will not be disclosed to any third party, other than as required by law. Only authorised members will have access to the other members’ information. Members may log on to the organisation’s website at any time to view, amend or remove their own details. Members can opt in to or out of receiving newsletters, emails or SMS messages issued by the organisation from information contained in the member register.

Q We would love a free website for our organisation. How do we get started?

Complete the application form to apply for a free website to help you identify your specific needs and objectives and mail or fax it to WebSuburb

Q What are the steps involved in getting the website off the ground?

1. Complete the application form, which must include the signature of the head of your not-for-profit organisation.
2. Mail or fax the signed form to WebSuburb.
3. WebSuburb will create the basic website (without any content) usually within 1-2 days of receipt of a valid application.
4. Lesson 1: 60-minute planning session (with a WebSuburb representative and the member of your organisation who will be managing the website) to agree on menu structure and content pages.
5. Lesson 2: Basics of creating web pages (about 60 minutes).
6. Lesson 3: Fine-tuning of web pages (about 60 minutes).
7. Lesson 4: Search-engine optimisation and content creation (about 60 minutes)
8. The website goes live!