The new party website is up!

kernow · 09-08-2007, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony Butcher

However, they seem to have missed off a link to this forum from the 'Useful Links' section though.

Well, well who'd have thought they'd do a thing like that, especially when there are so many supporters (cough) of UKIP on this forum!

Anthony Butcher · 10-08-2007, 01:10 AM

There are quite a few news items on there:
http://www.ukip.org/ukip/index.php?o...id=1&Itemid=57

http://www.ukip.org/ukip/index.php?o...d=15&Itemid=41

I am not sure why they aren't in the rss feed, but it might be limited to 5 items at source.

Presumably the £5K will include on going support and web maintenance. It really isn't a huge amount for a professional website. You can always find someone to do it cheaper, or even free, but it is trade off in terms of support, availability, service level agreements and so on.

The only criticism I have is that they have launched the site without including the party policies:
http://www.ukip.org/ukip/index.php?o...d=21&Itemid=43

This is asking for trouble along the lines of "here is the entire content of the UKIP education policy: <BLANK>". Nor is it at all obvious how to find the policies... but that may be deliberate at the moment.

A few more issues:
No yellow - is the party abandoning the colour?
The tag line says 'The website of the UK Independence Party'. No, really?
the purple in the title and the purple in the page heading don't match at all.
The 'UKIP' symbol is the wrong size and blurry.
There are too many ways to access news items.
The 'JOIN UKIP' link takes you through to the same old ugly secure web page.

These can all be ironed out soon, although they should have been picked up in the testing period, if there was one.

Anthony Butcher · 10-08-2007, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kernow

Well, well who'd have thought they'd do a thing like that, especially when there are so many supporters (cough) of UKIP on this forum!

I was joking

mkpdavies · 10-08-2007, 07:43 AM

It's better, but still not what I was hoping for.

It is very clinical and still a mishmash of public/member site.

No multimedia.

I would be happy with it, if I though it was going to get daily updates and content, but I fear that won't happen.

Still look at the bright side, it is an improvement and may continue to improve.

SuperiorSteve · 10-08-2007, 08:30 AM

Much better. It's easier on the eye and easier to use. Maybe instead of using outside developers for their site, they could've got Mr Butcher et al to do the work.

komerad · 10-08-2007, 09:04 AM

Tom Wise seems to have disappeared from the new website???

Anthony Butcher · 10-08-2007, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by komerad

Tom Wise seems to have disappeared from the new website???

He had been removed from the old one - I don't know if this means that he has just been suspended or whether he is no longer a UKIP MEP on a permanent basis. Losing 25% of one's MEPs isn't great.

BenjC · 10-08-2007, 11:20 AM

For the amount of time it's taken, Joomla with a cheap template is not exactly what I was expecting, and if they've really paid £5k for this then that is a big time rip-off.

Not to mention the fact that the FAQ for the website that template was pulled from says:

Quote:

Yes. You can edit or remove the JoomlArt copyright information at the bottom of the template. You can claim the copyright notice "All right reserved", however the claim on creation of the template, such as:"Designed by Your Company"...are not allowed.

SponPlague · 10-08-2007, 11:51 AM

Simon Muir writes:

Quote:

Someone has referred me to UKIP's 'new look' on the InterWeb. I must say it's much tidier, but overall largely content free and clearly cheap. I
don't mean Manic Monday's part, but the fact there's no new graphics and
clearly little budget for design overall.

Here are my questions and criticisms:

- Where are the decent pictures of people? UKIP could always rent
Mark Croucher's digital camera for a week and hang a sheet
over a door (for consistency).

- Who are the regional organisers and contact people?

- Why are legislators described as "officials" rather than who they are?

- Who is the NEC?

- What pompous oaf thought "The Office of Graham Booth MEP" etc.
was appropriate? Most politicos think MEPs are buffoons and
makeweights, and this does nothing to dispel the myth.

- Why is there nothing about UKIP people younger than about
fifty (going by the few pictures).

- What happened to all the older stuff - any info older than
yesterday seems to have been airbrushed out. There are articles
from the MEPs, but that's hardly party news and belongs on their
own sites, not the party one.

- UKIP-TV (YouTube?)? Evidently too technically advanced...

- Where is the diary section (or is there nothing to put in it)?

- Why is there NOTHING about UKIP's political aims and objectives
(save the blindingly obvious)?

I could go on, but you get the general drift: despite Manic Monday's
good efforts, it's the tired site of a tired party, with nothing fresh
to offer. Farage won't appreciate (read 'understand') this, but it's
actually less interesting than the earlier versions. It looks more like
something dreamed up for UKIP by Graham Watson!

