Last week I participated in a group focussing on potentially building a website based around the topic of ‘Outdoor Melbourne’. The general consensus was that this topic could encompass many different facets of Melbourne culture. Art, theatre, film, gardens/nature, shopping, food/restaurants, entertainment, music, culture/multiculturism, sport, childrens’ activities, dance, events for the active, community events (protests etc.) could all be integrated into the one current events-based website. It was generally felt that it would be good to make a niche for outside/outdoor Melbourne content, instead of attempting to make another Melbourne events website that tries to cover every base, yet usually falls short in various areas of interest.
One great idea mentioned was as it would be an outdoor focus, we could have weather widgets on the website. We also discussed how we might entice advertisers to commercialise the site, and how we would need to host our own domain name so that we looked more professional, plus have more options for editing and improving the site’s format. The idea of an interactive site where the community at large could take an active role was well-received, but the need for moderators in each topical category was deemed necessary.
It was an interesting discussion, and as I watched the various students involved, I could feel a palpable enthusiasm for both the wider topic as well as each person’s individual category of topical interest. I look forward to seeing what happens next, but I’m not so excited about learning html code. Am I the only one who feels this computer language is a language without love?
