New Home page

[Chris Murphy]

I guess the office finally got around to changing the Home page for this site; I was wondering how many years the same pictures were gonna stay up. But why were generic pictures of DIY'ers used for the installation shots?? And the Home page now has to be 'navigated' to get to here. Plus, the logo is downsized; the 'old' was very nice (although the logo format is the same for this BB; will that be changed too?). Now, it looks like a generic template from a not-very-creative programmer. I guess not having to look at a striped pattern that wasn't centered is an improvement, though.

[HangingInThere]

Unless I missed something on the new home page, there's was no direct link to the BB/forum. I had to use the site map to get here from the home page. And, many people do not know what a BB is...

[ProWallGuy]

Just an FYI: After the web committee spent countless hours designing the new site, the BOD voted on and OK'ed the design.
The design was then submitted to the web company. The finished product ignores most of the committee's concerns and suggestions. It appears to me that right after the web committee chair was relieved of his duties, the management company and web company took the design and did with it whatever THEY felt would be good. What you are seeing here is just another example of the tail wagging the dog. :banghead:

[ProWallGuy]

will that be changed too?)
Your guess is as good as mine. The web committee (as far as I know) is dead and gone, and all the web stuff is in the hands of the management company and the BOD. So feel free to address any concerns you have with them. Good luck with that.

[Bill Archibald]

As the slapped down web comm chair, I am not at all surprised at what is now being passed off as the Internet Home of the NGPP. Proof once more that the NGPP is NOT member driven. The members of this organization are perhaps the most dedicated, creative, and talented wallcovering installers in this hemisphere, they deserve much more respect than what is given them by people who work FOR them. I am wondering why they ever pretended to have a Web Committee. The writing on the wall was always there, but my optimism and misplaced faith refused to see it.

The previous web committee was a dedicated group who all realized that the most important resource of the NGPP were it's members. We realized the website primary purpose was to serve the members - to drive work TO the members. Having a website that represented our PROFESSIONALISM was tantamount. This is The National Guild of PROFESSIONAL PAPERHANGERS. Not a site represented by pictures of DIY'ers nor describing to the DIY'er how to do OUR work. But alas, our leaders and management have a different notion of who should be represented and served by the Internet home of the National Guild of PROFESSIONAL PAPERHANGERS.

As I have said before, it's bad enough being a cash cow, but to be their sheep too? This is the second great b-day present I have received from our leaders and management.

Good luck, y'all. :thumbup: :tiphat:

[Lee Epstein]

I don't like it!

[HangingInThere]

Now my favicon is gone!! What the...

[Bill Archibald]

Yes Glenn, they threw out everything. And I can not reload it.

Sometimes the prisoners should run the prison.

[HangingInThere]

Ahhhh man...that was one of the highlights of our time together here... I'm bummed! :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

When I run down my massive list of favorites to get here, the NGPP favicon would always jump right out to let me know I'd arrived!!

[Chris Nelson]

The new home page just plain sucks:coocoo::ack::ack::ack:

[Jeff Evans]

That has to be the cheesiest thing I've ever seen. This pains me to say, as I've been one of the louder voices on the internet promoting the benefits of guild membership, but I'm thinking I'm going to have an extra $250 to spend every year from now on. When the management takes over from the membership... please, tell me, what exactly are the benefits of belonging to this organization?? The pride I felt in the beginning, after joining this organization, has waned significantly over the last year or so.

[Chris Nelson]

That has to be the cheesiest thing I've ever seen. This pains me to say, as I've been one of the louder voices on the internet promoting the benefits of guild membership, but I'm thinking I'm going to have an extra $250 to spend every year from now on. When the management takes over from the membership... please, tell me, what exactly are the benefits of belonging to this organization?? The pride I felt in the beginning, after joining this organization, has waned significantly over the last year or so.


I could not have said it better, thanks Jeff:llama::notworthy:

It only cost me $175, but it will be $ saved next year for sure.

