[Lnc-business] website motion

Thu Feb 18 15:54:57 EST 2016

Thanks for weighing in, Brett and Nick.

Brett,

Your points are well-taken.  I also don't know what our current coffers
hold.  *Could you possibly weigh in on that Mr. Hagan?*

I would also add that we were pretty quick to find $100k for our ballot
access drives.  I remain a little puzzled at how we can come up with 5
times the budget I'm requesting to secure ballot access for a single state,
but not come up with the $20k to create something that would be viewed by
people from all 50 states (and the world).

Point being that surely we could come up with the money if we really wanted
to.

Nick,

That would be fine.  I would propose a super aggressive timeline.  This
group has a tendency to talk about things 'til kingdom come.  It's not
really that complicated to get this sort of thing started.  The work is
difficult and we DO need to find a great firm to really make it worthwhile,
but such firms exist all over the place and I certainly have connections to
more than a handful.

-Kevin

On Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 2:44 PM, Nicholas Sarwark <chair at lp.org> wrote:

> I'm open to a redesign, as long as we have a clear sense of what our
> requirements are and an open process for soliciting bids to do the
> work.
>
> That doesn't need to be a long or complicated process, but it does
> need to be an open one.
>
> -Nick
>
> On Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 1:29 PM, Brett Bittner <brett at brettbittner.com>
> wrote:
> > Kevin,
> >
> > I appreciate your initiative in driving this topic, and I agree
> > wholeheartedly that the site needs more than a facelift. It needs a
> complete
> > re-design. I had a similar design (done by the same firm that built the
> > bones of what we're using today at LP.org about the same time) when I was
> > the Executive Director in Georgia, and that site transitioned to a
> better,
> > more engaging, and easier to use tool for LP Georgia in 2013. <--- That's
> > three years ago.
> >
> > Whether we use NationBuilder or another Content Management System (CMS),
> I
> > think our investment in getting a quality product is worth it. It's not
> like
> > we're building a website for mom's knitting hobby here. We need something
> > that is professional in appearance and can offer the functionality
> necessary
> > to make the connections with staff, CRM, and users more efficient.
> >
> > My only concern is our cash flow position. I hope that the "Sky is
> falling"
> > rhetoric I've seen regarding it is just that. If not, we may need to
> examine
> > our priorities with regard to how the money we have on hand and expect to
> > bring in is spent. I only bring this up because I've seen the Chicken
> > Littles scurrying about with the information, yet I've not had the
> > opportunity to discuss with Tim the financial picture and questions that
> I
> > have. I intend to in Phoenix.
> >
> > Thank you for taking the lead here, and I look forward to the end result.
> >
> > Brett C. Bittner
> >
> > brett at brettbittner.com
> > 404.492.6524
> >
> > "I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much
> liberty
> > than those attending too small a degree of it." -- Thomas Jefferson
> >
> > On Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 2:49 PM, Kevin Ludlow <ludlow at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Scott,
> >>
> >> No.  I have gone out of my way to try and minimize the cost as best I
> can.
> >> For an organization like ours to spend only $20,000 on a website is
> already
> >> beyond ridiculous.  Did I not mention that local theater company I work
> with
> >> that I pointed you to spent $15,000 on theirs.  They put on occasional
> >> avant-garde shows; we nominate the president of the united states.  I
> guess
> >> it's about the same thing.
> >>
> >> Frankly, I'm a little insulted that I gave a detailed reality about the
> >> cost of this kind of work, have heard nothing back, and now the request
> is
> >> "how do we get equal value for lower cost?".  We don't.  I provided
> >> real-world numbers.  I wouldn't be able to pay my newest 24 year old
> >> employee over $100k/annually if this work didn't cost a lot.  It costs
> a lot
> >> because there is a great deal of work that goes into doing it right.
> Maybe
> >> you could point me to a place where I can get an x-ray taken for a grand
> >> total of $10.
> >>
> >> When you do it on the cheap, it looks like it's done on the cheap.  It
> >> misses the point of having it done in the first place.  I guess it
> would at
> >> least be consistent, but I was really hoping our group wanted to change
> the
> >> glaring hole.
> >>
> >> On that note though, if the pulse on the group is just to do it cheaper
> >> than it would really help me out if people would just say that.  I'm
> putting
> >> in time making calls, ensuring that I have firms lined up, ensuring they
> >> have designers ready to go, etc.  I would really prefer not to spend my
> time
> >> doing all of that if the effort is just to do it cheaper or not at all.
> >>
> >> -Kevin
> >>
> >> On Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 12:30 PM, Scott L. <scott73 at earthlink.net>
> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I would like to know if NationBuilder has "in-house" designers that
> could
> >>> design an equal quality web site at a lower cost.
> >>>
> >>> In other words - would having NB or "NB approved" designers make the
> >>> interfacing between the web site and NB easier and/or less expensive?
> >>>
> >>>    Scott Lieberman
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: Kevin Ludlow
> >>> Sent: Feb 18, 2016 10:11 AM
> >>> To: lnc-business
> >>> Subject: [Lnc-business] website motion
> >>>
> >>> All:
> >>>
> >>> I've only heard back from 2 people with respect to me putting the
> website
> >>> redesign into high gear.  It would be a combination of getting a proper
> >>> design from a high-end design firm and then having it implemented into
> NB by
> >>> the NB team.
> >>>
> >>> Could everyone give me an idea of where they sit with this idea in
> >>> general.  Are there concerns?  Are there impasses I'm unaware of?  Do
> we
> >>> just not think the website needs an overhaul?  Does it require more
> >>> discussion?
> >>>
> >>> -Kevin Ludlow
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> Lnc-business mailing list
> >>> Lnc-business at hq.lp.org
> >>> http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> ========================================================
> >> Kevin Ludlow
> >> 512-773-3968
> >> http://www.kevinludlow.com
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Lnc-business mailing list
> >> Lnc-business at hq.lp.org
> >> http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org
> >>
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Lnc-business mailing list
> > Lnc-business at hq.lp.org
> > http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> Lnc-business mailing list
> Lnc-business at hq.lp.org
> http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org
>

-- 
========================================================
Kevin Ludlow
512-773-3968
http://www.kevinludlow.com
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