WebJunction

@Copyright 2004, TechSoup, a project of CompuMentor, with 2008 updates by WebJunction.

Getting started

Now that you have a team, and you are well aware of what you want to tackle, you should think about the look and feel of your site. In this section, we will discuss the Web site development process, which is essentially project management. Here are some questions to help you get a flavor of what your site should include.

Elements to consider:

Audience

1. Who is your Web audience, how would they find your site, what are they looking for?

2. Why would they return to your site?

3. What level of technology is your audience likely to have access to (fast or slow computers, fast or slow modems, recent or outdated Web browsers, high- or low-quality monitors?)

4. What is the skill level of your audience: beginner, intermediate, or expert?

5. How does this audience differ from other audiences you might want to target (i.e., with other media, such as print, radio, or telephone)?

Impact

1. What overall impression, experience or look and feel do you hope to convey?

2. Is your Web site accessible to all your users?

3. Does it use language that is easily understood?

4. Is it an appropriate visual representation of your library?

Start to think about backgrounds and fonts. Backgrounds should be light and muted. Different fonts have distinct psychological effects on users, but it's advisable to stay within the standard serif and sans serif fonts used for text writing on the Web: Times, Arial, Courier, Geneva, Georgia, and Verdana.

Decorative fonts may be fun but they can be distracting. On some computers, they may be hard to read, especially if viewers do not have a particular font on their systems.

Identity

Are there certain logos, colors, or photos that you want to include? If there are certain visual cues that represent your library to the public, try to implement them in your site.

Content

1. What content should be available on your Web site?

2. How much of this content can be gathered in digital format?

3. Which content lends itself to on-screen viewing and which needs to be available in downloadable or printable format?

Structure

After thinking about your audience and content categories and how this Web site will reflect your organization's character, what structures emerge?

1. Will it be important to construct the Web site so that content is presented to different audiences in different ways?

2. What are the most important elements to keep close to the top of the site window?

3. What are the navigational concerns (simplicity, consistency, going anywhere from anywhere, presenting a broad range of options)?

4. How will the structure of your Web site reflect the structure of the library?

TechSoup recommends that you start with a simple site and get your own domain name. A domain name is the location of your Web site on the Internet; your unique Web address. Top-level domains include the ubiquitous .com, .org, .edu, .net, and others. Second-level domains contain the familiar words or abbreviations associated with your library.

A domain by any other name...

Having your own domain name (e.g.,www.mylibrary.org) is, of course, preferable. Before you decide to buy a domain name, think about how your site is being hosted. If your regional or state library system is hosting your Web site, that system might dictate what kind of domain name you have to use. Many libraries have Web sites as a sub-web of their library system, in that they carry the .lib name within the .us domain, and there many that have their own .org domain name. If you are paying an ISP to host your site or you are hosting it yourself, you can pick your domain name yourself, provided someone else isn't already using it

Moreover, some libraries that have their Web site as part of their regional system's domain have their own .org sites for their Friends of the Library or library foundation. There is no set rule and thus the practice will vary widely all over the US.

Think of your domain name as an extension of your library. Your domain name is unique, almost like a signature. Your domain name should appear on your business cards, letterhead, e-mail signature, and promotional materials.

Be cautious about using free Web hosts for your domain name. In exchange for their service, many free Web hosts will include their own domain name in the string of your URL and will include popup ads for their sponsors on your Web site. This is how they can offer the hosting service free of charge. Examples of some of the more popular free web hosting services are Geocities and Tripod. However, this is disadvantageous to libraries, it makes it difficult for the user to locate your library's Web address., It also makes your site seem less professional.

For example: www.nypl.com is more intuitive to the user than www.freehost/~nypl/home.html. It is also easier to remember and to transcribe. TechSoup recommends owning your own domain name -- it is the affordable and logical choice if you have that option. Another benefit to having your own domain name is that it is portable. If you change your ISP, your domain name and your e-mail address go with you. Domain names are still relatively inexpensive, but today, prices vary widely according to deals available from various Web hosting companies. Domain names are administered on a first-come, first-serve basis by a name registering service such as: Network Solutions, Register.Com or Name Secure. Your Web hosting service will register the domain name for your library, but this may add a small fee to your Web-hosting package. It is a good idea to secure your domain name as soon as you decide to develop a Web site. This will prevent your domain name from being taken by someone else.

Who will do it?

Now you have examined all the conceptual stuff that is behind a well-organized Web site. The next question that you need to ask is whether or not to do it yourself. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options.

If you have the budget, and your site is somewhat complex, go with a Web developer. If your site is of the online-brochure genre, and doing it yourself is the only way in which your library will have a Web site, then use the Web Development Worksheet and try it yourself.

If you get an outside Web developer:

The benefit of outside Web developers is that they know more than you do about creating a successful Web site. They know what you need and don't have and what is out there. When there is a problem, you can call the consultant. Keep in mind that a Web developer will not automatically maintain and update your content for you. There will be additional charges for this service. It is a good idea to hire a Web developer that will help empower your library to continue the work. A good Web site is always a work in progress.

Some Web developers may agree to design a library's Web site free of charge, in order to have it in their portfolio. You can post a request for a pro bono Web developer in a listserv, such as San Francisco Women on the Web. There are options at your local high school computer classes or Community College Computer Sciences department as well. Is there a class that would like to take on your site as a project?

When you hire a Web developer, you should consider that the more focused and organized you and your library is before you hire the consultant, the less expensive and more appropriate your site will be.

When you hire a Web developer (or get started with a volunteer), there are some concepts you need to be clear on from the start.

• What you want your site to say.

• Who your audience will be.

• The look and feel of your site (for this, you should have an idea of other sites that you want to emulate).

• How much time and money your library is prepared to spend on the site.

• What kind of functionality do you want from your site? (What do you want your site to do -- does it have online forms? Is information going to be submitted and stored on the host's server? Is the site database-driven?)

• Do you have flexibility in your needs and/or budget?

If you decide to create a Web site, and do it yourself, remember:

• Plan your Web site thoroughly.

• Make sure information is easy to access.

• Provide an index or table of contents.

• Include a navigational bar on all pages.

• Keep your home page clean and crisp.

• Limit the number of graphics on a page.

• Always remember the text users who cannot view graphics.

• Provide your contact information in several places (preferably all pages) on your site.

• Always use width and height tags for images.

• Keep the load time of each page under one minute.

Simple and interactive

Make sure to include a section in your site for feedback. Feedback can be implemented in a number of different ways. The simplest is an HTML "mailto" link. This uses the browser's built-in e-mail feature to link to the user's default e-mail program. The disadvantage is that not everyone will have their browser e-mail configured that way, so it might not work as a link. To avoid any problems, it is always safe to make sure your e-mail address is clearly visible on the page. E-mail forms can also be implemented using CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts, but these require more advanced technical skills.

It is important to start as simply as possible. A site that is too graphically complex will take a long time to load and you will lose viewers who have older computers and browser versions. You do not want a site that relies on DHTML (Dynamic HTML) or complicated scripting.

Web development resources

InfoWebLinks has more information and links to online resources and reviews of web authoring tools.

Unesco provides several HTML and Web writing tutorial links.

If you aren't too insecure to identify with the title, check out HTML Tutorials For The Complete Idiot.

Joe Burns' site, HTML Goodies is considered a primary beginning Web developer's resource.