[Chris Murphy]

Just an FYI: After the web committee spent countless hours designing the new site, the BOD voted on and OK'ed the design.
The design was then submitted to the web company. The finished product ignores most of the committee's concerns and suggestions. It appears to me that right after the web committee chair was relieved of his duties, the management company and web company took the design and did with it whatever THEY felt would be good. What you are seeing here is just another example of the tail wagging the dog. :banghead:

The move to a less-professional looking home page is upsetting, but the lack of response here by any BOD member is insulting. Tough times don't build character, folks: they reveal it.

[cgreene]

There hasn't been any messages from the president on here since April. Not knocking anybody, but there is very little post on here and I think if they wanted to, the Bod could post and incourage other members to participate more. I myself find better responses on other forums. It's a shame to waste this board. Maybe if I used some profanity I could get responses. <G> Just kidding.

[Bill Archibald]

Carolyn,

I am so happy you paid attention in the Internet classroom course "Getting Their Attention, 101" :thumbup: :2thumbs:


:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao::lol:

:tiphat:

[HangingInThere]

Carolyn, I believe you are on to something. Activity on the NGPP forums has been stagnant since the removal of Bill as co-moderator and Tim's attention seems to be directed elsewhere. However, I just noticed that Tim is yet listed as a moderator... Maybe it's just the summer slump...

Then again, I suspect that folks are not finding a direct link to the NGPP forums from the Home Page as it is now designed. They may get here if they Google a topic, but it is not as clear as it was before the Home Page redesign.

[Elsie Kapteina]

Thank you all for your input. First, let me say, it was one of the hardest things I had to do, was to relieve Bill Archibald of his leadership duties. The events that led to that decision were not personal, but business. There is a certain decorum that is the responsibility of anyone in a leadership position.

In a volunteer organization, it is extremely hard to have members commit the time and expertise to such a large undertaking as a web site. Bill, Gary, Tim, Bill Hock, Jim, all put in an enoromus amount of time in reviewing the old web site. They came up with many of the ideas tht were incorporated into this present look. We are extremely grateful to these men.

The Web Site proposals were reviewed by your elected Board. Once a vote was taken on which site would serve our community, the package was sent on to a web development company. There were still some unanswered questions, but time was ticking away.

Due to the circumstances revolving around the Web Committee, I took the bold step of stating "put it up". Let us build from where we are, make the changes and incorporate new ideas as they presented themselves.

We will have committeee chairs review their sites; we have asked our industry partners to send in a short bio for thier sites. We still have under investigation the best solution to "finding a paperhanger" that will be more acceptable to all members. We will not meet everyone's needs; but we are sure trying.

We are interested in your feedback. We value your opinions and we are listening. We read "negative feedback" as not being on course. So, let's look at it as "

[Elsie Kapteina]

(sorry abou that)so, let's look at it as improvement opportunities. Right now, we are not at a perfect 10 --- but what would it take to make it a perfect 10? e

[Chris Murphy]

Thanks for your reply. I'm not a web designer, so I can't answer what "perfect 10" would be. But I can express what I don't like about it:
-generic pictures of DIY'ers: this is completely out of place on a trade's site. There are plenty of pictures of Guild hangers, of workshops, of conventions, etc.
-the old site had a 'button' for this BB; why that isn't on thee is beyond me, as it is one of the most visited areas of the site.

No, wait a minute- I'm not going to waste my time picking through the site as is; I'll instead ask the question, why the change? The old home page looked a lot better than the one up now, and functioned better (from this member's use and perspective). All that needed to be done was to make it so that the content was more easily changed, or the person in charge of it was made to be more responsive to change requests. I thought it strange that, after the job pictures seemed to be changed with some regularity, the last set stayed up for over a year. Entries- like that silly map project- also stayed the same. Other items stayed well past the date of the event, making it look like no one (with power over the site) was paying attention. From what I know, the Web Committee was paying attention, so the problem(s) lay squarely on those who had charge over it. That, to me (a -so far- sentient being) says, Change the people or procedures running it. It does not say, again, to me, Go to a more generic and harder to navigate layout.

