To that end, the title of today’s post is “why Web projects can stall and how to get them out of the gate”. Before I get into the detail, let’s revisit the primary objectives of the goals of the ExtremeMarkover initiative. The primary goals of the ExtremeMarkover initiative include:

*Supporting the non-profit community with a website makeover.
*Documenting the project with an educational perspective for what we hope will be to the benefit of the profession, students studying web design, those that teach. I’m also hopeful that in turn that we can educate the customers we serve as well.

The title seems of today’s post seems appropriate enough because the project to Markover the Community Voices website was delayed. Also, the vast majority of IT projects fail. In fact, 86% by some estimates and we want to avoid that here.

As an FYI, and in the interest of education, this particular project was delayed because a lack of communication and understanding. For example,

* As the project lead, I didn’t know that the current Community Voices website is hosted on Intuits “Homestead” template base and as a result of know one telling me I couldn’t access files on the server
* Some basic assumptions were made on my part that my co lead knew the topic well enough to give me the heads up that I couldn’t access the site by FTP

The end result was not being to post Analytics code that ultimately delayed the project for months.

To support the conversation, I’ve called on the support of Jeri A Hastava, Independent We professional from Leap of Faith Web Design Cloverdale, CA.

Jeri is familiar with the ExtremeMarkover and the goals of the initiative. For the benefits of the subscribers and for those following along I asked Jeri to respond to the situation and if this ever happen to her and what did she did about it? <

Next steps:

* Contact Community Voices
* Review website work
* Select site design
* Call for participation to put it together.

If you can spare a minute, here’s a short video of the 2009 Web design contest winners.

If you’ve been following along with this community based effort, then you may have asked yourself if we bailed on this Extreme Markover project. We haven’t, but we are taking a methodical approaches to the project and for good reason.

Taking the advice of seasoned Web professional Lance Loveday, Lance Loveday CEO Closed Loop Marketing we decided to run Web Analytics on the current CommunityVoices website and we were surprised by the results.

As you may recall, Lance suggested that we:

- Implement Google Analytics ASAP – even before the redesign, as gathering some baseline data in that tool prior to the redesign will make the Before/After analysis go much smoother. It’s easy, free and extremely powerful. We recommend all clients install it, even if they’re already using another analytics system as well.
http://www.google.com/analytics/

As a result, we followed the advice of Lance to the tee and we’ve been patiently waiting for the stats. It’s been 60 days and the truth is we haven’t seen any traffic. As a result, we want to include search marketing into our design process. What this will mean is that we will need a follow up to the client (Community Voices) to find out their thoughts. Ideally, as Web professionals we support our clients with Web marketing as well as design. I’m hopeful that working together with the client (just as in real life) we can strategise on the next steps improving the trafffic and delivery of their valuable community services.

From a lesson plan perspective, I’ll be interviewing an ExtremeMarkover.org Web professional volunteer to explore his/her recommendations on next steps and whether or not this is a common situation when dealing with small business or non profit clients.

You also may be asking yourself if the project has been delayed. Truth is, it hasn’t been delayed but it’s been a little slow out of the gate. The primary reason for this is to allow the time for all of the players (volunteers and stakeholders) to get into place and allow me the time to interview the non-profit organization, I also have had the pleasure of interviewing a few of the volunteers that have graciously offered to support this effort. Overall, I think we are off to a great start.

As an FYI, we’ve been waiting for the last few weeks to gain the login and password access to the web hosting server where Voices of Involved Citizens Encouraging Safety current website is hosted. We’ve also been waiting on the customer or in this case the non profit to complete the requested documentation responding to our questionnaire.

Just like in real life, this isn’t always an easy task. The reasons often vary but it’s been my experience that online Web design projects are often delayed of due to time zone differences, distance, communication between buyer and seller and the process of managing customer expectations and unforeseen circumstances. The good news is that we now have access to their existing website where we plan to study or install web analytics so we can determine where the website traffic is coming from enabling us to better understand the needs of the organizations customers/constituent behavior.

I share all of this with you because:

a.) it’s a part of the design and development process or should be and
b.) because one of the primary goals for the WOW organization to support the extremarkover.org initiative is so that students and teachers from around the globe can follow along and hopefully benefit from the lessons learned in this process.

So with that in mind, what is the walk away lessons learned for this week?

* Never rush your work
* Always insist that customers play a role in the process and that includes participating in the questionnaire process
* Set expectations up front on when you plane to start the project, when you will be working on the project and when you will be able to complete the project. In short, in this initial phase you can’t communicate enough in my opinion and establishing and managing expectation with your customers will serve you well both in the short and the long term.
* Always document your conversations and keep a solid record of your communications with time and dates stamps.

