A history of the Friends of Theatre web site
Friends of Theatre has had a web site since 2000. Initially the site was just a small set of static pages giving general information about the organisation, but it has evolved and grown over the years. Here is a brief description of the various stages.
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Original site 2000
The first web site for Friends of Theatre was developed in 2000. It was a simple static site consisting of about ten pages giving general information and contact details of the society. It used free web space on freeserve.co.uk and was developed using Dreamweaver templates. The site url was http://friendsoftheatre.fsnet.co.uk.
Second generation in 2003
The site was expanded to include more pages about current and past events. The look was updated to be open and easier on the eye. A new logo was developed based on the membership enamel badge.
Third generation in 2005
2005 marked the tenth anniversary of Friends of Theatre and by this time the number of pages on the web site had grown considerably. A new layout incorporating a menu structure was developed. The underlying code structure was changed to be compliant with the latest web standards, meaning the site would display consistently in all browsers and operating systems.
A domain name was purchased in June 2005 and the URL for the site changed to be www.friendsoftheatre.org, though the site itself continued as a frameset hosted on freeserve.
Fourth generation in 2007
In March 2007 the site content was redeveloped using wordpress.com. The site layout and look were changed to use one of the built in WordPress templates. The static content was created as web pages and the more dynamic content, such as event details, as blog posts. This provided a much easier method for adding and maintaining content. However, the limitations imposed by the predefined templates made this not a good long term option.
Fifth generation in 2008
At the start of 2008 a review of the web site was undertaken. It was decided that the purpose of the web site was twofold – first to attract new members and second to provide information to support existing members. The site was redesigned from scratch specifically to address this. The new site was launched in September 2008 using web hosting services on HostPapa.co.uk. The visual design was updated with a new logo and colour palette.
Sixth generation in 2011
The site was given a refresh in 2011 to add some new features and to make administration easier. All the content was moved into a WordPress blog hosted on Hostpapa.co.uk, with each event being a blog post. This means that built in features such as search and RSS feeds can now be used.