[Parodi]

When I was asked to join the web site committee two years ago I got a familiar sinking feeling. As most people who are long time members of the NGPP know, No good deed goes unpunished in the Guild. I was also on the web committee previous to the last one with Gail Cox, Michael Keith, Walter Green and Bill. I said ‘yes’ this time because I happen to like Bill and greatly enjoyed working with him on this new site. (BTW this thread has the wrong title--it is not a new "home page" it is an entire new website.)

A few of you know that in 2005, due to the steady deline in the wallpapering industry, I learned the technical aspects of graphic and web design and have done quite well catering to all sorts of small businesses. My sites will not win any design awards but one thing I do quite well for my web clients is to make their sites come up in search engines in local searches for all sorts of criteria..

When I first came to the nggp.org site two years ago I looked at the keyword content and tracking stats, I shook my head, and saw that it was no accident that most of the visitors coming to our site were looking for screen savers and computer “wallpaper”---not a contractor to install something. So I wrote a workable blurb, rich in important keywords for searchers and we put it on the old home page. Did you know that before this blurb was included we came up in a search for “paperhangers organization” but we did not appear in a Google search for

organization of wallcovering installers
or
wallcovering installers organization
or
association of wallcovering installers
or
installers of scenic murals
or
installer for untrimmed wallpaper

But we do now. Or rather, we did. Now despite much insistence by Bill, myself and the whole committee in submitting our wants for the new site--- TO KEEP THE BLURB—it has inexplicably been omitted from the site.

One might ask, “Why did we need a new site anyway.” The problem, as the whole committee saw it, was that the old home page rambled on and on with superfluous items and events that were not updated. I opined that it was like a refrigerator with a 5 year old in the house where every picture the kid ever drew is scotch taped to the damn thing and looks cluttered. It was the web committee‘s position that the entry to the site should be uncluttered and sleek. It should be there to immediately divert people to three subsections: One for consumers, one for members and one for industry folks. We specified to our web developer that this entry page should not require anyone to scroll down or be cluttered with anything other than the 3 sub-entries, the blurb to weed out the screen saver people and include the “Find a paperhanger’ for those in a hurry. Now we don’t have the blurb so we will soon go back to the screen saver search hits. We still have upcoming events on the entry page which, due to past sloth by our web masters, I surmise will likely collect dust and still show events that took place 2 months ago. We also have advertising there which was not requested and belongs deeper in the web site---our entryway should be about US, not other corporations.

We had also requested a “feed” be placed in the member section which would scroll upcoming events. This feed was to have its source from off site and be controlled by the web committee so that we could make instant updates about events and members. This way, if a member, god forbid died or was injured, or was wiped out in a flood or tornado, Bill or I could flash the news and pertinent information instantly to the site and not wait for the foot dragging of our web masters. But now we have the exact same approach as the old site where there is little possibility to get them to act with haste.

Bill and I did not want DIY anything in the consumer section. What professional site for electricians or plumbers do you know that provides ANY DIY info? Yet there it is.

The whole committee was adamant about having an improved Find a Paperhanger function similar to “store locators” found on other commercial sites like Wal Mart and Sears. There had been so many complaints from members about the poor functionality with the old Find a Paperhanger. I still don’t understand why we put associates in there---people are supposed to be finding paperhangers to hang paper, not people who sell paste. BTW we were charged an itemized $525 to develop a “full featured public search database” and what we have at present is the same flawed Find a Paperhanger.

When I look at this new website and compare it to the detailed requests made by the web committee about the general new direction it should take,:
http://www.parodipalace.com/Website_Final_Proposal_3-26-10.pdf
I am left scratching my head wondering what the purpose of the web committee is.

So to sum up, what we have here is a new site that that is almost indistinguishable in function from our old site. Yes, it is a little more streamlined, but the strictures about keeping the home page uncluttered were completely ignored by our web masters. I will lay odds that within a year the new home page will be littered with all sorts of silly items which detract from its new cleaner look. If I were signing the check to Martin Solutions they would be waiting for final payment and would not get it until they give us what we asked for and deliver what they charged us for.