Sounds pretty simple right? Well, these simple steps are often over looked even by some of the best in the business and if you learn one thing from this effort cast the items I mentioned above into stone somewhere.

Stay tuned for more detail later in the week.

CommunityVoices
7 Pine Hill Ave
Chelmsford Ma. 01824
617-515-2079 FAX same
lmyers@communityvoices.net dsavoia@communityvoices.net sdibacco@communityvoices.net communityvoices@comcast.net

2 – MISSION STATEMENT of ORGANIZATION

Provides advocacy, resources and educational information to community groups and individuals to increase public awareness regarding sexual assault, child sexual assault, Internet safety and missing children

3. About Us:

Laurie Myers -President and Founder

My name is Laurie Myers; I’m the mother of three children, and a former rape crisis counselor from Chelmsford, Massachusetts. I’m the President of VOICES and feel very fortunate to be in the company of Debbie Savoia and Sandy DiBacco.

I have always seen the importance of being involved in my community. In 1992, I became a rape crisis counselor for Rape Crisis Services of Greater Lowell, and volunteered on their hotline for five years. It was an experience that changed my life, and one that I will never forget. During the many late night hotline calls, hospital, and police department visits, I accompanied the most amazing people through what was, for many the darkest time of their lives. This was a time that many of them will never forget. These courageous survivors shared their feelings, fears, and hopes after their lives were almost shattered by sexual assault. I admire their strength, and will never forget them, or the valuable things I have learned from these survivors.

Several years after leaving Rape Crisis I became involved in advocating for laws to protect our children and communities from repeat sex offenders. I supported Governor Romney’s efforts to post level 3 sex offenders on the Internet. I was also a strong critic of the many court challenges brought by tax payer funded lawyers for sex offenders. In March, 2004 I met Debbie Savoia, and the family of Joanne and Alyssa Presti of Woburn whose daughter and grand daughter were murdered by level 3 sex offender, Michael Bizanowicz. We joined forces, and together we were successful in advocating for the Internet posting of level three sex offenders. After a year of court battles the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of the citizens of Massachusetts and allowed the Sex Offender Registry Board to post the most dangerous sex offenders on their website.

In June of 2004, I contacted Sandy DiBacco after reading about her efforts in a news article. After many conversations with Debbie and Sandy, we decided that there was a need for an organized effort within Massachusetts for the VOICES of children, parents and our communities to be heard. There was also a need to bring this very important information to all members of the community. It was then we decided to join together to make a difference. Together we have met with and made our concerns known to community leaders, state agencies, parents and law makers. We have played a significant role in the filing of several bills aimed at better protecting the citizens of Massachusetts, and continue to move toward our goal of safer communities through awareness.

In June of 2005 Debbie Savoia and I were asked by Lt. Governor Kerry Healey to serve on the Governor’s Commission on Domestic and Sexual Assault.

On September 21, 2006 Debbie Savoia and I were invited by Lt. Governor Kerry Healey during the signing of legislation that extended the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse and classification of sex offenders before release from prison. We were joined by several victims’ families and legislators.

It was a great day for parents and citizens of Massachusetts.

On November 13, 2007 I testified on behalf of Jessica’s Law H1688, mandatory minimum sentences for rape of a child with force and continue to educate parents and citizens about their role in safer communities.

May 14, 2008 Debbie Savoia and I were chosen by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women as unsung heroines for Chelmsford and North Andover. We joined over 200 other amazing women who were also selected by the Commission. It was a true honor and one we will never forget

Debbie Savoia – Vice-President and Founder

My name is Debbie Savoia I am a wife and mother of two I live in North Andover Massachusetts, and I’m the Vice-President of VOICES.

On Feb.13, 1995, I was reading my mail at the bus stop waiting for my son when I noticed an anonymous letter from Tacoma Washington. The letter was thanking me for letting a convicted 28 year old sex offender move into my neighborhood with his parents. He had served six months for molesting a neighbor girl and was on probation for eight years. He was not allowed to be near his children but could be near mine. Three hundred letters went out to North Andover residents regarding this individual.

During that time Massachusetts had more laws to protect animals in this state than we had to protecting our children from dangerous sex offenders. I could not just sit around and do nothing, I am a mother and I will do anything to protect my children from any kind of danger. After a year of media interviews, writing letters to the editor and talking to lawmakers I proudly stood behind Governor William Weld on August 5, 1996 as he signed the Sex Offender bill with Community Notification into law. Massachusetts was the last state to get Megan’s Law.

