Best Practice and Strategy

Trader's Association Website Design - 5 sites reviewed

Traders associations and they have specific website requirements.  I've been lucky enough to work on projects involving this type of business which differs from associations.  Along the way I've done some research into traders association websites from around Australia, so I thought I'd share some of my views on them.

Firstly I'd like to note that as an ex Brisbanite, the trader association is a perculiar phenomenon that is mostly restricted to Sydney and Melbourne where traditional suburban strip shopping centres exist and are not dominated by shopping malls.  That being said, they can be found elsewhere and many shopping malls have centre management and many towns have progress associations and tourist associations that share striking similarities. 

Traders associations exist to promote their member businesses and need to provide information for visitors on getting there, local events of interest and provide value added services to strengthen the loyalty of members and consumers.   Some also serve a social and cultural function in briefly documenting aspects the commercial history and heritage of an area.  Traders Association vary in size and are generally not-for-profit while most receive their revenue from the traders they sometimes source funding from other sources such as local government organisations and community grants.  Larger shopping centres and malls are generally backed by commercial interests.

In terms of Traders Association Website Design, a critical aspect of these organisations is their business, store or directory.  This can be quite complex to manage and maintain and also puts it beyond the abilities of many inferior web designers, hence introducing a substantial setup cost.  They also advertise and promote the area in different ways.  This means a one-size-fits-all solution can be difficult to find.  With these things in mind it may or may not be a suprise to find that not all traders associations have websites.

I have picked a sample of 5 such website and rated them based on some of my own criteria, some scientific, others subjective.  It is difficult, for example, to determine whether their business listings are accurate or up-to-date.

Please note that if you manage or own one of the websites I have featured here, please take any criticisms constructively rather than personally.
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Datalink implements Continuous Integration Server

As part of our commitment in 2010 to improved service delivery and software development, Datalink have implemented a new Continuous Integration Server which will deliver an improvement in quality and efficiency to the maintenance of our products and customer projects.

The move fits well with Datalink's shift toward the Agile software develompent methodology for web applications and more recently our adoption of the Scrum framework.

Key Datalink technician Luke Zawadski this week completed the significant project of implementing the new server which uses Selenium RC in Datalink's production environment.

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Datalink is in the process of establishing a series of build self-tests for new projects.

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Grammar School Website Design - 5 sites reviewed

I've done a bit of work lately with high schools but grammar schools have specific requirements, and along the way I've done some quick random comparisons of some grammar school websites from around Australia, so I thought I'd share some of my views on them.

I know that many such websites are designed by students, so please don't take my criticisms too harshly.  My personal belief is that it is great to give students projects, but not necessarily something as important as the public face of your organisation where a more professional approach is a must for getting good enrolments.
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