Shadow Companions Australia

There are thousands of websites dedicated to improving the welfare of companion animals around the World and the more that appear the more chance the rights of animals have of being recognised. Don't think that because there are so many websites about animal rights that there isn't a need for anymore, there is and there will continue to be as long as animals rights are ignored.

Websites are a powerful campaigning tool, you can do as much or as little with them as you have time to do. Many sites are large and deal with a range of animal rights and welfare issues and some deal with a particular campaign or a particular species.

If you don't have HTML experience, there are some good WYSIWYG Editors out there. 'Shadow Companions' uses Cool Page. It is a Drag 'n' Drop editor that is extremely simple to use...

If you are going to create an animal rights website, we recommend you follow these guidelines...

1. Make sure the pages don't take long to download, people will often leave pages before they have viewed the first page. Too many graphics can slow down a page. There will be pages on which you may wish to show photographs of animal abuse, opt for a few photos per page, or thumbnails of the photos which people can click to see a larger version. Some people use thumbnails, some don't, it is a personal choice.

2. Make sure you optimize all images for use on the Web. A good online gif and jpeg cruncher can be found at www.spinwave.com

3. NEVER use offensive language or express messages of hatred or violence. These messages are inappropriate for an animal rights website (or any site for that matter) and undermine the efforts of animal rights activists to be taken seriously in their campaigns

4. Try and be direct and to the point on your home page about what your website is about and include some text that will capture a surfers attention

5. Give your website a name, not just "Joanne's Animal Rights Page" but a memorable title and match your email to your title

6. Lay off the animated gifs, they are distracting and can give animal rights pages a humorous feeling when animal rights and welfare is not a humorous subject. Only use them if they are essential to getting a point across or highlighting a particular area. Make sure they appear professional.

7. Be sure to include links to other animal rights websites to encourage surfers to find out more on the subject

8. Don't make your site too fancy, it should be informative not flashy and use muted colours.

9. Don't use photos, logos or images from other websites without obtaining permission first. Just email the owner of the website with the pics you would like to use and ask permission. Keep the reply you receive for proof you did obtain permission if you need it later.

10. Be bold, don't be afraid to express your opinions but be mindful of what you are saying, make it clear concise and to the point, don't wander off track. Make sure you state somewhere that you have no affliation with any organisations, that your website is independent and expresses only your opinions. Make sure you have done your research and are up to date on the campaign you are supporting. Finally, don't be bullied, don't back down. Follow the 'Shadow Companions" slogan, RESOLUTE IN ACTION, MODERATE IN MANNER and you should have success with your site.

PETITIONS
Petitons are a useful web tool. Links to petitions are dotted throughout this site. You can even begin your own, try www.petitionpetition.com