Nashville -- When Oasis Center President Hal Cato approached Web site solutions company, Diving Board, saying in an email their Web site needed some "TLC," or tender loving care, Diving Board revamped Oasis Center's web site with key changes that better connected supporters to Oasis Center's mission.

Oasis Center's mission is "to help youth grow, thrive and create positive change in their lives and in our community."

Diving Board added new features such as a news and events section which feeds the newest information to the home page of the Web site so supporters and potential supporters are abreast of Oasis Center's latest steps towards positive change.

"Now they are going to say, wow they have a lot going on," said Monica Watson, Vice President of Development and Community Relations

" It feels like its the same site, but it feels alive now as opposed to kind of stagnant and dead," Watson said.

Watson played a crucial role in the realization of Diving Board's "Tender Loving Care" project as she reorganized and collected information for the project.

"I was able to advise Watson when she had questions, but my job of translating Watson's vision into a Web site that made sense was easy, since she had a clear vision for how the Web site needed to change," said Nathan T. Baker, founder of Diving Board.

The Changes

Here's what's new on Oasiscenter.org:

	The Front Door: On the home page, a tasteful slideshow was added to better relate the movement and mission of Oasis Center to visitors so users are drawn into the mission of Oasis Center in a simple, yet visually powerful way. Also featured on the home page is the latest news and event information, so that upon entering the front door of Oasis Center's Web site, users are not only more likely to be connected to Oasis Center's mission, but also to be connected from knowing the latest steps Oasis Center is taking to reach those goals.
	News and Events: The News and Events section was added to the Web site, so Oasis Center staff could share news and events with their community. Oasis Center staff only needs to log in and have skills equivalent to editing a Microsoft Word document to make changes to the Web site. Everything else is automated, so features such as a link to a "printer friendly version" of any article, or the "email to a friend" function are included automatically when Oasis Center staff add news postings. This section also supports advanced solutions for users, so users can subscribe via RSS, a technology that allows users to be automatically updated when new content from a Web site is available.
	Making Contact: Oasis Center's "Contact Us" section was redesigned in a "contact form" format, so that not only does it take less time to send a note along online, now specific inquiries can be directed to the most appropriate person within Oasis Center, to be help ensure a true flow of communication. Also included in this and other sections is a more prominent link to the Oasis Center's email newsletters, so it is easier than ever for supporters of Oasis Center to stay informed and involved.

Oasis Center's Web site is built on Sitemason technology, which means it is easy for Oasis Center staff to add news articles and to add and remove photos and text on different pages of the Web site, all without HTML knowledge. This means the Oasis Center staff is less reliant on Web designers to make changes for them, so they can spend more time communicating.

Diving Board partners with innovative companies such as Sitemason to bring the the latest technology to a project to ensure a Web site's longevity, even as the Internet advances and adopts more sophisticated technology.

Why did Oasis Center choose Diving Board?

"We've worked with [Diving Board] in the past. I like the fact that [Nathan] knows us so well," said Hal Cato, President of Oasis Center.

Oasis Center hired Baker when he was junior in high school. He became coordinator of Teenedge.com, a Web site for Nashville youth, where he helped train youth webmasters and journalists.

Baker left Oasis Center, primarily to pursue Diving Board, a Nashville-based Web site solutions company Baker founded to specialize in launching Web sites for non-profits and small businesses.

"It has been great to work with Oasis Center again and walk the halls I walked as a high schooler. I feel as if I've never left Oasis Center's team, even if my desk isn't located within their walls, and I strive to bring that intimacy to any project," Baker said.

-Press Release from Diving Board