In Spring 2008, members of Loveland Photographic Society needed help with their website quickly.  Their current website person had moved out of town and was no longer available.  The club, which had about 90 members at the time, was highly dependent on the website for assisting with the monthly photo competition. Additionally, they set their eyes on participating and placing in the Photographic Society of America International Club Website competition for the year.  They needed a website pulled together quickly and not just one that looked nice, but one that would help solve some of the problems with the monthly image competition, and perhaps even streamline the process.  There was no possibility to edit the existing site as the access and the software were unavailable.

 

Within a few weeks time, the new site was up and running.  Life Light Creative implemented a layout and design built by one of the members into Joomla 1.0 content management system.  Joomla was chosen because of its flexible framework.  The site would grow quickly over time in content and functionality.  The site also needed to accommodate allowing members to log in and see and do things that the public side of the website would not show. 

By fall, the site had placed 3rd overall in the Photographic Society of America International Club Website competition

By the end of the calendar year, the site had grown to accommodate actually handling the submission of the images in the monthly image competition and having winning image galleries displaying the results.

By the beginning of 2009, the club's membership had grown to nearly 200, largely due in part to having an internet presence that not only drew in new members but also helped spread the word about the fantastic programs offered by the group and the talented photographers and their work displayed on the site.  The site was continually improved and updated to accommodate the growth of the club.

In fall 2009, the site won 1st place in the Photographic Society of America International Club Website competition and the membership peaked at just over 300 members.

At the beginning of 2010, the club moved to a new version of Joomla (v1.5), a new look and feel and a complete online membership payment system and many other online features to members that allow more participation and ease of communication in group activities.  Many members of the group participate in adding content and information to the site on a monthly basis.  Members from outside the state have even joined the group to participate virtually in many ways.

For more information on Loveland Photographic Society, visit their website:  www.lps.cc.