Transcript Getting your message across

Websites
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
1
What is a website?
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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
www.mamud.com
2
Why a website? (1)
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Provide information
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Contact details, list of staff,
Provide access to documents
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Newsletters
Annual reports
Technical documents
Research results
Press releases
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
3
Why a website? (2)
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Show visuals
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Allow interaction
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Photos, diagrams, etc.
Allow people to ask questions
Get feedback
Sell products
Archive and retrieve information
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Reliable filing system
Most recent version always available
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
4
Advantages of websites
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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
www.mamud.com
5
Disadvantages of websites
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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
www.mamud.com
6
Creating a website
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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 email, fill in forms)
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
7
So do you need a website?
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Yes!
Even if it’s only one page
Absolute minimum
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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
www.mamud.com
8
More than the minimum?
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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
www.mamud.com
9
What you need for a website
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Equipment
Services
Software
Design
Content
Management
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
10
What you need for a website
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Equipment
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Services
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Computer, modem, phone line
Internet service provider account
Webhosting account (this gives you a domain name eg
www.mamud.com
Software
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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
www.mamud.com
11
What you need for a website
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Design
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Content
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Structure of site
Format, styles, layout
Text and graphics to put on the website
Constant updates
Management
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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
www.mamud.com
12
Designing a website
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Who is audience for your website?
What are your website’s objectives?
Decide general design, appearance and layout
Decide on content
Decide on software to use
Decide who will create and maintain the site
Create site
Upload
Test
Launch site
Manage
Update
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
13
Do it in-house, or contract it out?
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Questions
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Do you have the resources (staff, skills, computer,
connectivity)?
How much work will it take? (complex, frequent
updates)
How much will it cost?
Alternatives
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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
www.mamud.com
14
Do it in-house, or contract it out?
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Design and manage the website yourself if…
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Small, simple website
Few updates
Skilled computer operator
Good connectivity
Big organization with necessary staff and skills
Contract an outsider if…
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Large, complex website
Frequent updates
No computer skills
Poor connectivity
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
15
Website content
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Useful and of interest to users
Rewrite info for web
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Short, “chunked” text
Use headings, bullets, boldface
Avoid long pages
Simple, easy navigation
Provide access to documents: journals,
newsletters, reports, etc
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PDF or HTML formats
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
16
Website content
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Update regularly to keep site fresh
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Separate content into “stable” and “changeable”
Consider using a blog for news
Use graphics
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Use attractive images (photos, graphics)
But use sparingly
No fancy moving graphics
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
17
Announcing your website
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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 emails
Ask other webadmins to put link to your site
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
18
Evaluating websites
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Information available?
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Easy to navigate?
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Is it easy to find the information you want?
Easy to read?
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Does the site tell you what you want to know?
Can you understand what is said?
Downloads quickly?
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Does the info come up immediately, or you have
to wait?
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
19
A possible website structure
Home
News
Activities
About us
Publications
N Region
Mission
Newsletter
W Region
History
Reports
C Region
Services
Farmers’
guides
Contact
Links
Search
Staff
directory
Paul Mundy and Bob Huggan
www.mamud.com
20