Web hosting for clubs
Sports club, motorcycle club or choral society, more and more clubs are recognizing the benefits of having their own website. It is an easy way to recruit new members, do public relations or keep the existing members up to date. When choosing a suitable hosting provider, clubs must pay attention to many points, so that later the administration is not too costly.
Ensure sufficient memory
The first question that comes up when it comes to web hosting for clubs is the size after the storage space. This question can be answered when there is a rough concept for the site. A planning of the content is essential, because pure text requires little storage space, but graphics, photos or videos need several megabytes. On average, the size of a photo is between one and four megabytes depending on the quality of the image. A minute of video in high-resolution quality can take up to 100 MB. Many clubs like to show photos of events or a short video clip in a gallery, which quickly takes up a large part of the Webspace can claim. Of course, the entire construct of the page also takes up space. Static pages don't take up much space, but dynamic pages can take up to 100 MB. Increasingly, content management systems are used to manage pages, which are easy to install, but require quite a bit of storage.
Content management systems facilitate the work
Content management systems are among the most popular software for creating and managing websites. Hosting packages partly already include various content management systems that are installed with one click. For associations, a content management system is ideal, since the use requires hardly any technical know-how. Contributions can be created with an editor that works like a word processor. The layout can be changed at any time, independent of the content, which is one of the greatest strengths of content management systems. They also offer numerous possibilities to create a visually appealing page within a very short time. Since there is always a change in the maintenance of the homepage in clubs, content management systems are a good way to simplify the work and the training of new people responsible for the site. Prerequisite for a content management system is in any case at least a Database as well as the support of the script language PHP. If the provider includes various content management systems in the package in advance, you can be sure that the hosting package includes the necessary infrastructure.
Store sensitive data securely
If you want to offer your club members an internal area for important matters of the club only, you have to pay attention to a high security of the data. On the one hand, the hosting provider has to pay attention to the security of his customer data or the information stored on the servers. This includes regular updates or the use of security software. The operators of the club homepage themselves should make sure that an SSL library is included in the package when choosing a package. These support the HTTPS protocol, which enables encrypted data transfer. The use of this protocol opens up numerous possibilities for associations to simplify the administration of their members, since sensitive data such as credit card information can also be transmitted for the debit of the membership fee. In addition, clubs can set up web shops, for example for the distribution of the club's merchandise articles. Customer shipping and payment data are also secure using an HTTPS protocol, and the association can sell promotional items without much effort.
Regular maintenance work
Both the maintenance of the content and the site itself need to be maintained at least occasionally. This includes first and foremost regular back-ups of the contents. Some providers offer the option of regular automatic back-ups, which is ideal for clubs, as they only need to activate this function. If there are problems, the saved version can then be accessed. If the club site content is updated frequently, for example due to the announcement of match results or other important information, automatic back-ups may not be sufficient. The more frequently the content changes, the more frequently backups must be performed. If a club offers a webshop, it may be necessary to create backups of the data several times a day. If a club uses software for a content management system, the administrators must ensure that this software is kept up to date. Outdated versions may have security holes that make the club site vulnerable to hackers. Numerous plug-ins are available for content management systems, which can be used to extend the functionality considerably. First and foremost, plug-ins should only be used from trustworthy sources and should also be updated regularly.
Expenses
For an association, an own homepage serves primarily as a business card and to attract new members. However, many clubs do without a proper web presence and make the mistake of choosing a free provider. This has the consequence that they are forced to choose not easily memorable domain addresses and their site is provided with advertising, on which they have no influence. If you don't want to pay anything, you can't expect a lot of services, which means that often only simple pages can be created. Free offers are not only cheap, they usually look cheap, which is why clubs should refrain from them. Cheap hosting packages are available from around 50 euros a year. A comparably low amount for the services that are included. These include not only web space, but also a domain, e-mail addresses and much more. If additional services or more space are required, clubs can easily switch to the next larger package. Chargeable providers have additional attractive services that are suitable for clubs. These include maintenance options, for example, where the software is constantly kept up-to-date by the provider himself.
With a club site there are many factors to consider and the choice of a provider is usually not made by one person alone. To make the decision easier, it is useful to create a concept in advance. This should not only include how the site is structured, but also what content will be made available later, as this will affect the choice of storage capacity. It is useful to think ahead when designing the concept. If the association consists of only a few members, most organisations plan to grow and acquire more members. If, for example, they are provided with their own members' area on the site, it is important to ensure that unlimited accounts can be created. If such factors are planned in advance by associations, it is easier to find a suitable hosting provider.
