About the website conversion

So, why did the website change, and what does this mean?

The website changed as a result of Danny’s adding new content and programming for tournament sanctioning and results. We thought it best to house the entire site in one place. Given that we’ve had a backup presence for NPDA for a while, it made sense to make what was the backup the main site.

This was also a chance for me (Michael) to update some of the code that had become a bit unwieldy. Much of the code was also changed to become more semantically correct. It’s similar to what happened on the NFA site. This approach comes from Andy Clarke’s book Transcending CSS: The Fine Art of Web Design. Clarke’s idea, which I completely agree with, is to use semantic HTML as much as possible. Jesse Skinner follows along Clarke’s ideas; you’ll see what I’m going for if you look at his website.

Simply put, semantic HTML makes it easier to digest the information found here, whether you’re a sighted user or not. Of course, it takes a while to go back through every page and eliminate and change some of the old code.

Status of changes:

  • Templates nearly complete. Some CSS and headers will likely continue to be tweaked for a short time.
  • Pages are in the process of moving from the Bethel servers.
  • NPDA past results will remain for now at Bethel, as we work on a standardized data format that will hook into the new format. For those who are geekily inclined, there is a technical thread on Net Benefits explaining what needs to be done.
  • Additional content will be forthcoming. The membership can help with the new content — see, for example, the coaching helps page.

Advantages to the new structure:

  • The site can grow to allow more content creators, rather than requiring one person to post all content.
  • Should something happen, we’re using a more standard content management system architecture that should be relatively easy to maintain.

The disadvantages: (primarily for team webmasters)

  • Some links had to change to follow Word Press standard format. So, please check your links and update them appropriately. The past historical results won’t move yet – those will stay at Bethel. However, all other links should be to: http://www.parlidebate.org/ and won’t necessarily end in .html.
  • Less control over accessibility. However, I do believe that the site will remain accessible to those with screenreaders.
  • I’ll no longer be able to update the website during prep time unless I have an internet connection!