LionNet - Step-by-step guide to creating Lions webpages

Step 1 - Deciding what to put on your page

Plan what information you want to put on your page.

• The Full name of your Lions Club.
• The President, Secretary and Treasurer.
• Your Community Projects.
• Your Club's meeting place, date and time.
• Where your club is situated in relation to the rest of the world, Country, State and maybe the proximity to the nearest recognizable city.

Step 2 - Download a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) editing tool

You should download an appropriate HTML editing tool. We recommend some editors such as Homesite, Hot Dog & Web Wizard. Trial versions of these programs can be found at TUCOWS

If you're new to page design, there are a number of application programs, available to download for free evaluation, that let you create an entire website without knowing any HTML programming. e.g. Netscape Gold and Microsoft FrontPage

These tools often provide basic HTML page templates and help on the various 'tags' used to create pages.

Step 3 - Writing the page in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)

Now you need to design the club page.

LionNet International administrators have designed a prototype club page that you can edit and use as a template for your own club.

We also provide an annotated guide to the HTML code used on that page, explaining it section by section.

Step 4 - Adding graphics and links to your page

You can download or create your own graphics for your page. Many images can be found at LionNet's image archive and may only be used by Lions Clubs according to the Copyright Notice. Alternatively you may wish to scan a copy of your own Clubs' logo and use that.

You may also add links on your page to your district if they have a page, to Lions Clubs International and LionNet International if you wish.

Step 5 - Testing your page

Open your web browser and tell it to open the file you have just constructed. If you don't like what you see then simple go through steps 3 and 4 again.

Step 6 - Finding a site

The next thing that you will need is somewhere to put your site so that it is accessible on the World Wide Web. This is commonly done using server space at an Internet Service Provider (server or ISP). There are several ways to get server space for your club.

Firstly, you may be entitled to some server space with your Internet access account either at a commercial service provider or at an educational institution, alternatively you could contact the commercial service providers in your area and ask them to donate space, explaining about Lionism and the good works a club does in the community. Many clubs have successfully done this and in exchange for the public relations value of having the donation attributed on the page.

Alternatively, you can apply at Geocities for free space. Many Lions Clubs have their web pages located there and the only requirement is to post the Geocities logo and slogan at the bottom of your page.

Here are some other servers on the Internet that offer free web space:

• Europe@home
• Pagelist
• Tripod

Step 7 - Letting people know about your site

We will be glad to list you club's website at LionNet International once it is online, just fill in our comments form and select new link.

Contact your local paper and Lions magazine. Send then a clean printout of your new web page and don't forget to include your new web address: http://www.your_isp.com/your_site.html

You may also wish to visit some of the Internet's search engines and inform them of your new webpage details. Some major search engines are:

• Yahoo
• Lycos
• Altavista

Finally, here are some general things to keep in mind when starting a club homepage:

• It's very helpful to have links to sections of your home page, or to your other pages, at the beginning of the home page. That lets both new *and* repeat visitors go where they want. As you become more experienced in page design and see this type of layout on other pages, you might want to set up your page that way too.

• Pictures are very nice but it is better to keep them separate from the main body of your text because they can take a long time to load and some viewers have browsers that don't read them at all. Same thing with graphics. Make the page attractive for sure but don't get carried away with clever animation's or zillion-color backgrounds.

• Visit a bunch of other sites and get - and borrow - ideas on page composition, reference to district or LionNet node, etc.

• As you work on your page, you might want to ask for advice or suggestions as you try out different ideas. Please feel free to contact the LionNet NodeMaster in your area; it is part of the LionNet mandate to encourage and assist Lions Clubs to join the Internet.

• If you are not in a LionNet area, we urge you again to read more about LionNet and consider becoming a node yourself. Please contact the a LionNet International administrators for advice and information.

• Good luck, Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.

Please send additions or corrections to the LionNet International Administrators

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