Description:

History
Local.iee.org has not always been around as we now know it. Many people still prefer to call this increasingly popular service by the IEE "centres.iee.org". Neither are wrong - Centres.iee.org was first created to help Branches and YM sections get onto the Internet. Back in the early days of the IEE web site, Branches and YM sections would have to submit the pages they wanted to be made publicly available to the IEE web staff. Due to the popularity of this service, centres.iee.org was born.

The initial idea behind centres.iee.org was to allow Branches and YM sections to put their own pages up onto the Internet without having to go through staff at the IEE. The added advantage behind this scheme was that members could now put their web pages directly onto an IEE site, with a URL that would easily recognised and remembered.

As centres.iee.org grew in popularity, it became clear that the server holding centres.iee.org was becoming old. This coupled with the joint conspiracy of the Millennium Bug and the abolishment of the IEE "Centre" meant that a change needed to be made.

And so we enter a new age. Local.iee.org was born and the service was moved to a better server, providing more of the things that you, the members of the IEE, wanted out of it. Local.iee.org is still improving with help from volunteers all over the country, and from the ISG (Internet Services Group) of the IEE.

Along with this change, a new plan was also devised. The ISG saw the need for Branches and YM sections that didn"t have the time, or the technical know how to produce a web site of their own on local.iee.org. The IEE Communities scheme was born. Members are also be able to add and edit their Branches/YM sections website by means of an on-line tool through this scheme. This tool looks and feels like MS-Word, and now members who do not wish to worry about graphics, styles or HTML do not have to.

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Purpose
The purpose of local.iee.org is simple: to help Branches and Younger Member sections get Internet presence.

As well as being totally free to use, the YMB (Younger Members Board) have an IT Officer who is on hand to make sure that everything runs smoothly and members are getting what they want from the web server (see the contacts page).

The first service the IEE offers is use of local.iee.org. You get web space, along with use of many of the local.iee.org services. Ideally this is suited to Branches or Committees who have a Webmaster (someone who knows how to design and write great looking web pages). You are then in the driving seat - you write the pages and upload them using FTP.

Soon, the IEE will also be opening its doors on a new scheme designed to help those Branches or YM Committees get web presence who do not have a Webmaster or that feel that they simply do not have the time to spend writing material. There is no need to worry about designing the page or creating graphics, as the IEE"s standard template is automatically applied to all pages. All you have to worry about is the content. You can then use an online MS Word-like tool to place your Web pages on the IEE"s new community system.

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Services
On local.iee.org
Use of an IEE URL (e.g. http://local.iee.org/london/)
Support for HTML, SHTML, PHP, Perl and MySQL databases
Use of the new Events Info & Booking System (in development)
Use of the new Polling System
WebDev, the online resource for webmasters
On IEE Communities
Use of an IEE URL (e.g. http://local.iee.org/london/ which would forward surfers to the IEE"s community pages)
Hassle free web page editing tool
Use of the IEE"s Event Database
Pages included in www.iee.org search

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FAQs
So where can you go from here?

I"d very much like to join local.iee.org
Contact Members Services for information on how you can get Internet presence for your Branch/YM section on local.iee.org.

I don"t know much about writing web pages, or I haven"t got time to do it
Contact Members Services for information on how you can get Internet presence for your Branch/YM section on the IEEs Community system.

Our Branch/Committee already has its own URL - what options do I have?
If you already have a URL and are more than happy with your HSP (Hosting Service Provider), then please let us know. We will be able to set up auto-forwarding (e.g. http://local.iee.org/london/) which would forward surfers to your own site. This will enable people to find your site from the IEEs main web site.

Alternatively, you can still make use of either of the IEE"s service plans (local.iee.org or the IEE Community), and forward people from your URL to us!

Please send and Email to the YMB IT Officer explaining the situation, and we will do our best to help you get your Branch/YM section onto iee.org.

Who we are
Founded in 1871, the IEE is the largest professional engineering society in Europe and has a worldwide membership of 120,000. These men and women, who have joined together to promote the advancement of electrical, electronic and manufacturing science and engineering, range from students to the most distinguished and highly qualified members of the profession.
The IEE is a Registered Charity No. 211014.

What we do
-represents the profession of electrical, electronic, manufacturing and systems engineering and related sciences.

-acts as the voice of the profession in matters of public concern and assists Government to make the public aware of technological issues.

-sets standards of qualifications for professional electrical, electronics, software, systems and manufacturing engineers.

-accredits degree courses in subjects relevant to electrical, electronic, manufacturing and information engineering at universities and colleges around the world.

-accredits professional development schemes for engineering graduates.

-awards scholarships, grants and prizes.

-issues regulations for the safe installation of electrical and electronic equipment and takes a leading part in the formulation of national and international standards.

-provides an extensive range of lectures, meetings, conferences, seminars, residential vacation schools and publications.

-sets standards for the professional conduct of its members.

-assists Government to make the public aware of technological issues.

-offers guidance on best practice in professional development.

-operates a Career Advisory Service to give advice and assistance to members on various aspects of career development.

-operates a Learning Resources Service to provide details of potential professional development activities provided by both the IEE and other organisations.

-operates a computer-assisted information service, Inspec, which has the world"s largest computerised database in the English language in physics, electrotechnology, computer science and control engineering.

-provides business and technical information on electrical, electronic, IT and manufacturing subjects.