In the last nine years I have been very active, I became a volunteer for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. In 2001, requested and received the first Proclamation from Massachusetts’ Governor, Jane Swift for National Missing Children’s Day in Massachusetts. I have worked with my State Senator Bruce Tarr who filed two bills at my request in 2002 Senate No. 209, classifying offenders before being released from prison, and No. 210 posting level three sex offenders on the Internet. I’ve spoken at hearings at the statehouse on behalf of some bills. I have worked with the families of murdered victims and became friends with them, Maureen Kanka, Bob Curley, John & Magi Bish, and the Presti Family. I was involved in drafting the Joanne & Alyssa Act. I feel honored to know these remarkable people; I wish I could have met them under better circumstances. They are the true heroes of our society.

In March 2004, I attended a hearing before Judge Bonnie McLeod at the Suffolk Superior Court with the Presti Family. This particular hearing was to lift a previous injunction that prohibited the Sex Offender Registry Board from posting level three sex offenders on the SORB website. During that meeting, I met a woman in the hallway named Laurie Myers. Laurie and I talked and exchanged email addresses. Laurie had been a Rape Crises counselor and was also involved in strengthening sex offender laws. Our paths had never crossed until that day; as we talked we knew we were out for the same goals, to make this state a safer place for our children and all the children of this state. We also have a need for victims to have more of a VOICE in our society. As we kept in touch and reading newspaper stories, a story came to our attention regarding woman from Norfolk, Sandy DiBacco. Sandy had been working with her State Senator to fix a loophole relating to the sex offenders in her neighborhood. After getting in touch with Sandy and seeing that she had the same passion Laurie and I did in fighting for this important issue we have joined forces and become VOICES.

We are three women who believe that you do not need to be touched by tragedy to get involved in issues that matter. We can tell you first hand that law makers will listen and do something if you speak out. If members of the community don’t make their concerns known to their legislators, often times they won’t act until a tragedy has already taken place. Every VOICE counts and can make a difference, let’s not wait to be a victim.

At a press conference announcing the Omnibus bill in June of 2005 Lt. Governor Kerry Healey ask Laurie Myers and myself to serve on the Governor’s Commission on Domestic and Sexual Assault. It was an honor to be asked by the Lt. Governor and we where happy to serve. It was a great experience.

After all our hard work on September 21, 2006 Lt. Governor Kerry Healey invited us to stand on the podium with her and many legislators from both parties for the signing of legislation that extended the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse and classification of sex offenders before release from prison. (I had been fighting for classification before

released since 2003.) Many victims’ families where their in the audience and felt some justice had been served on behalf of their loved ones. It was a great day for victims.

On November 13, 2007 I testified on behalf of Jessica’s Law H1688, mandatory minimum sentences for rape of a child with force. As usual it was a very emotional day.

In March I received two letters in the mail one congratulating me for being chosen as North Andover Unsung Heroine of 2008 and the other congratulating Laurie Myers for also being chosen as Chelmsfords Unsung Heroine by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. I had nominated Laurie and without knowing she had nominated me. It was truly a great honor and very exciting to be able to have been chosen together. It was the first time in thirteen years I had been nominated for anything and won. On May 14, 2008 my daughter, and mother came along with me and Laurie and her mom to the reception honoring all 287 amazing women who contribute so much to this state not for money or fame just because they found an issue they cared about. Thank You to the commission for selecting me.

On June 2, 2008 I was recognized by the North Andover selectmen with a certificate of accomplishment for being selected as North Andover’s Unsung Heroine

Sandra DiBacco – Treasurer and Founder

My name is Sandra DiBacco. I live in Norfolk, Massachusetts, with my husband and two children. I work part-time as a legal assistant for a law firm in Boston.

In March of 2004, Delta Projects, Inc. (under the auspice of the Department of Mental Retardation) purchased a home with our taxpayers’ dollars to be used as a group home to house four mentally retarded men. Two of those men are level two sex offenders. One was convicted of molesting a child under the age of fourteen; the other was convicted of rape and aggravated assault. This group home is two doors away from my home and children. It is located in a secluded, wooded area with 25 children within ½ a mile radius.

This prompted people in my community, as well as myself, to investigate further into the placement of sex offenders in group homes in neighborhoods. What we found out was that there were no guidelines for placing sex offenders in group homes in Massachusetts, and that the laws in this state are very lenient towards sex offenders.

Outraged by this notion, I began working with our local State Senator to get laws changed in the state. I was interviewed for various newspapers and news broadcasts including Channel 4, 38 and 56. Two wonderful women, who have been active in helping rape victims and exploited and missing children for over nine years, contacted me. We are now forming this group to help other people understand the laws in Massachusetts, or should I say lack of laws in Massachusetts regarding the placement of sex offenders in group homes, the placement of sex offenders near schools, licensed daycare centers and playgrounds, legislation regarding the rights of sex offenders versus victims’ rights, we also want to inform people on ways to find out who the sex offenders are in their cities and towns, etc.

