The following informal survey was conducted in March 2005. Ten people
sent responses. Not everyone
responded
to
every
question.
Our group web site is here: http://www.e-aa.org. We are reviewing the
site for accessibility, usefullness, and content. Your feedback on the
following, either formal or informal, is welcome.
1. Should we change the dark blue background on most pages
to white or a light color?
- No. It is great the way it is.
- No it is fine as is.
- To a lighter colour, yes.
- I like the dark blue.
- I don't see a need to change.
- All the pages appear on my 'puter as white.
- Yes, a lighter color might be better. I noticed that some of the
operating documents are white with blue lettering. I think that is
nice, but I don't think we should go all blue and white that way. Maybe
a lighter blue? I am guessing we are going with the color of the Big
Book?
- No, I like the dark blue background.
- I would make it a bit lighter, but that would go at the expense of
the 12 steps in the background. I think it's important that people
can read them at the first page. But the big font "e-AA" is
covering it a bit. Don't know if there is a way around. Most of the
background colour is blue, and suddenly some of the screens are white.
I would stick to one colour, reads easier. Stories & More is blue,
click on here and background is white.
- No.
2. If you were a newcomer, or just new to online AA, how
easy would you find it to contact the group for help or to get into our
meetings? (Scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being extremely difficult and 10
being extremely easy). Comment if you have suggestions. Split this into
two questions if you wish, one for getting help, one for getting subscribed
(email) or registered (chat) for the meetings. We don't need to know
about forums registrations, since the forums are what they are and no
changes can be made unless we change programs. Also, difficulties entering
the chat rooms once a person is registered need not be included. That's
a separate issue.
- Will answer with memory of when I first came, plus a little actual
checking. It was easy to find about the chat rooms and to register.
Even after I had been in the chat rooms for a while, it was difficult
to subscribe to e-mail meetings. Those who never participated in a
mail meeting, as in my case, may have no idea of what it is, and the
page could be more helpful and clarify that. I tried the Subscription
Form and it did not work to get me subscribed. I filled it in again
just now to test and Majordomo sent me an answer imediately. After
the second mail it said my request was sent to owner of list ... seems
to be going ok. Lets see :) I just remember having tried subscribing
from the site and never getting one answer until someone in the chat
room took my adress and said they would get me added. When I received
the Majordomo instructions, it was not clear, at least not to me, whether
I should write something just on the subject line or if should paste
it in the body of the e-mail (the confirmation mail). Guess I am good
for testing what and how a "know nothing" person can be confused
about something simple to a "know something" person! Done
2 hours ago and am still not on that list. So if someone is looking
for help now, like they are discussing in steppers, our subscriptions
are taking too long. Did I delay it without meaning to by putting the
same info in the subject line and also in the body of the message?
Is it possible to make it more clear and fast?
- Getting help is not so
difficult, let's say a 7-8, but I would make that button slightly
bigger than all the other buttons on the home
page. So that the attention is drawn at it. Subscribing is a bit
more difficult; the textbox to put in your e-mail address is too short.
- N/A
- I give it a 9. Since I am not a newcomer and I could find the
'How to Get Help' on the top of the page.
- I found my way here easily
and subscribed easily and am not very agile on the computer or internet.
I was motivated. One thing I might
recommend, though, is how some things are worded or described.
For instance, it took me a while to figure out that the lists are
meetings and not groups. I was not familiar with AA terminology. Sometimes
I
think we use an AA vocabulary that newcomers may be unfamiliar
with. I know I have had this thought but don;t recall specific instances.
I'll have to go back to the website and see if I can identify
examples
of this sort of thing. (One example in my case was when I
signed
up for the Members list. I didn't know it was a business meeting;
I didn;t
even know what a business meeting was! I just thought it
was a directory of sorts where those who had joined the group put there
names.)
- I made it in on my first try, but did not have the pop-up
blockers that still seem to cause people problems. So, I'd say a
9. Never used
the get help buttons.
- For getting help, 9, I didnt have any experience
of AA on-line before e-AA. For subscription, 8.
- I found it very easy
to find e-aa when I got here and very easy to get into the chat room.
Not withstanding the new problems. I had more
trouble trying to figure out how to register. The people
in the chat room helped me figure it out. I don't know how much easier
we would
like to make it. I was new to computing and the whole
Majordomo thing confused me at the time. I don't find it so difficult
now. So I would
say it was difficult to those new to computing.
- Getting help: Probably
a 7. When I was involved in this area, I felt that too many people
were responding to the inquiries. Getting subscribed
(email). Probably an 8. I feel the subscription page
is too "buried" within
the links. Getting subscribed to the members list seems too difficult,
although we do have a core of members anyway. Getting subscribed (chat).
Not applicable, I very rarely use the chat, but don't recall any problems.
I think it "felt" different from the rest of the group.
3. Have you ever used, or how often do you use, any of
the following? (If you didn't even know they were there, just say that.)
-
- never used it
- didn't know it was there, uhm, where is it BTW
- twice
- didn't know was there
- no
- ?
