Paul Mundy Planning a website for your organization

Paul Mundy What can I use the Internet for? Send messages & documents to others ( ) Make information available to others (build your own website) Find information from outside (from others’ websites)

Paul Mundy Finding information Using others’ websites  Website address, eg,:  Millions of websites on internet, huge amount of info  “Surf” internet, search for what you want  Download and print documents

Paul Mundy Finding information What do you need? Computer, modem Web-access account with internet service provider (dial-up connection) Programs: Internet Explorer / Netscape Navigator, Acrobat Reader

Paul Mundy Sending messages Using  Send messages quickly, easily, cheaply  Attach documents  Very useful for management, coordination

Paul Mundy Sending messages What do you need? Computer, modem account with internet service provider (dial-up connection) Programs: Outlook / Outlook Express / Yahoo / Hotmail

Paul Mundy Making info available Building your own website  DAE website:  Project websites, eg,: Make information available to others Archive information so it doesn’t get lost

Paul Mundy Making info available What do you need? Computer, modem Webhosting account with internet service provider (broadband for big site) Programs: FrontPage / Dreamweaver, Acrobat Distiller, graphics program Information to add (softcopies!) Website design (can be contracted out)

Paul Mundy What do you need? To use others’ websites To use To build your own website Hardware Computer Modem Phone line Computer Modem Phone line Computer Modem Phone line Software (examples) Internet Explorer Acrobat Reader Outlook Express FrontPage Distiller AccountsWeb-access account accountWebhosting account ConnectionDial-up Broadband

Paul Mundy Building your own website Content What information do you want to put on the website? You must decide this, find softcopies of the information, write the text, provide the illustrations Structure How is the information organized? Sections, subsections, menus (like chapters in a book) You must decide this Presentation What does it look like on the screen? Design, colours, fonts, buttons, etc. You can do this yourself or subcontract it to a web designer

Paul Mundy Content What information to put on your website About your organization or project Background and rationale Approaches used, activities, achievements News, upcoming events, current activities Policies, rules Services provided, and how to use them Frequently asked questions (FAQs) Organizational structure, list of staff Documents, publications, forms (PDF format) Contact information Links to partners and related organizations

Paul Mundy Four types of information Stable information  Does not change much  Eg, About your organization, activities, goals, structure, publications Information that changes frequently  Must be kept up to date  Eg, news, upcoming events, current activities, staff lists Interaction  Users can add comments, ask questions, discuss with other users Databases  Tables of numbers  Users can “query”: ask the website to show a particular set of data Easy to manage Difficult to manage

Paul Mundy Four types of information Stable information Information that changes frequently Interaction Databases Start simple Add more complex features as you go along Plan for the future

Paul Mundy Structure How to organize the information Put yourself in the user’s shoes What information does he/she want? Where will he/she expect to find it in your site? Draw a diagram of the site structure Home Brief intro to org Links to other pages Services How to apply for credit How to get advice Activities List of activities Achieve- ments Contact us Addresses Enquiry form Publications Listed by topic Download- able Example of website structure

Paul Mundy Presentation Design of the website What does it look like on the screen? Keep it simple (so it is easy to update) Use common design for all pages Provide easy-to-understand navigation (buttons, links) Avoid fancy effects, large graphics, sound (long time to download)

Paul Mundy What will you need? Skilled staff  to manage website or to work with contracted web designer Equipment, software, internet connections Organizational structure  Unit responsible for maintaining website  Procedures to provide information to upload  Approval procedures for uploading information Train other staff to use website Publicity  Tell people website exists! Most important: Ongoing commitment, funding & support from senior management