Download Managing Web Site, is there a better way? or ’Twas the

Managing Monash
Web Sites:
The Holy Grail
Aaron Wigley,
Monash University
September 30th, 1998
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Act I:
The Problem
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Our Hero Ventures Forth
… rushing forth in search of the
Holy Grail of Flexible
Learning...
our hero stumbles to a stop
asking “Where’s the
infrastructure?”
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
What sort of Infrastructure?
• Some place to store the documents
• Sidekicks, er, a Support Team
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Dragons to Slay on the Way...
There are a number of challenges before
our team.
• Time,
• Budget,
• Politics,
• Standards.
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
The Dragon
of Time
• Deadlines. Start of Year. Start of
Semester. Open Day.
• Short time-lines
• Documents break over time. Links
change, content expires.
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
The Dragon
of Budget
• Funding cuts - how do we put on extra
sidekicks to handle all the heroes?
• Staff training
• Tools cost money too
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
The Dragon
of Politics
• Pages have requirements. There are
Monash standards.
• Copyright.
• Approval.
• Disclaimers.
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
The Dragon
of Standards
• Standards, so many to choose from?
Where do you invest the effort?
• Actually, this dragon is on our side. Open
Standards are designed to minimize
overall effort.
• Standard documents provide a framework
for automation, saving time.
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Act II:
In an Ideal World
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Let’s write a book...
• Why can’t we think of a web site as a
complex book?
• Someone thinks of an idea,
• Then writes the content,
• Then it is edited,
• And finally, published.
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Printed Book Process
Concept
Authoring
Editing
Publication
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
But we aren’t quite there yet...
• Content is not always recorded in HTML
first.
• Official documents need approval.
• What about next semester/year? Will it
need revising?
• This suggests a Cycle.
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Possible Document Life Cycle
Editing
Validation
Mark Up
Approval
Authoring
Publication
Concept
Revision
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Isn’t this a little Complicated?
• You bet!
• It can be made easier. Stages can be
merged together, or even automated.
• Examples:
– Mark-Up is eliminated if the content is
authored in HTML first.
– Validation is the province of machines.
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
So what do we really need?
• A largely automated framework, with
minimal human intervention:
• Content authors submit work,
• Editors edit the content,
• Authority approves the document,
• Periodically someone checks it for
accuracy of content.
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
From One Document to the
Next
• Documents do not live in isolation from
one another.
• Some sort of site structure is required.
• There should be sufficient information on
every document to locate it uniquely
within the site
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
We Also Need a Team
•
•
•
•
Webmaster
HTML author(s)
Graphic Designer/Artist
Programmer(s)
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
The Webmaster
• Responsible for the site as a whole
• There is a Monash Webmaster Policy
• Has editorial control over entire site
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Monash Webmaster
Responsibilities
• “Webmasters should be aware of and
readily contactable about their
administrative area's Web presence.
• Webmasters should be aware of current
Monash WWW policy relevant to their
area's Web presence.
• Webmasters will be expected to provide
initial directions to site authors.”
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
HTML Authors
• Take content and turns it into HTML
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Graphic Designer/Artist
• Fulfills the role of illustrator, layout artist,
and creator of incidental images
• Graphic Development for the Web panel,
2:00pm today
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Programmers
• Develop CGI, JavaScript, Java etc.
applications for tailored tasks
• Essential for interactivity
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Act III:
Case Study: Psychology
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Alas...
• We don’t stick truly to this model
• Attempted implementation at start of
1998
• Ran out of time
• Currently low on HTML talent within the
department
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Instead...
•
•
•
•
•
•
Academics generate the content in Word
Send it for publication
It is marked up
Approved by hand
Published directly
Validated online (live)
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Design Choices
• Use University’s central webservers
– cheaper
– reduced workload
• Directory structure
– changed drastically from 1997
– now more resilient to change
• Use CSS at lower levels
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Priorities
• Student Material (November - February)
• Open Day (June-August)
• Next-Year Enrolments (August-October)
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Site Navigation
• Site is organized in a directory tree
structure
• Every document has links back to all
documents “above it”
Demonstration
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Authorization
• An attempt is made to comply with the
Monash Style Guidelines
• Every official page needs someone to
authorize it.
• Psychology does approval by hand
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Publication
• Development copy is kept in the
V:\PSYCH\ directory
• When ready, uploaded to
www.sci.monash.edu.au
• Frequently work is done directly online
• Other trusted staff may have direct access
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Security
• Under the one site we wish to have both
public and private information
• Use by-machine restrictions
• Use LDAP password restrictions
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
Validation
• In-house program performs site-wide
validation automatically on the live site
• Produces comprehensive summaries and
reports
• Runs daily to pick up any changes
Have a look now
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley
In Conclusion
• A large investment in resources is needed
if you want to do the job properly
• Planning, with thought as to what you
want online, and when.
• Automation is your friend
• Good Luck
Managing Web Sites, Aaron Wigley