Ten things your camp Web site absolutely must have - Technology

Camping Magazine, May, 2002 by Andrew Ackerman

1. Contact in formation, front, and center

Your (prospective) camp parents need to be able to reach you, and the first place many look to is your Web site. This means you need your contact information (or a prominent, easy to find link to it) on your camp's home page. Your contact information should include:

* address (off-season/mailing and camp address, if different);

* phone number (off-season/mailing and camp numbers, if different); and

* e-mail address.

This information should be "above the fold" meaning it should be visible when the home page first loads so someone visiting your Web site does not have to scroll down to find it.

TIP: Most people have their computer monitors set to 800 x 600 pixels so when you are checking to see if your contact information is above the fold, make sure your monitor is on that setting as well.

2. A camp photo tour

The Web is visual so don't just tell people why they want to go to your camp. Show them.

Depending on the resources you have available, this section can be as basic as static pages with pictures and text or an elaborate "virtual tour" with panoramic or 360-degree scenes with camp songs playing in the background. But there's no excuse to skip this section -- even a simple yet artfully done photo layout can go a long way.

3. Session and enrollment information

Don't make prospective parents hunt for this information. Tell them what they need to know -- when sessions begin, how much they cost, how to sign up, etc. Sounds basic, I know, but many camps don't.

A single page with this information is the bare necessity. Without too much extra effort, you can post enrollment forms on your Web site so parents can print them, fill them out, and mail or fax them back to you. If you want to get a little more fancy, you can turn your camp forms into Web forms that parents can fill out online and then send you an e-mail with their data. If you use camp management software such as EZ-Camp, you can even hook the Web form directly into your database and eliminate some of the manual effort, but this can get a little tricky.

TIP: Unless you are very tech savvy and have the time and money to spend, do NOT try to take payments for camp online yourself. Any time you ask for a credit card number, you need to assure your camp parents of a level of security that is beyond the resources of most camps. NEVER ask for a credit card number to be e-mailed to you -- e-mail is about as secure as a postcard.

4. A FAQ page

Tired of answering the same questions over and over again? Guess what? You don't have to. Make a list of the top ten (or twenty or thirty) questions parents or prospective parents ask you, and put those questions (along with their answers, of course) on your Web site. You'd be surprised what a difference this makes.

5. Directions to camp

Save yourself a lot of trouble. Text directions are OK; a map is better. When parents call for directions, let them know that directions are on the Web site -- they typically don't want to copy directions down by hand any more than you want to (yet again) read off directions over the phone.

Ideally, set up your site to generate door-to-door directions by linking to map and directions Web sites such as MapQuest or MapBlast. This is a little difficult to do but looks very impressive to your camp parents.

TIP: Some camps choose not to post directions online because they are concerned that they'll fall into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, "the wrong hands" know how to use a map. Generally speaking, keeping this information off your Web site protects no one and inconveniences many.

6. Help wanted!

Unless you have no problem staffing your camp, you need this section. You need to make the information in this section easily accessible. This section should list the jobs you want to fill, a short job description, job requirements (e.g., age), salary (at least a range). and a clearly marked "Click here to apply" link. Also, if you have a lot of jobs, organize this section well so they don't give up before finding the job they want.

If ever it was important to let someone apply online, this is it. Fax and mail are not going to cut it. These kids were raised on e-mail, and you'll lose them right off the bat if they can't apply online. At a bare minimum, let them e-mail you their resume. Better yet, put together a Web form for them to fill out so you can be assured of getting the basic information you need, but keep it simple. Make it too long and they won't finish the application. Collect the bare minimum you need to know if you want to call them. You can request more information over the phone, if necessary.

TIP: Don't assume the applicants will remember to specify which jobs interest them. Build that information into the system.

7. E-mail to campers -- so many ways to shoot yourself in the foot

Few camps want their campers to be sitting in front of a computer reading e-mail but parents increasingly demand the convenience of e-mail. What's a camp to do? The solution most camps have been forced into is accepting e-mail, which they print and hand out at mail call. This solution is far from ideal: