We have been posting a "Chapter of the Week" pretty much since we started this blog - August of last year. In that time we have seen many outstanding chapter web sites - and some that better belong in a 'hall of shame'.
It dawned on me the other day that we have never actually laid out how we have chosen the sites we showcase each week. It is not a big secret or anything, but we have made a few adjustments over time. Here is the Cliff Notes version.
When we started, the process was pretty much random. We would find a site that looked neat and post it. The old HQ site was a real pain to use for searching, but we used it some too. Once the new HQ site was in place the chapter lookup was much better and we began to use it almost exclusively.
We still were doing the equivalent of tossing darts, though. At least 50-60% of chapters either don't have a site or have one that is stale by a year or more. Let me nuance that... Remember we are using the HQ listings to find web sites. If your chapter site is not up to date there it won't get found - unless the trained monkeys we have typing at the keyboards get lucky.
Since Conclave and the positive response we got from our "Outstanding Website of the Year" Award we have decided to be a bit more purposeful in our selection. We are still using HQ as the starting point, but rather than a random walk we are stepping through region-by-region so we won't miss any gems. So, if one month it looks like we are flogging Pennsylvania to death, well, we are. Don't let that stop you from letting us know about your chapter's new site, though.
Our criteria for selection are very simple. A site must be fairly current and active, and it has to be a "real" site. Yahoo groups and personal blogs won't get posted. Beyond that, the more informative and navigable the better. A picture of your house is nice for us to put on a post, but not a must. We try to look at a site like a prospective member might, so if you need a password to get past the first page that's not a good sign (yes, we found one like that).
We plan to continue the "Outstanding Web Site" selections. This year the winner got a framed certificate and a $100 contribution to their chapter scholarship fund. We hope to do even better next year. We also keep a blogroll of all our sites. There are instructions on how to add it to your site in our archives in the sidebar (its only about 3 lines of code).
A final note: Sic transit gloria mundae. Last year's winner! Maybe we are the Sports Illustrated of chapter sites?