Praise where it's due: Manic Monday has done its bit well. It looks
fresh and clean, and it's fast (I haven't tried the RSS, but I'm
assuming that's equally efficient). Shame about the content really.

o Is this indicative of the scale of the talent drain from the party?

o Is it indicative of the blanket success of the Farage coup?

o Does anyone in UKIP care enough any more (about the party and
the country, I mean) to put the effort in to get this right?

One thing is obvious - just how lonely UKIP's leadership must now be.
When I joined UKIP, roughly seven years ago, it was an angry, excitable,
fizzing party, full of discussion, argument and IDEAS. People from
widely differing backgrounds collaborated, debated fiercely, and got on
with working towards a common cause. And, by 2004, we had seen some
significant fruit from those labours.

Now UKIP is friendless, lonely, and pretty much broke. If Farage had any
sense, he'd be running round mending fences and building coalitions -
unite or die (and political death IS imminent).

- Where is 'One London' (formerly UKIP)?
- What of the 'English Democrats'?
- What happened to the honourable links to the eurorealist left wing
of the Labour party?
- Why isn't UKIP using Ashley Mote's excellent research (or
anyone else's, for that matter)?
- Where are the think-pieces coaxed out of Tory grandees?

I have no doubt that some swivel-eyed UKIP 'purist' (probably of the
Aryan sort!) will leap to explain the deficiencies of all these 'bad'
thinkers, but they are essential. In the short term they WILL fragment
any vote UKIP might attract, and in the long term we will never regain a
sane nation unless someone is prepared to build a workable political
coalition of the sensible (versus the governing Fabian repressors). And
the BNP? They must be quaking with laughter.

Any of this, however, is so far beyond the political thinking of
present-day UKIP leadership, that one might as well be trying to explain
the Internet to Victorian gaslighters. But then, I suppose...

Johnny Hates Jazz · 10-08-2007, 11:52 AM

Looks much better then the old site

10-08-2007, 07:43 AM	#24 (permalink)
mkpdavies Uber Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Woking Posts: 30,604	It's better, but still not what I was hoping for. It is very clinical and still a mishmash of public/member site. No multimedia. I would be happy with it, if I though it was going to get daily updates and content, but I fear that won't happen. Still look at the bright side, it is an improvement and may continue to improve. __________________ http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/ http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/ http://lpuk.org My ignore list Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

10-08-2007, 08:30 AM	#25 (permalink)
SuperiorSteve Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Southampton Posts: 686	Much better. It's easier on the eye and easier to use. Maybe instead of using outside developers for their site, they could've got Mr Butcher et al to do the work. __________________ "Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life" Cecil Rhodes Last edited by SuperiorSteve; 10-08-2007 at 08:37 AM.

10-08-2007, 11:52 AM	#30 (permalink)
Johnny Hates Jazz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 1,948	Looks much better then the old site __________________ English not British not European ? *- It's time to decide at the 2009 European Elections*

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10-08-2007, 01:10 AM	#22 (permalink)
Anthony Butcher Administrator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Long Ashton, Bristol Posts: 9,823 Party: None	There are quite a few news items on there: http://www.ukip.org/ukip/index.php?o...id=1&Itemid=57 http://www.ukip.org/ukip/index.php?o...d=15&Itemid=41 I am not sure why they aren't in the rss feed, but it might be limited to 5 items at source. Presumably the £5K will include on going support and web maintenance. It really isn't a huge amount for a professional website. You can always find someone to do it cheaper, or even free, but it is trade off in terms of support, availability, service level agreements and so on. The only criticism I have is that they have launched the site without including the party policies: http://www.ukip.org/ukip/index.php?o...d=21&Itemid=43 This is asking for trouble along the lines of "here is the entire content of the UKIP education policy: <BLANK>". Nor is it at all obvious how to find the policies... but that may be deliberate at the moment. A few more issues: No yellow - is the party abandoning the colour? The tag line says 'The website of the UK Independence Party'. No, really? the purple in the title and the purple in the page heading don't match at all. The 'UKIP' symbol is the wrong size and blurry. There are too many ways to access news items. The 'JOIN UKIP' link takes you through to the same old ugly secure web page. These can all be ironed out soon, although they should have been picked up in the testing period, if there was one.

10-08-2007, 09:04 AM	#26 (permalink)
komerad Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cardiff. S.Wales Posts: 586	Tom Wise seems to have disappeared from the new website???