The Guild has a new website – and a new design for the monthly eAlerts to go with it. There are also some new features, including Search, an RSS feed that puts latest Guild News headlines on your internet browser, links to the Guild’s new Facebook and Twitter presence handled by Guild secretary Clemmie Gleeson, and a page acknowledging the valuable support that members of the Guild enjoy from a number of individuals and organisations.
Among them are machinery manufacturer AGCO; thanks to European communications manager, Guild member Paul Lay (pictured right), AGCO continues to sponsor the eAlerts (and also the annual meeting) through its various tractor and machinery brands.
The Guild is also indebted to Perkins Engines, manufacturer of power solutions for agricultural and many other applications. Through Guild members Adrian Talbot and Annette Ward (pictured below), the Perkins marketing and communications department has funded the design and development of the new website, provided some useful ideas on design and functionality, and committed to its ongoing funding over five years. Generous support indeed!
And all so that Guild members can enjoy a greater sense of community within their chosen profession by tapping into regular news, views and information about their fellow members and the publications and agencies involved in communication activities in agriculture, commercial horticulture and rural enterprise.
There is still some archive material to transfer from the previous website and more new features to add. In the meantime, all constructive feedback for ways of enhancing and improving the site is very welcome.
The design process and construction of the new website and eAlert has been handled by Website Development Ltd, based in Tiverton, Devon. While producing a modern-looking and also very functional website, the really clever stuff is behind the scenes – the content management system.
For someone inexperienced in uploading images and text to a website this has been a revelation. Much of the process is automated, so text always appears in the correct font and to the correct size and postition for the section, and images can be automatically sized as they are uploaded to suit their destination.
Helpful notes within the content management system provide reminders of what to do – and specifically for this website, not in vague generic terms. Moreover, they could not have been more helpful in accommodating changes and were genuinely enthusiastic about producing a site that suited our needs.
None of the team members has a farming background so it is purely by chance that the Website Development team has produced a number of farming-orientated sites, including one for the British Grassland Society, whose director, Guild member Jessica Buss, made the initial recommendation.
If you like what you see and need a new in-house or client website, check them out.
Peter Hill / Guild eAlerts & Website editor
