After working for Summerbridge for a number of years, I started looking for new ways to spread the program's message. I realized that we had a poor online presence and that we needed to create one both so that our current students could have a hub through which they could continue learning and so that we could spread word about our program. I dove in haphazardly without much planning. As I began creating the website, I realized that I had so much information I wanted to convey. I have added a lot of content, but (as per my way of working) I have a series of semi-completed sections that I tend to work on piecemeal until everything is done. This process is both effective and not. If I could spend my time working only on this website, and if I were getting paid to create it, this process would work just fine. However, because I have to work on it in my spare time for no money, this piece meal process is less effective.
2. Evaluation of success:
One of my goals when creating the website was to get our current and former students and parents more involved in the program and more educated on a variety of school related topics. In some ways I have succeeded. The past two summers, I have encouraged students to go on the site, and last summer, I set up the site on computers at Celebration, which enabled many people to interact with the site and familiarize themselves with it. I have received a couple of contact forms from former students, which means that to some degree, the site has been successful in reaching out to former students. Despite this minor level of success, I have a lot of work ahead of me.
3. What would you have done differently?:
I would have created a full plan before diving right into the website creation. I tried to keep things organized, but there is so much information that I am having difficulty with that task. If I had planned from the outset, I could have created a solid plan with goals and a table with steps and achievements. This kind of information would also be helpful for when I take on other people to help with this project.
4. What is your plan for this project in the future?:
First and foremost, I need to keep adding content to the site and complete some major sections including Lehigh Valley Colleges, Lehigh Valley Schools, Good Books, Meet the Staff, and Summerbridge Success Stories. I also need to build a strong presence on social media. I want to continue to use Pinterest as a resource for teachers and students and I want to build a much larger following on Facebook and Twitter. I want to start sending live tweets about Summerbridge events. I also want to get organized enough that I can take on a helper in this project. I just can't do it on my own anymore.