New Features on YHA Website
Some exciting new features have been added to the YHA web site today, adding some much needed interactivity with its members to an otherwise one-way channel of communication.
Firstly, Karl Sheperdson’s Diary of a Trustee has morphed into the YHA Blog, and it’s a proper blog too! Unlike some previous efforts this is the real thing, complete with RSS feeds and comments enabled. All Karl’s trustee posts have been ported across, but there’s no new content just yet. Keep your eyes peeled for new posts and (who knows) maybe some other authors too.
But that’s not all. Not only can members post comments on the subjects Karl wants to talk about, they can also raise their own issues on the new YHA discussion forum. It’s early days, and there’s only a handful of cheerleading topics under discussion so far, but this is a breath of fresh air. I hope to see plenty of people posting what they love about YHA, but also where they’re falling short. Some robust and open discussion of the issues facing the Association could be a good way to reconnect with their members.
Elsewhere the accommodation pages have been given an overhaul. There’s a new look to the maps, but I can’t say anything more about them because they don’t work on my PC. Why don’t they just use Google Maps like everyone else? Also, when you view a particular hostel’s page, that hostel is pre-selected in the “Find Accommodation” section on the right hand side. Previously, once you’d found the page of the hostel you wanted, you had to find it again in the drop-down lists before you could book it. It’s good to see that mistake corrected.
Well, not any more! Somebody must have been listening, as there’s now a stunning aerial photograph of Lizard YH which really shows off the extraordinary kinds of places you can stay at as a hosteller. Bravo YHA!