Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan 1 Websites

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan What is a website? A website is a set of text and graphics on the Internet Organized into interlinked webpages Click on link and jump to another page

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Why a website? (1) Provide information  Contact details, list of staff, Provide access to documents  Newsletters  Annual reports  Technical documents  Research results  Press releases

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Why a website? (2) Show visuals  Photos, diagrams, etc. Allow interaction  Allow people to ask questions  Get feedback  Sell products Archive and retrieve information  Reliable filing system  Most recent version always available

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Advantages of websites Quick Always available Available anywhere (with internet access) Lots of space Easy to update Very cheap Different formats: text, images, audio, video Interactive, dialogue possible

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Disadvantages of websites Org needs computer, software, skills, connectivity Users also need computer, skills and connectivity Access can be slow Access only in cities, only for richer clientele Hard to get people to visit your site

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Creating a website You create website on your computer You upload it to the Internet Users visit the website and download information from it Users can interact with site (eg, post comments, send , fill in forms)

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan So do you need a website? Yes! Even if it’s only one page Absolute minimum  Your organization’s name  What it does  How to get in touch Perhaps part of larger site (eg, parent organization or ministry)

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan More than the minimum? Publications News, events Description of activities, services and outputs Information about your organization’s topic area Links to other sites and useful information Organizational structure Staff list Online services Etc…

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan What you need for a website Equipment Services Software Design Content Management

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan What you need for a website Equipment  Computer, modem, phone line Services  Internet service provider account  Webhosting account (this gives you a domain name eg Software  Web design software (FrontPage, Dreamweaver…)  Graphics software (Photoshop, Corel, Photodraw…)  Uploading software (FTP) (Filezilla, WS_FTP…)  Web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox…)

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan What you need for a website Design  Structure of site  Format, styles, layout Content  Text and graphics to put on the website  Constant updates Management  Skills to gather and rewrite info for web  Skills to design site  Skills to manage computers and use software  Organizational structure to get info from different units  Funding

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Designing a website 1. Who is audience for your website? 2. What are your website’s objectives? 3. Decide general design, appearance and layout 4. Decide on content 5. Decide on software to use 6. Decide who will create and maintain the site 7. Create site 8. Upload 9. Test 10. Launch site 11. Manage 12. Update

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Do it in-house, or contract it out? Questions  Do you have the resources (staff, skills, computer, connectivity)?  How much work will it take? (complex, frequent updates)  How much will it cost? Alternatives  Do it all in-house  Contract out the design, then do updates in-house  Contract out all design and management

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Do it in-house, or contract it out? Design and manage the website yourself if…  Small, simple website  Few updates  Skilled computer operator  Good connectivity  Big organization with necessary staff and skills Contract an outsider if…  Large, complex website  Frequent updates  No computer skills  Poor connectivity

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Website content Useful and of interest to users Rewrite info for web  Short, “chunked” text  Use headings, bullets, boldface Avoid long pages Simple, easy navigation Provide access to documents: journals, newsletters, reports, etc  PDF or HTML formats

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Website content Update regularly to keep site fresh  Separate content into “stable” and “changeable”  Consider using a blog for news Use graphics  Use attractive images (photos, graphics)  But use sparingly  No fancy moving graphics

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Announcing your website Register with search engines (Yahoo, Google…) Put web address on letterhead, business cards, signboards, publications, news releases… Announce website to members, clients and partners Announce website in meetings, events, visits Put web address on signature line of s Ask other webadmins to put link to your site

Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan Evaluating websites Information available?  Does the site tell you what you want to know? Easy to navigate?  Is it easy to find the information you want? Easy to read?  Can you understand what is said? Downloads quickly?  Does the info come up immediately, or you have to wait?

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