Toastmasters International District 76 Japan(English Site)

Today, club Web sites are not only communicative tools among members but also powerful media to attract new members. They also provide useful information if a member comes up with the idea like ‘I would like to visit another club after work' or ‘I would like to visit another club this Saturday.' So, build an attractive club Web site so that many people will visit your club!

Toastmasters International recommends the following information to be contained in a club Web site:

• The club’s name, meeting time, location and contact telephone number or e-mail address
• The features and benefits of Toastmasters membership and the mission of the club
• Membership promotion ideas
• Distinguished Club Program goals and progress
• A calendar listing appropriate information about club events or Toastmasters events the club’s members should attend
• A published or “last updated” date to identify the timeliness of the information
• A link to the Toastmasters International Web site and a link to the this district Web site
• An online version of the club’s newsletter or information appropriate for publication in the newsletter
• The names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of club officers, the webmaster and club support personnel after having received express written permission from each individual

Club Web pages must include a Toastmasters International Trademark Acknowledgment Statement as published periodically by World Headquarters:

Correction: Please replace xxx by your club name.

(c) 2010 xxx Toastmasters Club
The names "Toastmasters International", "Toastmasters" and the Toastmasters International emblem are trademarks protected in the United States, Canada and other countries where Toastmasters Clubs exist. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.

Member information can be used only for Toastmasters-related business. Therefore, a disclaimer must be included on all Web sites as follows:

The information on this Web site is for the sole use of Toastmasters' members, for Toastmasters business only. It is not to be used for solicitation and distribution of non-Toastmasters materials or information.

Furthermore, there are some limitations:

• Club Web sites should not contain material that is not relevant to achieving the club mission.
• Clubs may only place on their Web sites information about candidates for club, district or international office who are members of that club.

There are so many rules, but we have to comply with them.

Once you understand the rules concerning the building of a club Web site, why don't you build your club Web site?

A club Web site is a door to your club. If you post the meeting program and reports, many people who sincerely want to learn communication skills would come to your club. If you post pictures of smiling members and those enjoying the cheerful atmosphere of an after meeting gathering, more active and cheerful people will visit your club.

What are the selling points of your club? What is the prospect of your club? Why don't you discuss about them among your club officers or all members, and reflect those ideas on your club Web site!

To build a club Web site, you may consider the following:

• Appeal points of your club (try to appeal the originality through meeting reports and pictures)
• High quality contents for members
• Contents which are conscious of non-Toastmasters (membership conditions and fee、FAQ pages、and contents understandable to non-Toastmasters)
• Usability (Access time to pages, organization of information, eliminating links which no longer work)
• Search Engine Optimization (making your site Yahoo! and Google Search Engine friendly) and swapping links with other club Web sites
• Pleasing appearance (fonts and colors, no typographical errors and omissions in the front page)
• frequency of update

About FreeToastHost

You can use the free FreeToastHost http://www.freetoasthost.org/ to build your club Web site. We especially recommend it for English sites. If you want to build a Japanese site using this tool, it is known that you can prevent characters from turning into gibberish by using Firefox rather than Internet Explorer.
District 76 PR Committee maintains and delivers the FreeToastHost Kit with the Japanese manual for the members who may find it difficulty to understand the English manual FreeToastHost provides. If you are interested in this kit, please contact the PR Committee (see the Contact Us).

The details are illustrated using images and graphics.