[Chris Murphy]

Let me put my consternation this way: If Archibald, Parodi and I agree strongly on something, either it's the end of the world or action needs to be taken, immediately.

[Bill Archibald]

Ain't that the truth, Chris :2thumbs::devil:

Now that the recently disbanned web committee proposal has been made accessible, let me say that the BOD was shown this and it was APPROVED. In order to better understand how this organization really does work, I ask that all read through it and then compare how AMC/Martin Solutions carried out the approved proposal of a duly appointed MEMBER committee. Again, remember, this proposal had FULL APPROVAL of the BOD.

Let me praise the committee. It was a highly diverse, intelligent, group of dedicated members who did not always agree. We had many differences. BUT we all had respect for each other and the ability to LISTEN and come to consensus that would BEST SERVE the members of the NGPP. It was perhaps one of the most enjoyable experiences in my ten short years of belonging to the NGPP. I really thought we were developing something that would serve us all well. Perhaps that's why I did not mind the HUNDREDS of hours I spent researching, discussing, developing, and writing.

One example: Jim mentioned his news widget. This was an item that I initially could not get behind because I did not understand how it would function. But Parodi retained ungodly patience and fully explained how it was going to work and the purpose it was to fullfil. I came around once I understood. And as a side point, our President, Elsie, fully embraced this feature when it was first proposed by Parodi. Yet where is it ?

Our goal was to have the Internet home of the National Guild of Professional Paperhangers SERVE THE MEMBERS. It was to reduce the clutter and hoarding of items on the home page (and we all know how familiar I am with hoarding). Yet the new site is now just a cleaned up refrigerator ready for the "art". But anyway, read that link Jim posted (it IS long) and then cast your vote as to your preference of what YOU as a PROFESSIONAL PAPERHANGER and MEMBER of the NGPP want to represent and serve YOU.

Our proposal was NOT perfect, and we were more than ready to work WITH professional web designers to make this site hip, sleek, and functional. A good combination of PROFESSIONAL PAPERHANGING needs and technical tricks known by some savvy web technicians.

[Chris Murphy]

OK, so the world is ending, no need to worry about the bills anymore. Will the schedule of that event be updated on the Home page?

[Parodi]

Bill, You keep saying that the site should serve its "members." Yet Martin Solutions used the word "installers" on the home page entryway instead of members even though members was clearly written in the proposal. I suppose they could have given the entry a little more flavor by using the term "workers", but "workers" sounds so union or even Soviet...so I guess we should be grateful they chose "installers" against our wishes. As I recall we submitted the proposal, they sent us three mockups which used the term "Installers" instead of "members" at that time. We said no to Installers use members, Gary Lucas agreed, yet there it is on the home page.



(from the final web committee proposal regarding the home page)...We do not want to distract
our visitors with too many choices. Those choices will be “Gallery” (public), “Wallpaper
Forum” (bulletin board), “Find a Paperhanger”, “Contact NGPP”.

How much clearer can that be? Martin Solutions now has the BB button within the members... I mean Installers section and that section is password protected. Since the BB is open to non-members how are they supposed to get there now when that section of the site is password protected with the member password?

[Chris Murphy]

Jim, has it occurred to you that if we ask so many questions it may take months, maybe years, for the assembly of appropriate committees to study those questions, and get back to us? And, since no one- obviously- now pays any attention to what NGPP committees say or do, then we will have wait some more, again. Fellas, maybe we should just drop the whole thing and and just show up and pay money, when asked.

[Parodi]

Jim, has it occurred to you that if we ask so many questions it may take months, maybe years, for the assembly of appropriate committees to study those questions, and get back to us? And, since no one- obviously- now pays any attention to what NGPP committees say or do, then we will have wait some more, again. Fellas, maybe we should just drop the whole thing and and just show up and pay money, when asked.

