After five months of hard work and quite a bit of last minute panicking we're delighted to launch the next version of wilmslow.co.uk.
This new version lays the foundations so we can make some major improvements going forward. The original site was launched using a commercial content management system but we have now moved to a platform which we (that’s the royal we) have specifically built to fit our needs and provide us with functionality to achieve our vision.
The main difference is that the site is much more integrated, for example if you are in the directory looking at a particular restaurant there will be links to all related news articles and if they are hosting any events the details will also appear on that page.
Below is an overview of the main changes but please do take a look around the site for yourself and if you have any problems or questions please get in touch.
Improved home page
All the latest information is provided on the home page, the layout of which you will hopefully find much clearer.
We have introduced an activity stream, entitled 'What Members Are Doing', which pulls together all the latest contributions from members - so the most recent comments, reviews and additions to the site will all appear as they happen in the one place.
Also more of the latest stories are now featured on the home page, along with accompanying photos.
News & Opinion section
This section is now more visual with thumbnail images added for each article as well as larger photos within the articles.
You can scroll through all the articles chronologically using the page numbers at the bottom. Alternatively, instead of seeing all articles you can filter them according to areas of interest by clicking on the tabs across the top, e.g. schools.
With the introduction of a tagging system we have pulled together all the related news, events and other information on a particular topic. Hopefully this will assist readers in being able to find information of interest. This isn't quite finished, as I have to tag every single article and entry in the directory, but if for example you look at the most recent article regarding the Wilmslow Community Governance Review, click on the Parish Council tag at the end of the article and you can see all the previous ones on this subject.
So if a particular topic is covered in a news item you can click on the tag at the end of the article to find other items on the same subject.
We now have the facility to include more photos with the news articles, which will be appear at the top. To scroll through the photos click 'next photo' or you can view a slide show. This can be seen in our recent article about next week's Scarecrow Festival.
Directory
The categories have been replaced with a tagging system because the old categories were restrictive for more specialist businesses.
The search facility has been improved, to enable you to find what you are looking for more easily and the most popular search terms appear on the home page of the directory.
We have also opened the directory to non-businesses so groups, associations and charities that did not sit comfortably within the old business directory are now included rather than on a separate links page.
Events
Each event now has its own page, which will enable us to include more information and over time add photographs to illustrate each entry.
As a result of the tags, events will now appear alongside relevant articles so if you're reading the latest news on the Leisure Centre you will be able to see what events are taking place there in the near future.
Advertising
We have added the facility for local businesses to place adverts on wilmslow.co.uk. To date the site has been completely self-funded but it is not viable for us to continue to devote the amount of time and money required to maintain this community platform without advertising and sponsorship.
We also have a number of improvements planned for the coming year, none of which would be possible without the support of our local advertisers - so we are very grateful to them and hope you will check out what they have to offer.
Membership
With the switch over any members that were logged in on the site during their last visit will no longer be logged in. Everyone will need to sign in again if they wish to add content to the site.
We have removed usernames, so there is one less thing to remember, and if you have forgotten your password it is now very easy to reset this. Click on sign in, top left of the page, and then on forgot your password? and submit your email address.
We really do want to know what you like and dislike about the new site so please get in touch via the comment box below or by email. Also if you notice any errors on the site which we may have overlooked please do alert us to them so we can get them fixed asap.
We want wilmslow.co.uk to serve the community as best it can so we really do need to hear your views. If you are not already registered, it only takes a minute and is free so become a member to receive our newsletters and get involved in the wilmslow.co.uk community.
