There now seem to be four issues. I wrote to you originally only about #4. Will address all.

1. Use a group instead of Constant Contact
2. Use a group instead of a website
3. Internet Marking - use a group in addition to whatever else you are doing
4. Using DNN instead of a web design tool to update your website

1. Use a group instead of Constant Contact

Yahoo, Google and Facebook groups are all excellent. If you do not mind advertisements, you can use these (or others) instead of Constant Contact to send your email for free.

Note that DNN has a newsletter module, that could potentially save you the Constant Contact expense and you would not have ads. However I have not used it yet, so I cannot tell you much about it.

2. Use a group instead of a website

You can use Yahoo, Google, Live and Facebook groups (or others) instead of a website. That simply depends on how you want to present yourself.

3. Internet Marking - use a group in addition to whatever else you are doing

For marketing your organization, use as many websites as you have time for. The more the better, Yahoo, Google, Live, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, social bookmarketing, article submissions, community websites, event networking, etc.

4. Using DotNetNuke instead of a web design tool to update your website

This is the issue that I wrote you about.

Currently you already have a website. If you intend to keep your website, you need a better way to update it. DotNetNuke (DNN) makes it much easier to update your website.

Without DNN updating your website is a chore. With DNN updating your website is a pleasure.

Right now, your webmaster updates your website on their computer and uploads the changes. That means you can only update your website from that one computer and only that one person can do it. If you want to switch webmasters, there is a fairly significant changeover. Updating your website takes a fair amount of technical skill that most people do not have. All those problems go away with DNN.

With DNN you can update your website from any computer. Anyone who is comfortable using a computer, can use DNN. You can switch webmasters easily. You can allow more than one person to update your website. DNN also gives you the ability to grow.

Right now, since updating your website is so difficult, it may be hard to imagine how you would use your website differently. However, once you begin using DNN and see how easy it is to share information, you will have many new ideas. For example, you can write articles whenever you feel you want to share something. Maybe you have a forum, where any of your members can post thoughts.

Since using DotNetNuke, every time I come across something useful, I dump it on one of my websites. That way I have it available for myself, my staff, my customers and anyone else who needs it.

Answers to Your Questions

Question: My initial take on what was said at the meeting is that the switchover to Dot Net Nuke will not save us any money over our current expenditure on the website and Constant Contact, is that correct?

Answer: Correct

Question: It also seemed like a new system to be learned, despite the advantage that more hands could use it if they learned it, is that correct?

Answer: Not really. Anyone comfortable using a computer and the Internet already has the skills to use DNN at the basic level. When you are ready to use the more advanced features, I will be available to walk you through.

Here is what one of my customers wrote (without any training).

Currently, I imagine you are using a web design tool to update your website. DotNetNuke is much easier to use than web design tools.

Question: How would a standalone website like you're proposing compare in those areas (Yahoo, Google, Facebook)?

Answer: You already have a website. I am not proposing that you use a website instead of a group. I am only proposing that you use DotNetNuke instead of a web design tool.

As far as how does a website compare to a group, one question is how do you want to present yourself. Do you want to present yourself all on your own or do you want to be under another organization?

Technically, DotNetNuke gives you the tools to do many of the things you can do with groups and more. Your web design tool does not give you any of the capabilities of groups.

Groups are good marketing tools and many people use them in addition to their website. You have probably seen on many websites "follow us on twitter" or "join our facebook group".

Question: Would we still be using Constant Contact for email?

Answer: You can use Constant Contact, a group, DotNetNuke or if you have Cox Cable, you can use Outlook. Cox lets you send up to about 1,500 emails per day.

Question: I understand Dot Net Nuke offers items like forums, articles, a store, a wiki, etc, but in our organization, lack of volunteers is a prime issue, so it's not advanced technology we're after. In fact, that's why everyone's so upset with Constant Contact. We're spending money on a very advanced product and we're getting nothing out of it because no one has the energy to learn how to use it.

Answer: DotNetNuke and Constant Contact are not remotely the same. I know exactly what you mean with Constant Contact and DotNetNuke is nothing like that, the complete opposite.

Constant Contact is good for the right people, but it is not easy to use. I have a business partner account with Constant Contact and have free email lists, but for me, Constant Contact takes too much time. It takes me about an hour extra to send out an email with Constant Contact. I prefer to send emails using Outlook for the three newsletters I write.

In contrast, DotNetNuke takes me less time to update than updating files on my own computer, so I use DotNetNuke as a repository for much of my information.

As far as all the modules in DNN, you only use the ones you need. They are exceedingly easy to use. You wrote "it's not advanced technology we're after", but I think what you meant is "it's not complicated technology we're after". DNN is advanced, but not complicated. DNN is both amazingly simple to use and extraordinarily powerful.

By Andrew Weitzen, Bronze Inc. (c) 2010

Bronze is the publisher of several online Internet journals including: InternetHandholding.com, DomainNames.gs, DotNetNuke.bz, Programmer.bz, Software.vg, WebHosting.vg