Yes maybe we should just bend over when asked...it's so much easier. My big issue though is the Find a Paperhanger. If Bill recalls, I pressed Gail Cox to come up with a workable way to allow consumers to "find a paperhanger" during our tenure at that time. Gail did all the work on that but I have always thought that it is the most important function of the site. I believe the number was around 9000 consumers entered the site through the FAP page per year. Unfortunately I can't check the exact number because I am locked out of the new site so the stats are closed to me. That's OK though...I'm only the vice chair and I'm sure I'll get the keys to the site with haste. BTW, Martin Solutions never sent an email out to the committee to announce that they launched the new site either. Strange indeed.

[ProWallGuy]

Carolyn, I believe you are on to something. Activity on the NGPP forums has been stagnant since the removal of Bill as co-moderator and Tim's attention seems to be directed elsewhere. However, I just noticed that Tim is yet listed as a moderator... Maybe it's just the summer slump...

Then again, I suspect that folks are not finding a direct link to the NGPP forums from the Home Page as it is now designed. They may get here if they Google a topic, but it is not as clear as it was before the Home Page redesign.
Just an FYI, I asked to be removed from the Web Committee, but volunteered to still be a moderator here as I check in (almost) daily, and remove spammers as they sign up. You don't really see me much as I just haven't posted per say, but do check in often and read. Work and family has just kept me quite busy this year. And I'm often out of town and sometimes its a PITA to log in if I'm experiencing a slow connection.

[ProWallGuy]

Archibald, Parodi and I agree strongly on something
I bet that just to type it made you throw up in your mouth a little bit.


OK, so the world is ending, no need to worry about the bills anymore. Will the schedule of that event be updated on the Home page?
I wouldn't hold your breath.

[Bill Archibald]

I would avise everyone to view their "Membership Listing"
http://www.ngpp.org/members/directory_update.php

if it is anything like mine, it may need some "tweaking"

My land line was listed as my Fax (I have no fax), my e-address listed as my website, my region was "Region", my services offered were "Installations - NO"; "Painting - NO"; "Faux Finish - NO", my" Distance Will Work from Base: 100-250 - NO; 251-500 - NO; Anywhere - YES ", "percentage of business: Residential - Northeast; Commercial - 100%, Stripping - 0%" (Truth - I do not do commercial and do lots of stripping), "Original Date Joined: 225.00", Profile: B; N; O; Q; S; U; V; W; Z; BB; DD; GG; KK; LL; MM; D3; D6

I have this sneaky feeling we will be told that there are some minor glitches that will be ironed out soon. Wouldn't YOU as a PROFESSIONAL love to hack up a job, get paid, and tell your customer that their living room is a work in progress and it should be up and looking good in the next few months? :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

:coocoo: :coocoo: :banghead:

[Chris Murphy]

http://www.ngpp.org/lounge/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Chris Murphy http://www.ngpp.org/lounge/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://www.ngpp.org/lounge/showthread.php?p=19683#post19683)
Archibald, Parodi and I agree strongly on something





I bet that just to type it made you throw up in your mouth a little bit.

Left a stain on my shirt, like I chew tobacco.

http://www.ngpp.org/lounge/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Chris Murphy http://www.ngpp.org/lounge/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://www.ngpp.org/lounge/showthread.php?p=19685#post19685)
OK, so the world is ending, no need to worry about the bills anymore. Will the schedule of that event be updated on the Home page?




I wouldn't hold your breath.

See above; I may have to let loose in a bit.

[Bill Archibald]

Fellas, maybe we should just drop the whole thing and and just show up and pay money, when asked.

Yes maybe we should just bend over when asked...it's so much easier.


Just get the crooked staff and lead us:

http://www.animalwebguide.com/Sheep-3.jpg

(there was another picture of a guy in hip boots and a sheep, but I felt that may offend some pilgrims)



My big issue though is the Find a Paperhanger. If Bill recalls, I pressed Gail Cox to come up with a workable way to allow consumers to "find a paperhanger" during our tenure at that time. Gail did all the work on that but I have always thought that it is the most important function of the site. I believe the number was around 9000 consumers entered the site through the FAP page per year. Unfortunately I can't check the exact number because I am locked out of the new site so the stats are closed to me. That's OK though...I'm only the vice chair and I'm sure I'll get the keys to the site with haste. BTW, Martin Solutions never sent an email out to the committee to announce that they launched the new site either. Strange indeed.


