About the project

Frequently asked questions

Who is eligible to join the project?

If you are a non-profit making organisation based in Torfaen you are eligible to join. Unfortunately, due to funding regulations, we cannot work with businesses or organisations affiliated to Torfaen County Council. You must also be 16 or over to come to the web design workshops. Example of groups that can join include:

• Sports clubs
• Mother and Toddler groups
• Arts clubs
• Support Groups
• Religious groups
• Residents' Associations
• Charity organisations

Who builds and maintains the website?
You do! But don't let that put you off - you don't need previous experience and we give you lots of help and ongoing support. You can start off simply, perhaps with just a couple of pages describing your club and some contact details. However, we are sure that once you get going you will enjoy it, get more confident and want to add more.

What will I learn in the web training sessions?

If you attend the website sessions you will learn how to:

• plan a website
• build a website from scratch using Dreamweaver, the industry standard software for creating websites
• edit images using an image editing package
• take photos using a digital camera
• write content for the web
• publish your site on the Internet

Groups also have the option of using a ready made web template so they don't have to create the design themselves. However, most groups prefer to design their own. They say this is the part they enjoy most!

But no-one from our group knows anything about web design!

Don’t worry! You don’t need any web design skills to join the project. However, it is useful if you already have some basic word processing skills. If you don't have the basic computer skills we offer free courses to help you get up to the level you need and, ofcourse, there are our colleagues from the Mobile IT Bus who are always looking for new students to join them and learn something new.

It is also important to note that not everyone from the group has to do "the technical bit". For example, someone could be responsible for getting photographs and another member of the group could write the content, etc. The website doesn't just have to be left to the person with the IT skills - everyone in the group can contribute in their own way.

When I've finished my website do I get any support afterwards?

Ofcourse! You will get ongoing support until the end of the project which isn't until Autumn 2005. We are not going to assume you are now a web design expert after finishing the course with us. It's easy to forget things and run into occassional problems. Your website tutor will offer telephone and email support and there is now a discussion forum on this site where you can ask any questions or concerns you may have.

We also encourage people to come to our drop in workshops where your tutor is on hand to answer any questions or solve any problems you may have (IT related ofcourse!). The workshops are also an opportunity for you to update your website knowing there is support nearby. Your tutor will even come out and visit you if your problem can't be solved using the ways mentioned above.

How much will it cost?
The best bit is that it is entirely free. We provide:

• website tuition
• free use of PCs and the Internet in our learning centres and community venues
• hosting space
• a domain name for your group

How do I get going?
Have a look at the other community websites to get an idea of what is possible. If that is the sort of site you would like then please email Sian or contact me on 01495 775630