Over the course of my first week the plan for my project has changed slightly, I originally was going to make a website from scratch, design, text, and code. The only experience in coding that I have is from R, a language and data handling program that we use a lot in Biology for statistical computing and graphics. In the interest of continuity, my supervisor decided that it would be best to leave the designing and coding of the website to professionals who have had instruction and training in this field. When I was told, I was quite disappointed because I was very excited to learn a new skill and be responsible for something so big. Last week, my original pressure of building the website was already lifting, as I was getting the hang of the procedure from tons of information that is available on the internet, which is also all conveniently free.
Despite not being able to be build it, I did get the ball rolling on setting it up. One of the very first steps in building a website is registering a domain name, which is what you put into the address bar at the top of your webpage. I emailed a few domain registrars around the country for quotes and whether they could give any away for charity. Turns out many people were willing to help us, and we were able to secure a few domain names for free from a company in Mustafa’s large network of connections. This company was also able to host our webpage and set up a platform to start building it.
This left the writing of the website pages. I did a lot of thinking on what would be the most important information to include in this website. It needs to have a comprehensive and informative website that shares novel research, has relevant contact information, and allows donations to be made safely and efficiently. As PCRF is a charity, it was necessary for it to have a “Support Us” page, which will include information for donors and volunteers, as well as perspective partners.
At the end of the week, I had very constructive meetings with my supervisor and other members of the research group, where I presented my vision for the website and was able to discuss and process their feedback.