Jim, I think by now you do not need your statements validated by anyone, especially me. But I do very well recall.

BTW, as soon as I was sh!t-canned, AMC changed the username and password to the domain so that some dastardly villain like myself could not go in a wreak havoc.

I knew I did not need to. I was positive they were going to do it for me :roflmao:

[Parodi]

I spoke with Elsie today and we had a calm talk. She took copious notes about where the new site diverges with what the web committee requested. She also told me that the web committee had some items overturned by the BOD (only nobody told us.) We were agreed that the Find a Paperhanger (FAP) needs to be RE- done per our specs as job one.

I looked at the new consumer page. It has absolutely NOTHING to do with what I wrote. My text is about Guild paperhangers, Martin Solution's is about decorating tips and style. This isn't Good Housekeeping...it a site that (hopefully) will get a consumer to give an NGPP member a call. I recall that someone on the committee didn't like that I addressed bad priming and later wall damage. but I thought it was good to take it head on since the Zinsser survey from a few years back said it was on the minds of 60% of respondents to their poll
http://www.parodipalace.com/Consumer_Page.gif

[Chris Murphy]

As long as you keep that gosh-darn good-lookin' fella on the page, I'm all for it.

Yeah, I like the page, content is sales-like but straight-forward, directs you to the point we want them: click for a paperhanger.

[Parodi]

This was a mock-up page to show the BOD and Martin Solutions the SORT of thing the we wanted so the photos were representative and not necessarily going to make the final cut. Everyone who actually voted on photos (23 people picked at random) went primarily for a young couple choosing wallpaper but second choice was an older woman. Nobody voted for a young woman with a floppy hat (as we now have.) But the text was no mock-up....that's the text we wanted and I don't understand how it got lost on the cutting room floor so to speak. I am going to fight to have this exact text reinstated.

If there is one thing about this page's approach that I think is damn good (if I do say so myself) is the tagline , "Go to the specialists"
I think that says it all.

[Bill Archibald]

One of the many objectives we had was to have pictures that either best represented NGPP professionals OR allowed the consumer to identify with our site.

Jim and I had a good long discussion that resulted in the lady with the art brush.

I really despised the "thumbs up lady" as I did not think many people would WANT to identify with her, and I also am sick and tired of that perspective that is over used. We came to an agreement on another stock photo. The young happy girl embracing rolls of wallpaper

And the quality of the pix of "that gosh-darn good-lookin' fella" did not pass the litmus test. My monitor shows wicked color separation. We were striving to have the quality of our images look top notch on all monitors. Although the one below of Cliff was quickly dredged out of my archives, the committee had on it an EXCELLENT photographer, Bill Hock who, if we were allowed to continue, would have brought the level of photography up to a level we all would have been proud of.

The final proposal included this as the consumer page. Note that the text remained unchanged. We were (and still are) convinced this text would drive the most work to our members. Which I think was a reasonable goal of our site.



http://billarchibald.com/ngpp/consumertxt.jpg


We were not absolutely married to ANY picture, but we were very cognizant of the critical impact photos can make - positive or negative.

[Chris Murphy]

And the quality of the pix of "that gosh-darn good-lookin' fella" did not pass the litmus test. My

I never submitted that to the Guild, it must have come from the Yates, he took the picture; but I have higher dpi images. It's better than showing double-cutting ;>

[Parodi]

This is the text below written by Martin Solutions currently on the Consumer Page along with the sidebar of DIY info. I don't understand this need to provide How-to or DIY info on our trade. Does the national brotherhood of electrician's site offer advice on how to wire a ceiling fan? The plumber's site...they want to help you figure the length of heating pipe to heat your new addition? When is this crazy idea of providing anything other than getting a professional on the job going to die?

Wallpaper is a creative way to update the look of your home and show off your own unique style. Whether you are looking for answers on “how-to” or seeking the advice of a professional wallpaper hanger, here you will discover the possibilities of wallpapering and find the resources you need to complete your home remodeling project.