- didn't know it was there
- never noticed it
- never used it
- never used it, probably wouldn't either
-
- few times
- used it
- never tried it
- few times
- no
- used
- didn't know it was there
- nah, don't use it
- used it once
- didn't know about it
-
- once
- haven't used it but know it is there and might have reason
to so I think it is useful
- few times
- no
- used
- didn't know it they were there
- rarely
- took several of the polls; polls are always fun
- too infrequent, and multiple responses seem to be accepted
-
- few times
- I have to go back and look at our home page; what's this?
- never
- didn't know it was there
- no
- ?
- didn't know it was there
- sorry, don't use it
- honestly, never noticed it before; first time I saw it
- never heard of it
-
- once
- used it when I first joined; it was fun and interesting
- few times
- use this once in a while, get a real silly kick out of seeing
how many sober heartbeats
- yes
- used
- didn't know it was there
- I do like and use the sobriety calculator
- used it once, take it one day at a time, don't need to know
how many days
- don't use
-
- thought of using it, but it has too few options; would like
it to grow with more options
- have used them, I think; I used somekind of e-aa cards
- once
- never use it
- no
- ?
- didn't know it was there
- I love the postcards and I do use them
- never used them
- never considered using
4. If you answered #3, which of those features/programs
do you feel we could get rid of?
- None of them.
- "Tell a friend," virtual postcards.
- I would get rid of the sobriety calculator. We always hear to live
by the day, it's not important how many days, only today is important.
- Not sure what others may like and use, so I'll abstain.
- Virtual Postcards.
They are very pretty and calming, but really don't speak to the problem
of our alcoholism and recovery. At least not to
me.
- Others may find these things useful. I wouldn't get rid of any.
- Polls, "It's in the Book," virtual postcards. But, these
are bound to be someone else's favorites.
- Postcards
- The ones I didn't find? I haven't used enough to really comment.
5. List, and comment if desired, anything that needs improvement
(clearer wording, fewer words, more words, etc.).
Note: One person made several of the following comments. They are
listed separately for clarity.
- Would like more explanation about e-mail
meetings: how to subscribe and how
it
works
(or what it
actually
is).
- How to select an email meeting and how to register. I think how to
register mostly.
- Clearer wording, and, more words. Im not a stupid person. I do find
in some cases that I dont understand what is being said or how to do
certain things regarding e-AA.
- Home page screen takes a long while to load on dial up. And, the
holiday graphics I never did see because I was too impatient to wait
for them. But, it spurred me on to get DSL.
- The 'Our Stories' page is too busy. Too much information in too small
a place.
- I'm easy. I'm totally satisfied with our home here.
- If you click on "Contact Us," you can select 3 committees
you can contact. The first one (.Write to our 12th Step Committee.)
starts with a ".", I suppose that is a typo. Yes, I admit
I'm splitting-hairs. My eye just fell on it.
- The textbox to put in your e-mail address if you want to subscribe
or unsubscribe is too short. Makes it difficult to check your own address
once you typed or copy/pasted it in.
- Let's talk: click on sober mail, you first get a white screen, better
turn off echo to screen or put screen off, something like that, it's
a bit annoying. There are more pages that have this annoying thing.
- About AA: point at the second last "click me" it shows
about AA. Point at the last "click me" it shows also about
AA, should be public service announcement.
- AA Grapevine: the "click me" link to the archives doesn't
work (page cannot be found), the Grapevine Archives link does work.
- AA Grapevine: all the "click me" links are redirected via
another site, the other links are direct links. Better make the click
me links the same if possible. Stories & More: chatroom opens in
a separate window, forum not. Most of the buttons and links open another
window that you can close in the upper right corner with the "x",
but some don't open in a new window and you have to use the back button.
If you are not aware of that, you close the whole website, and the
internet explorer. Or you always have to use the back button, or open
everything in a separate window. Uniformity throughout the whole site
makes it easier for everyone.
- Stories & More has a picture and some text about our stories.
I would replace that to stories with a link from there to the stories.
Now the button stories has a direct link to stories, which is again
not uniform with the rest of the buttons on the left. Stories & More
would need another name then.
- Access to the email lists could be fewer clicks away.
6. What's missing from our web site?
- Will keep thinking about... if have any suggestions I will mail them
later. But now, can't think of anything. Maybe because there is nothing
missing. :)
- Nothing I can think of. Perhaps more polls could increase the usage
of those, though I wonder what we'd really do with the results.
- What I look in every web site is a search button on the home page.
Found a "site search" deep down in stories and more. I would
put it on the home page.
- I'm easy. I'm totally satisfied with our home here.
- Nothing I could see was missing.
- Maybe an "AA Glossary."
- I cant answer that, sorry.
- I happen to like this meeting the best of the few I have tried. That's
why dispite the bickering (of which I am often a part) I stick around.
I still think this site is more like a real AA meeting then the other's.
7. What else would you like to say about our web site?
- It is a great site!
- Well, being a true alcohol----I hate change so I'd rather it was
left alone, but, that isn't always healthy. Soooo, I will side with
whatever the pundits think best.
- I would like to say a big thankyou to everyone who works behind the
scenes of the web site to keep it running, I dont know anything about
computers or web sites, Im just grateful to be able to come on line
at e-AA.
- I think it's great.
- I'm really glad it's here. Keep up the great work!
- I love it?
- I visit it a lot, like to read the stories. I'm gratefull that it
helps me with my sobriety.
- Overall I feel it's a very good site. It also seems very reliable.
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