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Provide depth of
information for those who seek it
Provide an overview of
your site as it becomes complex
Refer to local
organizations to clarify relationships
Link to other Internet
sources that may be appropriate
Collaborate on
overview pages with other organizations
Encourage
communication with persons at your site
Keep material up to
date
Put date and author on
all information
Make material
accessible to those with limited access
Discussion
Much has been written about online "Netiquette" - suggestions for civil behavior by individuals using Internet. This page suggests an additional set of standards for organizations preparing material for Internet use.
A critical advantage of hypertext systems is that material can be "layered" so that detail is available on an "as needed" basis. Recognize the value of more extensive material for those who can use it. Organize material in layers to limit the amount of detail on initial pages.
A first page usually serves as a "table of contents" to a site. But it serves other purposes as well. A first page should not become too complex. When information at a site becomes extensive, it may be best to set up a separate page that summarizes the layout of the site. This may be a simple hierachial outline, a flow chart or some other format.
It may also be appropriate to design access to pages within a site by a variety of different routes. Different users will be approaching the material with different needs.
Particularly complex sites may also set up a text based index allowing a user to specify words to search for within all documents at the site. An index is a more complicated tool for users, but necessary for a large body of material. The process may be made simpler if access can be structured, using a checklist of key themes to guide the search process.
A home page system should recognize the other organizations in the community who do similar or complementary work. "Map out" the relationship between one program and others. In some cases, this may be an actual map showing the service areas this program and other organizations cover. In other cases, the differences may be clarified in a grid that demonstrates the particular services each organization provides and how these are related to one another.
Of course, this is even more important when organizations are a part of a collaboration. In these cases, the collaborative program should be described on a shared home page that states the purpose of the collaborative, the member organizations and the components of the work that each is responsible for.
Some of work of "mapping" the resources in a community may be the product of a community wide collaborative effort as a part of a centralized community resource guide.
Many organizations are part of a national network, organization or association. As national groups begin a comprehensive site, take full advantage of these developments. Reference that site. Keep the site informed of impressions of the work they are doing and other needs. Encourage them to reference local sites.
Support the work of relevant resources on Internet and extend the value of home pages by including links to them. This may include a full list of content specific sites around the world with some brief annotation to point out the most useful sites.
Within agency pages, allow direct links to material elsewhere that fits program purposes. Do not repeat content material locally when another site - perhaps in another city - has organized material in a way that also meets your organization's needs. Point to the pages as they exist at the other site. This also allows taking advantage of changes made by the source.
Be aware, however, that other sites may change. At this early stage many sites are changing "address" references. This is particularly a problem when referencing a sub-page at another site - such as a document. The precise locations of material often shifts as sites are developed. Check occasionally to see that the connections are still accurate.
As material at other sites is found useful, gaps may also be apparent. Find needs that can be addressed by the local organization and create pages meant to complement material from elsewhere. Identify a focused contribution to the Internet community that the local organization can make. Each site can become stronger more quickly through cross references to developing material.
Some critics have concerns that the World Wide Web is a one-way process. It can be, because it is designed to present information to a reader. But feedback and communication systems can and should be built in. Seed pages at a site with footers that contain address for E-mail responses. Organize staff pages with "mail to" features to allow readers to leave brief messages. Consider the use of a forms interface to make leaving messages even easier for a reader.
Another valuable tool is a formal feedback form. Develop a set of questions that allow a reader to evaluate the site and leave comments about its value. Create a form that allows persons to register an interest in a specific program or to communicate a specific concern. Use forms to support transactions - program registration, materials orders, etc
.(See the prior discussion of Communication/ Transactions for more suggestions.)
Material may quickly become out of date. This is especially true for events schedules. When putting up material, schedule its removal or replacement as well. Nothing degrades the impression of a site more than calendars referring to old events. Even if the rest of the site is well maintained, the impression is left that no material can be trusted to be accurate.
Each subset of pages describing staff, events, programs or material should include a name and date at the bottom of the first page. This assures the reader that material is current and allows people to communicate directly with someone when they have questions or feedback about the material.
When reviewing pages at a later date, change the dates to reflect a recognition that the material is still current. However, if formal material has been written for a conference or event, identify the date and purpose for the document as a permanent feature.
Try statements such as:
"These pages prepared by xxx and updated on month xx, 19xx" or
"These pages prepared by xxx and verified on month xx, 19xx"
It is tempting to develop flashy sites with many pictures and graphics. However, this can make a site very unwelcoming to those with slow connections to Internet. Use graphics where they are important. Keep graphic sizes small.
This can be even more of a problem when the site uses graphics as an essential part of navigation to other pages. Graphic "image maps" with "hot spot" selection points are not usable by all web browser software. They are not even visible to those using a text-only connection. Always include text based links, even when "image maps" are the preferred procedure. Give users an option to skip to pages optimized for text if the process of creating a compatible page seems too awkward.
When setting up a graphic to be displayed on a page, include the reference to alternative text ( alt = ... ) to be displayed when a user can not view the graphics.