What’s All This About the Web?

What’s All This About the Web?

An Experienced Web Master Presents Tips For Building And Maintaining Your Web Site.

A t NIE2001 in Denver, Jill Armstrong, Web master for the Denver Newspaper Agency led a presentation about creating an NIE Web site with limited staff and money. Here are 10 steps taken from that presentation:

1. Start out with a plan that keeps it simple and provides for the means to keep the site updated. You can:

a. Do it yourself. The advantages to this are that new software makes it relatively easy, and you have the most control. But make sure you prioritize—keep it current and don’t have pages under construction.
b. Work with online staff. Ask how often they will update the site. Are there updates you can do yourself? Make a friend on your online staff.
c. Hire a professional. What is the total cost? How are new pages added? How are updates made? What are those costs? Make sure it is created in a user-friendly software. Have one area you update yourself.
d. Use a college intern. This is good for both building and updating a Web site. This can be cost-effective and can help with student appeal. Try to reward your intern with company perks.

2. Decide on your market. Will your site be for teachers (classroom use), parents and/or students (home use)? What will you want to accomplish first? Will you want online ordering?

3. There is no typical site layout. You can choose to be compatible with your newspaper, your brochure, or be creative.

4. Try to get folks to visit and visit often. Use print products to support the site—business cards, letterhead, newspaper ads, in-paper features, brochures, fliers, promotional items (magnets, computer screen cleaners). Make sure everything you print has your Web address. Remind teachers to bookmark your site. Ask teachers to refer the site to other teachers.

5. Utilize your newspaper’s Web site. Try to get a link to the NIE site from the home page (and don’t forget to link back). Try to get links from other educational Web sites.

6. Make updates regularly. Update at least one thing often, preferably on the front page. Put features that teachers need or want online. Develop a schedule for updates and keep to it. Features to include onsite include: list of curriculum guides, calendar, online order forms, contact information, overflow from in-paper content.

7. Have page for teacher or student recognition, such as student honor rolls and teacher awards. But don’t have chat rooms or bulletin boards for students. Online contests can be excellent for cross promotions. But don’t ask students under age 13 to enter a contest online.

8. Pay attention to copyright issues. Curriculum guides written outside your department, serialized fiction and syndicated materials not purchased for the Web cannot be posted online. Also be aware of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/privacyinitiatives/childrens.html). This applies to online collection of personal information from children under 13. You must obtain parental consent. Consult a lawyer to make sure of compliance.

9. Evaluate what you’re doing. Keep site statistics like most requested pages, top entry pages, top exit pages, average visitor session length and most active days. Consult focus groups and advisory boards. Seek evaluations. Obtain and use statistics and teacher input.

10. Review. Keep it simple. Start small and build on your foundation. Know your market. Pick features that your teachers will like, want and need.  Evaluate and update. Create deadlines for updates and keep to them.

Jill Armstrong is the Stock Market Game coordinator and NIE Web master for the Denver Newspaper Agency.

Published Aug 23, 2001