The Web Management Community:
Past, Present And Future

Brian Kelly

UKOLN

The Past

• Enthusiam
• Learning from the gurus
• Sharing, working in a community
• Hoping to find the 'answer':
  • Open standards
  • XML
  • CMSs
  • The xyZ CMS
  • Open Source Software
  • Universal Web accessibility based on a simple checklist
  • A Web Strategy
  • ...

The Present

The position today:

• Realisation that this isn't 'an answer'
• Stronger community

In brief:

• We know we're not looking for a destination
• The point is the journey:
  • Are we heading in the right direction?
  • How shall we travel?
  • Who will we meet on the way?

The Future

How shall we travel:

• Need to build on events (e.g. IWMW) and mailing lists

What can be done:

• Innovative technologies
• Strengthened regional activities
• Openness e.g. building on QA Focus's Briefing Documents - available under a CC licence (see paper)
• The mixed economy: open and proprietary solutions
• The Professional Web Manager
• ...

The Future (2)

Innovative technologies:

• We've seen them in use
• We should be gaining experience:
  • Staff and students will be using them in any case
  • If they are flawed (security, performance, rights, equal access, ... issues) we'll need to have strong arguments for banning them!
• It's OK if they're not to everybody's taste - we don't all have the same learning styles
• Would email take off if it was released today!?

The Future (3)

Professionalism:

• Is there a need for a more formal approach to professionalisation of the Web Management community?
• Can we build on Netskills Professional Development Certificate Programme?
• Meeting with WOW at WWW 2005 conference in May 2005

The Future (4)

Regional (or Distributed) Activities:

• Time to revisit? (Centralised activity is difficult to scale)
• Forum to (a) Address issues relevant to you & your neighbours and (b) Tap into expertise you don't have

What could be done?

• Use a Wiki to create a communal "Web Managers Guide" (cf. UCISA's Information Officer's Handbook)
• Web usage counter across University (404) pages
• WebWatch-style auditing (e.g. portal usage)
• Develop a web-support FAQ

• You share your thoughts!

Over To Duncan

What are your thoughts?

Feel free to add comments by:

• Using the Wiki
• Discussing your ideas in the instant messaging room

Meanwhile Duncan Ireland will give his thoughts ...