✓ WORKING PROTOTYPE READY FOR REVIEW

Redesigning
themenscircle.com

A modern, low-maintenance website that serves both curious men and active members, powered by the Google Sheets the circle already uses.

Submitted by Brian • December 2025
Preview the Test Site →

🔥 Preview the Test Site

The prototype is live and connected to a copy of the TMC roster. Test it out and share your feedback.

Open the Test Site →

How to Access the Member Area

  1. Click the "Member Login" button on the homepage
  2. Enter your email address (must be in the TMC roster)
  3. Check your email for a magic link
  4. Click the link, and you're in!

Tip: Check spam/junk if you don't see the email within a minute.

What You Can Test

✓
Member Directory

Search members, filter by team, click to see full profiles with purpose statements and intro letters.

✓
Member Photos

Members can upload photos via a simple Google Form. Photos display on profile cards; initials show as fallback.

✓
Resources Library

Access TMC documents: handbooks, guides, and essential documents

✓
Announcements

View recent updates and news (sample data for now)

✓
Public Contact Form

Test the contact form on the public homepage

About the Test Data

The site is connected to a copy of the TMC roster, not the live one. Your intro letter and profile information come directly from the spreadsheet. Once approved, we'll connect to the production roster.

Executive Summary

Public Landing Page

A welcoming entry point for men curious about The Men's Circle, with clear pathways to learn more and connect.

Member Resource Hub

A simple authenticated area where active men can access directories, documentation, and announcements.

Google Sheets Backend

Administrators continue working exactly as they do now. The website automatically reflects current information.

Share Your Feedback

After testing the site, please take 3-5 minutes to share your thoughts. Your feedback will directly shape the final product.

The Vision

For the Public

  • Clean, inviting landing page explaining who we are and what we offer
  • Clear contact pathways to reach the right men
  • Information about how to get involved or attend events

For Active Men

  • Member Directory — Names, contact info, circle affiliation, status
  • Documentation Library — Agendas, guidelines, resources
  • Announcements — Current information for the community

Simple Login: Magic Links

A man enters his email, receives a link, clicks it, and he's logged in. No passwords to remember or reset. Simple, secure, minimal friction.

If your email is in the roster sheet, you have access. Remove the email, access is revoked. The sheet IS the access control.

Why Google Sheets as the Backend?

We already maintain extensive information in Google Sheets: rosters, documentation, agendas, contact lists. This proposal builds on that investment rather than replacing it.

How It Works

  • Designated Google Sheets serve as the "database"
  • The website reads from these sheets automatically
  • When someone updates a sheet, the website reflects the change within minutes
  • No duplicate data entry, no sync issues, no new systems to learn

What This Means for Administrators

  • Continue using Google Sheets exactly as the circle does now
  • No new software to learn
  • No manual website updates needed for routine information changes
  • No security patches or plugin updates to manage
1 Admin edits Google Sheet
→
2 Website reads via secure API
→
3 Members see current info

🛡️ The Beautiful Fallback

Here's what makes this approach truly low-risk: if anything goes wrong with the website (or if I disappear, or no one can maintain it), the circle simply goes back to using Google Sheets exactly as it does now.

The website is just a window into the circle's existing data. The sheets remain the source of truth. If the window breaks, the data is still there, safe and accessible. The current workflow continues uninterrupted.

Visual Design Direction

The design should reflect The Men's Circle's character: grounded, welcoming, clear, and masculine without being aggressive.

Proposed Color Palette

Deep Charcoal Primary text
Warm Earth Accents
Soft Cream Background
Ember Orange CTAs
Forest Shadow Secondary

Typography

Playfair Display for Headlines
Source Sans for body text: readable, grounded, not trendy

Imagery Direction

Yes
  • Nature elements (fire, earth, trees)
  • Warm lighting
  • Texture (wood grain, stone)
No
  • Corporate stock photos
  • Posed groups
  • Anything artificial

This Approach vs. WordPress

Consideration Google Sheets + Modern Web WordPress
Content Updates Edit sheets → automatic Login → edit → publish
Security Maintenance Automatic (Vercel handles) Manual updates required
Plugin/Theme Issues None Common problems
Member Directory Live from roster sheet Manual entry or plugin
Learning Curve None for content Moderate
Hosting Cost ~$0/month ~$10-30/month
Long-term Reliability Very stable Requires attention
Custom Code Changes Requires developer Requires developer

Advantages of This Approach

  • Minimal ongoing maintenance
  • Single source of truth in Google Sheets
  • Administrators keep their workflow
  • Modern, fast, secure
  • Cost-effective

Honest Considerations

  • Initial build requires development work
  • Code changes require technical skill
  • Less "off-the-shelf" than WordPress
  • Depends on sheet structure staying consistent

Ongoing Maintenance

Automatic (No Action)

  • Security updates
  • SSL certificates
  • Performance optimization
  • Uptime monitoring

Administrator Tasks

  • Edit Google Sheets as usual
  • That's it. No website work needed.

Occasional (Developer)

  • Adding new features
  • Changing layouts
  • Structural modifications

Estimated ongoing time: 1-2 hours/month (mostly verification)

Full Product Requirements

User Journeys

Public Visitor
Finds website → Reads about TMC → Fills contact form → Gets personal follow-up
Active Member
Clicks login → Enters email → Clicks magic link → Access directory/resources

Features

Public Landing
  • Hero with mission
  • What we do section
  • Contact form
  • Member login link
Member Directory
  • Searchable list
  • Name, contact info
  • Circle affiliation
  • Status/role
  • Photo upload via Google Form
Resources
  • Organized by category
  • Agendas, guidelines
  • Community agreements
  • Reference materials
Announcements
  • Chronological list
  • Date, title, body
  • Recent highlighted

Technical Stack

Frontend Vite + JavaScript
Hosting Vercel (free tier)
Backend Vercel serverless
Data Google Sheets API
Auth Magic link (JWT)
Email Resend

My Offer

I'm willing to build and deploy this initial version at no cost to The Men's Circle, as my contribution to our community.

This includes:

  • Design and build the public landing page
  • Set up Google Sheets integration for member directory and resources
  • Implement magic-link authentication for the member area
  • Deploy on modern hosting with automatic security and performance
  • Document how the system works for future maintainers
  • Provide initial training for administrators

Questions for the Vision Body

1

Visual Direction

Does the proposed design feel right for The Men's Circle?

2

Content

Who will provide/approve the landing page copy?

3

DNS

Who currently controls themenscircle.com, and how do we coordinate the transfer?

✓

Sheet Review

Completed — sheet structure mapped and integrated into prototype.

5

Approval

What's the process for final approval to proceed?

Next Steps

✓

Sheet Review

Mapped existing Google Sheets structure

✓

Development

Built working prototype with all core features

3

Collect Feedback

Gathering input from members on the demo site

4

Vision Body Review

Review feedback, discuss, approve final direction

5

Launch

Coordinate DNS, deploy to production