I have never before been involved in anything like this, but what I have found since I have been involved is that everybody can make a difference. People need to help each other to protect us and our children from these sex offenders and the judges and lawyers that protect them rather than our children.

I am pleased to say that we have been successful in our campaign, showing that a few people CAN make a difference.

4. Advisory Board:

Annette & Peter Presti
Child Protection Advocates &
Parents and Grand Parents of Joanne and Alyssa Presti

Bob Curley
Child Protection Advocate & Father of Jeffrey Curley

Bob Begin
Missing Child Advocate and Author of My Child Is Missing.

Christine Woltag
Senior Account Manager, Mercator Advisory Group Director, PR, Wilmington League of Women Voters Co-Founder, Wilmington Green Team Mother of two young boys

Wendy Murphy, Esquire
Victim’s Rights Advocate and Author of And Justice for some

Kerry Murphy Healey Ph.D
Visiting Fellow
Center for Public Leadership
Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Lt. John Carney
North Andover Police Department

Lt. Jonathan M. Carroll
Norfolk Police Department

Andrew Peck
Asst. Chief Probation Officer

Kevin Horton
Retired Detective Lieutenant, Mass State Police/Fugitive Section

5. Intended goal: information & education

6. No

7.Our intended audience is parents,guardians, law enforcement anyone who wants to educate themselves or others on how to protect themsleves or their children from sex offenders. To keep track of what our legislators are doing or not doing to protect our children from sex offenders. We want the public to know what children are missing/endangered runaways in Ma. and to keep a look out for them.

8.Yes
www.communityvoices.net

9. Not sure

Following this blog post, we will be publishing answers to the following questions:

World Organization of Webmasters (WOW) Extreme Markover.org website makeover questionnaire

Dear Non Profit or Educational Organization,

Thank you for agreeing to participate in the 2008/2009 ExtremeMarkover.org initiative. We are excited about this Web professional event, which aims to serve as an outreach to the community, education for customers, practitioners and those that teach, and of course–provides you with an up-to-date Web site design.

In order for our Web professional volunteers to address you needs better, we would like to request that you provide us with the supporting elements to make your site as complete and accurate as possible. Our supporters will gain access to the source material so as much as you can provide will only benefit the outcome of your site.

If you currently have a website, Please provide us with the following:

Server access to the Site Pages for design will include:

Home Page
About Us page
Mission Statement page
News/Events/others page
Contact Us page

For our Web professional volunteers to execute these pages, we are requesting the following written text and graphic images be provided on your server of choice.

WORD to Text documents with:

1 – CONTACT Information:
Corporate or Organization Name: _______________________
Business Address: _____________________________________
City, State, Zip: _______________________________________
Phone: ________________________Fax: ___________________

Any and all applicable e-mail addresses:

2 – MISSION STATEMENT of ORGANIZATION (please use a separate sheet if needed)
What are your Goals ?
Health and Medicine Foundation is a international non-profit organization dedicated to the education

3 – ABOUT US info
What do you want your audience to know about your organization?

4 – any additional info you’d like for us to have, i.e. List of Board of Directors,
Events, Accomplishments, Special Highlights, etc.

5 – and answer these Questions:
What is the intended Goal or objective of this web site ?

6 – Are you required to comply with Section 508 (do you receive Federal
monies or contract to those that do for your Web sites?) Yes No

7 – Please describe your intended web site audience. Are we communicating to parents who are enrolling their children in whatever programs, or are we sourcing funds from Corporate America? If it’s parents or a general public audience, please supply any demographic definition or profiles. Are there any special needs that we need to address with this audience?

8 – Do you have a Web site currently? Yes No

If “Yes” … what is the web address?
Can we contact your web master for a copy of your site to provide to our contestants? Contact Name and Phone: ____________________________

9 – Will this site be expanded in the future to include database management
and/or commerce tools and software ?

Graphics and Pictures

Please include on the server:

Organization logo
Slogan or motto
Identify any corporate colors (CMYK or Pantone colors)
Identify any specific corporate type face of font to be used – if any
Any graphics, artists renderings, maps, etc that can be used
And any photos that are applicable

Images can be supplied in:

JPEP
.tiff
bitmap
or just about any PC paint program images are acceptable

Any additional comments and or wish list of desired results:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A full transcript will follow in twenty four hours.

This interview with Mike discusses the initial phase of this project. A complete transcribe to follow.