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Winners: 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014
Info: how we assess / feedback || build a first club website / improve a club website

THE 2014 BEST WEBSITE COMPETITION

  31 clubs submitted their websites for consideration. Some saying they were just getting started and looking for advice. Others well-established and successful clubs which had revised their sites.
All sought our detailed, private commentary on their website, designed to help webmasters improve their sites.

Dave Watterson & Peter Kidman have decided not to have a website contest for the season 2014-5.
We have, we think, achieved our initial aim of encouraging IAC clubs to make better websites.
Congratulations to club webmasters everywhere!


A website is the cheapest, most effective form of promotion any club can undertake. It attracts more members,boosts your standing in the community - and gives members a sense of pride. The skills required to make one are similar to those needed for good film making: it is all about communication.

The 2014 trophy. Why do clubs take part?
  • It costs nothing. The rules are minimal - see below.
  • They might win a handsome trophy with a high-profile presentation at BIAFF (British International Amateur Film Festival) in April
  • Above all: every entry gets a detailed appraisal of their website, complete with practical advice on how it might be improved. You could pay a lot for such an appraisal, but through IAC it costs nothing.
  • In the latest competition several clubs told us they were just starting or revamping their websites and wanted advice. Read some of the feedback we received in previous years.

Those new to website creation should try our step-by-step guide, and anyone interested in improving their website should look at our notes on making better websites.


The Rules

  1. Any film/video club which is an IAC member at the closing date is eligible. So are any AV groups which are IAC members and have their own dedicated websites.

  2. Entry is free. Anyone can send nominations for any eligible website by email to website-competition@theiac.org.uk.

  3. Schedule:

    • Nominations accepted from: no contest this season

    • Closing date: no contest this season

    • The award will be made to the winning club at BIAFF:  no contest this season

  4. The judges will assess how each website serves the members and attracts newcomers. Their decision is final.

We always keep in mind that there is no absolute formula for a perfect website and we are fully aware that our judgements are necessarily subjective. So entrants should feel free to disagree with any of our comments and judgements, but they are made in good faith after extensive study of each website.

For details of how we assess a website - see here.



Why is a club website important?

WE ALL NEED NEW MEMBERS

Conventional advertising is much too expensive to consider.
But a club website is 24 hours a day all year round advertising
...

and it need cost nothing at all.


Of course there are many benefits in having a website, not least extending a warm, social contact and sense of belonging beyond the confines of a club night.

But the promotional possibilities are what made us write a rich series of articles on website building for movie-making and AV clubs (read them here). It persuaded IAC to support a national competition.

If you do not yet have a website, we wrote a series of articles which explain how to make a website at no cost whatsoever - they start here.

We also hoped to encourage clubs to start and improve websites - and have had some success ...

Feedback

  • Neil Foley (Southport MovieMakers)
    Thank you very much for your thorough assessment of our web site. I have already started implementing your suggested edits.

  • Alwyn Scott (Coast Video Club)
    Thank you so much for looking at our website and giving your comments.  Looking forward to taking up your ideas!

  • Keith Slaughter (Chesterfield Filmmakers)
    I would just like to thank you very much for your excellent, constructive and detailed comments on our website. As usual I have found it very useful and it will be discussed at our committee meeting next week following which we will endeavour to make improvements.

  • Marjorie Gregory (Poynton & Stockport Moviemakers)
    “I have licked my wounds and am having a go at implementing your suggestions. You said you would welcome questions and I have one regarding meta tags”

  • Peter Wheatley (Worcester Film Makers)
    “Thank you so much for your very constructive advice about the way I have designed the club website, you must have spent a lot of time looking at all the others websites and the producing such excellent reports.”

  • Jackie Williams (Nuneaton Moviemakers)
    “Thank you for your comments which will all be taken on board. I know I have a lot of work to do on it.”

  • Peter Hughes (Medway Film Makers)
    “Thanks for your comments, all I need is a few extra hours a day! Changes will be made over time, just need to work out the best way.”

  • Julia Galvin (Eastbourne Movie Makers)
    “Thank you for your feedback. I do appreciate the time you put into this! Will study and hopefully improve.”

  • Max Horsey (Radley Video)
    “Many thanks for your comments, and the time you have taken with such a detailed look at the website. Sadly some of the points made are simply due to lack of time …  though I agree they badly need doing.”

  • John Bunting (Wilmslow Guild AV Group)
    “Thank you for taking the trouble to review the website and your extremely detailed analysis of it - it must have taken you some time to do and we thank you for making the time to do it.”

  • John Noake (Chairman Teign Film Makers Club)
    I would like to thank you for all your hard work in appraising our new website. Your detailed feedback was the subject of our Website Meeting yesterday when we implemented the vast majority of the changes that you recommended. We didn't agree to everything (I gather you and Peter disagreed on some things) but we could see the sense of most of them. We may not have won the competition but we have won the respect of club members many of whom are thrilled with the new Club Website. Even other South West Clubs have been unable to hide their envy. So, we are "winners" whichever way you look at it. However, this would not have happened without you and your team's time and enthusiasm and we are particularly grateful for the very full 9 page Feedback that reflects hours of work put in to view the site in detail and check us against the criteria you set out in the beginning and made recommendations for improvement. Thank you.


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