Gasworks To Dome

Here are notes from the meeting last week to plan out the final period of workshop activity for the project, running up to a public launch event for the website.

Present: Andy (IP), Tom, Rib, Dave, Sheila, Patricia

The following areas were covered:
1. Getting the site ready for a public launch
2. the public launch event
3. promoting the website and the launch
4. timescale for the above
5. website caretaking / management post launch

1. getting the site ready for launching
It was agreed that the following things will be worked on by the group:
a) Tom to lead on responding to Mary Edwards (Greenwich Heritage Centre) feedback on the site to make a simpler introductory page and changes to the ways the right hand menus are displayed etc. Tom will begin work on ideas for this, and ways to introduce content on the home page in a simple but interesting way. the group can then feed into Toms ideas and help to take this forward.
b) continue to add more images to areas where ther may be significant gaps.
c) continue to tag audio
d) look into the possibility of adding some of the interviews from a previous IP oral history project. Andy to contact those interviewed to see if permissions can be got.
Please add comments to this post if you feel there is anything to add to this.

2. the public launch event
we had thought about a summer event to invite people to come and see the site in progress, and give feedback, prior to a september launch event. It has now been decided that it would be better to contact specific indidviduals with expertise or interest in local history / websites connected with history etc... to give feedback. this has begun with the Greenwich heritage Centre, and local secondary school history teachers.
please can you all make suggestions as to who else we should contact.

We discussed the launch date and the first week of October was proposed. IP has several other 'Peninsula' themeed projects that have recently been completed and a larger launch event alongside these projects would give a strong context for this project and help to widen the audience. The venue would be the Greenwich Yacht Club as was used for a large launch event by IP at the end of March 2006. It is well sited within the Peninsula.

3. promoting the website and the launch
It was discussed that the final weeks of workshops at IP should focus on marketing the launch event and the website to potential audiences, press and media. Andy would write initial press releases for the group to work with. Images would be taken/chosen by the group for media usage. A contacts list would be drawn up of media and organisations we want to target.

4. Timescale
The launch date proposed in Thurs 5th October (evening)
This gives us 9 workshops up to this event (not including weds 4th oct)
At the next workshop we shall discuss the allocation of time to the tasks outlined above.

5. website caretaking / management post launch
We discussed this aspect of the project, but it was felt that we should wait until the site was slightly more finalised for the launch, so that we had a clear idea of how is operated, and therefore what caretaking tasks might need be to undertaken. the group could then desicde who might like to take part in this from their own PC's over the next year in liasion with IP.
However, discussion will take place as part of the sites structural competion about the issues of access, and how the public can interact and use the site.

Next worksho is 6.30pm - 9.30pm , weds 2nd August

see you there!