The Mississippi Home Educators Association is a well-established part of the homeschool community, both in Mississippi and on a national level. So when MHEA approached me in 2009 with a new vision for their website, I was very excited, and knew this would be my bigggest project yet.
Previously the website had been maintained using a basic one-page template that was created in the 90′s. The website had not had a graphical facelift since that point, and was in dire need of catching up. I set to work immediately on establishing WordPress as the content management system of choice. The website would need to look very distinguished but accessible. I chose a look similar to those of universities and colleges. A subtle blue gradient backdrop seemed to add a stately presence while also showing its professionalism.
The logo was created years ago by the members. I was able to add to the logo with an appropriate and regal font. It all connected. I also added a big, yellow, Post-It type of tab called “How-to-Homeschool” to the site’s navigation, for those who just want to skip straight to the information. The site has an interactive clickable map of every county in Mississippi that allows visitors to find a Homeschool Support Group in their county. Visitors can also add themselves to the MHEA mailing list, or contact one of several members through a filterable contact form.
After the website went live in January 2010, we were able to track the visitor hits. In the first month alone, there were over 500 visitors, with one of the highest months that May – when the hits topped a whopping 9,000 in a month.
I helped MHEA get into the social networking game by setting them a Facebook account up and limiting it to members-only. The last time I checked, the group was closing in on 500 likes. They have done a great job of staying social with their monthly e-newsletter and a very active website and Facebook life.