April 2007 -- Information technology has readily become an accepted way of life for a large majority of our clients and customers over the last few years. People who were once reluctant to use their credit card online for fear of abuse are now using the Internet to find information and purchase a wide variety of goods and services. Online purchases topped $20 billion in 2006 and this trend will certainly continue.
In this computerized world, MySpace.com is a growing phenomenon that has swept the country. You can hardly go through a single day without hearing something about MySpace in the news. There is a culture of people that has rapidly grown accustomed to its use as a normal and acceptable form of communication. The site reportedly attracts 230,000 new registrations per day. More than 100 million people now log in to publish or review personal information and communicate using this online social network. MySpace has become an increasingly influential part of contemporary pop culture and is the third most popular Web site in the United States.
The USPTA has already paved the way for its tennis professionals to easily benefit from this trend. One of the most valuable benefits offered to every USPTA member is a personal Web site. Simply go to www.usptafindapro.com, click the Find-a-Pro button under the players section, and search for your name and personal Web site address using the criteria you choose. Log in using your username (last name) and password (member number) and let’s get started.
You have access to edit the following pages: "Home," "About me," "My facility," "Events," "Lessons," "News," "Tennis tips," and "Upload pictures." The "Links" and the "Online lessons" are created for you. The graphic on the next page shows the menu that you will use to select and edit these various pages.
With this in mind, here are five simple tips for setting up your new personal Web site:
1. After logging in, print and read the USPTA personal Web site help manual. This manual provides a full description of each function on the Web site. At the top of the list it states: "Please read these instructions before beginning or editing your Web site for the first time." Trust me, this will save you time and frustration as you begin. This short tutorial explains important topics including:
- How to edit your site
- How to save your changes
- How to upload/edit photos
- Editor icon explanations
- How to change justification
- How to create hyperlinks
- How to build tables
- How to change text appearance
- Tennis tips
In addition, having a printed copy as a reference will speed the learning process as you work through development of your Web site. Also, read the "Terms and conditions for USPTA personal Web sites" under the "Site rules" tab.
2.
Update your bio and get a current description of your facility. If you had already taken advantage of the personal Web site program in its original form, you can simply log in and edit your information in the "About me" and/or "My facility" pages. For new users, I recommend you use a text editor such as Microsoft Word, with grammar and spell check functions to create your content. You can then simply copy and paste the text into the appropriate areas. It’s much easier and will speed up the process. You can edit this information on the fly and update it any time you desire. That is one of the benefits of being able to edit your own Web site.
3.
Prepare your event schedule. You probably have this put together and easily accessible, but take some time to plan how you want to present this information on your Web page. One way is to list dates and events at the top of the "Events" page and include details below on that page. Then, create a hyperlink to each event in the list to send your viewer directly to the details of the event they select. There are a number of ways to post this information and you should select a method that best highlights you and your program.
4.
Determine newsworthy topics that you want to include. This is great for placing information about news you would like to promote. Recognize award winners, achievements, and any accomplishments by your students, players, or facility. Note information that will draw the viewer back to your Web site. Include as many names of your students/players/clients that you possibly can. Everybody likes to see their name in print and you will earn "brownie points" when they read it.
Also, include things that your viewers will be interested in such as other events in the area, results from the pro tour, product reviews/releases, and news about local players or events. These are great ways to draw your viewer back in the future.
5.
Select your favorite photos of you and your facility (up to 15 photos). As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." It may be time to get an updated photo of yourself for the "About me" page and a couple of new photos of your facility as well.
Also, use photos on your personal Web page as you would for a newsletter or a bulletin board by including numerous player photos. Change these photos often so your viewers will have a new look each time they return to your "News" page.
By following these basic steps, you will quickly gain proficiency in editing and updating your personal Web page. More detailed information is available under the Edit help menu button on your site. Our national staff has worked to make your personal Web site easy to edit and update. When you’re through, you will have a Web presence that is set seamlessly within a huge resource. Your personal Web site will appear to be the front end of all the links and information available through uspta.com. This is just the beginning (or first version, if you will). As this benefit gains in its use and popularity, we can add a number of features in the future.
As you work to promote yourself, your facilities and your programs, you should consider expanding your promotional skills by taking advantage of your personal Web site. Use this tremendous tool to improve your business through on-demand access to information about you, your facility, events, lessons, programs and whatever else you choose to promote. It is a very useful and effective way to reach a large number of people, keep them informed and let them know who and where you are. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear testimonials. My contact information is available at my very own USPTA version of MySpace: randy.usptapro.com.