Within this website, you'll find all the advice on hanging wallpaper and creating beautiful rooms in your very own home, including tips on estimating techniques, decorating advice, how to care for your wallpaper, and invaluable information on what to look for when hiring a professional paperhanger.

[Bill Archibald]

I never submitted that to the Guild, it must have come from the Yates, he took the picture; but I have higher dpi images. It's better than showing double-cutting ;>

I know you did not submit it. I figured Parodi found it somewhere, but I never asked. It was meant as a "placeholder" not a final proposal. In my mind, the ultimate picture in that slot would be an unidentifiable member performing a task that no HO/DIYer could do. Like hanging a scenic or installing a huge commercial grade mural. Something that would tell the HO why they should hire a professional. This was our priority. Driving work to the members, not telling the HO how to hang, strip, measure, and any other task for which they are not qualified. It was our firm belief that we would best serve the industry (and our members) by convincing the HO that hiring a pro would produce results that would be appreciated for years.

Dissatisfaction with wallcoverings is a result of hacked jobs. How could we in good conscience support the HO perpetrating shoddy workmanship ?

[Bill Archibald]

Jim,

I have a feeling they did not read and/or totally ignored this passage the Web Committee submitted (and was accepted by the BOD)


Once more we want to reiterate that our mission is to directly benefit our members. We will concentrate on linking our members with paying customers.
The web committee advises that we should not include any DIY instructions or links: for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it will divert work away from our members. We feel that the NGPP should do all it can to promote professional installations by NGPP members. We feel it does not benefit our members if our web site offers instructions on how the homeowner can tackle any wallpapering task. This includes measuring, stripping, patching damaged wallpaper, or priming. This is what we all do for a living. Why would our organization give reasons NOT to employ our members?
Also, how many times have we all gotten the call where the HO says he/she has already stripped, primed, ordered paper, or whatever, and it was not correct? We feel we should be promoting professional involvement at all stages.
Not many homeowners will follow even explicit directions, and when they screw up a job, who will they blame? Most likely they will blame those “stupid instructions on that stupid site”. This is only human nature. By promoting a professional installation we are protecting the homeowner’s investment in the wallpaper. We are guaranteeing a satisfied customer. Satisfaction with wallpaper is critical for the survival of the industry. We, as paperhangers, know that the hype “it’s so easy” and subsequent difficulties were the major contributor to consumer dissatisfaction with wallcoverings.
Another pit fall with telling the HO how to do anything is that every paperhanger has their own way of doing specific tasks. If we describe one method or one product and one of our members proceeds in a different manner, the HO will be confused and might even confront the member with doubt saying, “that’s not the way your website says to do it…..”
We feel this organization must be careful about telling the consumer how a paperhanger should be performing a job or conducting business. We all do things differently.
We are not an organization to teach the consumer how to hang wallpaper, how to measure for wallpaper, how to buy wallpaper, how to choose wallpaper, or how to decorate their homes. We are an organization of professional wallpaper installers, not retailers, not manufacturers, and not designers. The web committee feels our website should stay consistent with what we are.

[Chris Murphy]

the ultimate picture in that slot would be an unidentifiable member performing a task that no HO/DIYer could do.

I don't know if it should've been of an unidentifiable member- I personally think that previous picture would have driven hordes to the FAP button- but I do like that page, 'mock-up' or not.
To me, this event of a committee going through a lot of trouble to research, express and demonstrate what it wanted reminds me of teaching different techniques: I go through all the trouble to make time, get materials, tools, space, walls, etc., and then you see folks doing what they always do, instead of trying the demo. I don't know what to call it, but I'm sure the French have a word for it, and the Germans, too, and it probably sounds like a grunt-snort.

[Parodi]

Update: The text has been changed on the consumer page to the text approved by the committee. Also the keyword blurb is now back on the home page.

[DoneRightTom]

And I thought it was my lack of ability in cyber lingo why I could not log in from the Home Page ! Whew! :O

[HangingInThere]

Who is the generic looking dude on the widowmaker scaffold up above??