February Croquet Links: MCA, Welsh Croquet Association & Waimarie

Missouri Croquet Association -- This is actually an old link, but the site has been redesigned and in the spirit of full disclosure, I did the redesign. I wanted to highlight it because I believe this is the model for all club sites. And that is not necessarily from a aesthetic standpoint, but more from the functionality. The news module is featured right on the front page, so if the club is diligent about posting announcements and results (which is super easy by the way) the site always looks active.

All news stories have a comments tool for feedback and a share tool for social sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. Along with that news module comes an RSS feed (top right column) which allows users to drop their headlines on their My Yahoo! or iGoogle page. Of course, I've also added the feed to the Croquet Network news feed on the right hand column of this site, so MCA headlines will now appear on this site.

The new MCA site also includes a forum for user interactivity and photo gallery module which makes uploading photos a snap for administrators. The archive automatically builds as stories are posted and of course their is search box that can locate anything on site. Overall, the site is still under construction, so there will be additional improvements, but I definitely recommend that all clubs move to this type of site. This one is built in Squarespace under the $8.00 per month plan, but you can achieve the same results with a free platform like Wordpress, Blogger or Ning is also a good option for the "super social" feel. Those are my favorites, but there are plenty more out there.

Welsh Croquet Association -- The official croquet association of Wales website.

Waimarie Croquet Club -- My first New Zealand club link ... very informative site.

All links above will now appear in the Croquet Links section on the navigation bar at the top of the site. Any links back are greatly appreciated.