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Developing ACCU website, version 3.

ACCU's current website was launched in 2006. The website with membership system was developed by Allan Kelly, Tony Barrett-Powell, Tim Pushman of Gnomedia, David Hodge and Mick Brooks. A collection of reports about its creation can be found in this message on the accu-website mailing list. There's also the note "where we've been, where we're going" Tim wrote at the start of this list in June 2011.

To date, the website looks dated. Further it uses the relatively little used Xaraya content management system that is not very easy to administer and change when compared to more modern systems.

We like to have a website that

• clearly presents what ACCU is and what it offers,
• is pleasant to visit and easy to use with different devices,
• is inviting to use for editors.

Therefore we set out to create a new website, initially with roughly the same functions as the current site. The website uses the Drupal content management system. This choice is based on prototyping work done by Hubert Matthews in 2011. In July 2012 Mick Brooks wrote some notes on the new website. Probably the most daunting task is to make the membership system work in the new setting.

There are various stakeholders in this project, such as ACCU members and the ACCU committee. Related to using the website, there are several user roles, such as unauthenticated visitor and conference editor.

Content and presentation must reflect ACCU's main themes of the yearly conference, the C Vu and Overload journals, the book reviews and the community aspect (calendar of events, mailing lists, local groups and study groups) and the fact that it is an association with members. Content and presentation must also be supportive to different kinds of visitors and different visitor usage scenarios.

Some of the information is only available to members of ACCU, so the website must provide differentiation in access based on membership, supported by the membership system. To protect personal information it is advisable to secure access to the website.

While writing this page, I got the opportunity to start working on a website prototype. This is a great way to learn a few things about a new website.

With the transition from one website to the next, there is the issue of backwards compatibility, for example external links into the site.

When its development is complete the new website enters the maintenance phase, in which new content is published, old content revised, proper functioning is safeguarded and changes are made based on knowledge of visitor behaviour. In short, there's a lot to do.