Introduction
Web publishing can be fun and exciting. It's not particularly difficult and it provides an interesting challenge.
How an individual benefits
The creators of webpages can:
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How an organization benefits
A web server supporting either internal or public information needs can:
- Provide a low cost document distribution system.
- Make databases available yet maintains security.
- Draw on the resources of other Internet information providers to expand and improve service to a target audience.
- Expand service with adding personnel.
- Provide low cost informal online training.
- Offer online help files and manuals.
The Four C's
A good website is built on the foundation of the four c's:
- Content: Make it worth not just an initial visit but also a return visit and perhaps even a bookmark.
- Context: Site location and layout make immediate sense to visitors. The holy grail: An easy to find and use website.
- Contact: Foster communication with visitors/users. Offer alternatives: phone, fax, email, website, street address, and directions. Welcome feedback and collaboration.
- Control: A site that is easy to manage is more likely to be well-maintained and thus more attractive to visitors.
Content repurposing is more than dumping brochures and reports on a website. It includes visualizing new audiences and purposes for work already done. It's about sharing and collaboration. For example, annotated bibliographies, quick quizzes, and newsletters may all add value to a website and prolong the life of work already completed.
Web and website demographics
Web demographics are changing rapidly:
- More women and children are using the Web and in different ways from the "20-to-40 something" males who used to dominate the Net.
- Geek or nerd credentials are no longer required — it is a consumer medium.
- Although home computer ownership continues to be a middle-class (on up) phenomenon, more community centers, libraries, coffee houses, etc. offer free or low cost access to all comers.
- Business and potential business use of the Net dominates the thinking of the folks who are redesigning the cyberspace. Eventually consumer interests and business needs will reach an accommodation as they have with other media like television, radio and newspapers.
- Activists, nonprofits, and groups exiled from the mainstream are discovering the power of the Web as a way to draw attention to their ideas and programs.
- The web more clearly reflects the diversity of society - warts and all.
- Folks still like and use email the most and search the web for information and entertainment.
Before planning a website it is important to have an idea of who the audience is for the site. Unlike Disney, Wal-Mart or Microsoft, you don't have to cater to every possible audience for your website.
- If you teach high school physics, your primary audience is your class. Your secondary audience is other students, colleagues, parents, and your local community. If folks visit your site from Japan, that's nice but they are not your primary or secondary audience. You don't build the site for them.
- If you are a small business owner, your primary audience may be current and potential customers. Your secondary audience may include vendors, media, and your local community. Your pages should reflect the values company.
- If you have a personal website, your primary audience is family and friends. Your secondary audience may include others who share your interests and avocations. Your pages should reflect your personality and interests.
Although it seems silly to have to say it, you are never the primary audience for your webpages.
Once you have clearly defined your audience, you can begin to plan the content and features you need to build into your website. After your site is up, watch your access logs to see what parts of your site attract the most interest. Which sections delay the impulse to continue surfing the longest or generate the most feedback? Why are people visiting your site?
