New Website is Up

It’s here!

You may or may not have noticed that www.vittana.org is looking a little different these days. That’s right – we have launched a complete redesign of our website.

We’ve been working on the new site for several months now, and think that it’s a huge step forward from our previous one. It’s simpler to navigate, connects you directly with students and lets you create and join the community of Vittana lenders. In short, it’s a better user experience all around (big thanks to frog design for that!). In case you’re worried, all of your information from the old site is intact, and you can still log on with the same account you had before. But our new site takes everything one step further. I’ll be highlighting some of the new features of the site in the coming weeks – especially around our student profiles – but in the meantime, check out some of our favorite user-facing features below:

1. Your profile

One of the great things about the new site is the way you can connect with other lenders on your profile. When you log into the site or after you register, click on your name at the top, then “Edit.” Where do you live? What did you study in school?  Upload a photo of yourself, and make sure you mark your profile as “Public” so people can see it. If you want to keep some of your information private but display a photo, you can just change your display name. You can also connect your Facebook profile with our site to make it simpler to tell a friend about Vittana, or post updates on a friend’s profile.

Your actual profile also gives you detailed information about the students to whom you’ve lent. You can see their status (“In school,” “Fundraising,” “Graduated,” etc.) and their progress toward repayment. It’s a simple, one-stop spot to get access to the information that’s most important to you.

2. Groups

The easiest way to connect with other lenders is through Vittana groups. When you first come to the site, click on “Community” and check out our featured groups. You can search for a group that you identify with, or you can create your own. Once you’re in a group, you can attribute your loan to your group when you go to lend to a student.

You can also send a group link to your friends to get them to join and lend. And once you’ve lent to a student, you can publish your loan on Facebook, twitter, Digg, delicious, etc. so your friends know what you did.

So check it out! I’ll be posting more information and hints soon, but in the meantime, look up the site, make a loan, and tell us what you think. We’d love your feedback. And as always, if you run into trouble, have a comment or have a question, feel free to post a comment below or email us. Looking forward to hearing what you think!