Building and updating a website is no longer a task reserved for the tech savvy. More and more ND clubs and classes are taking full advantage of the Alumni Association’s web platform to design exciting websites that keep their members connected and informed.
One great example? The ND Club of South Central Wisconsin. Another is the Notre Dame Club of Fairfield County. Its webmaster, Louis Kural, originally thought about using programs Dreamweaver and Flash to create a website, but that would have also required a club-owned address, which would have meant an additional cost to the club.
“That’s when I heard about the new Irish Online system and the promotion of Kintera’s web-building tools,” Kural says. Kintera is the software provider for the new web platform implemented by the Alumni Association last summer. ND club webmasters participated in an online training session to learn how to navigate the new system.
“I attended a training session and learned that the toolset was very easy to use--easier than Dreamweaver,” Kural says.
Jean Conrad, who is in charge of the Notre Dame Club of Gettysburg website, agrees, saying the website tool can really help the small clubs—especially those that wouldn’t normally have a site--manage a website easily.
“The Kintera software makes it easy to update the content,” Conrad says. “This means you don’t need a certified webmaster to run the site. Anyone can be taught how to do the updates.”
And the results of using Irish Online can go beyond merely simplifying the role of the webmaster. Chris Paul ’90 says the website he built for the Class of 1990 has been receiving positive feedback since it went live last December. But most importantly, it has helped the officers bring their old classmates together.
“So many of us lose touch with each other and the University after graduation,” Paul says. “Hopefully classmates will use the website to help reconnect with their class. More specifically, we have our 20th reunion coming up in two years, so the website will be an essential communication tool as we gather ideas for reunion activities and plan our weekend.”
