WWW Management Issues – parallel session

· Information Flow

· Issues

All publications / data are associated with people and processes

No one person is necessary clear or who and what is attached to the production, distribution and use of data and publications. Some of these people and processes cross traditional administrative boundaries within UKC HE institutions.

There is no 1:1 correlation between audience, product and providers. Authoring does not equal responsibility.

If you structure your site according to internal administrative structure – what do when it changes? Is it a good model anyway even if it doesn’t change?

· Solutions

1. Audit of publication process – document tracking metadata
2. Analysis of the audit
3. Rationalisation of this for web management

· Practical suggestions

All publications included metadata and a checklist of stages of life. This is comprehensive and lends itself to control but is also laborious – resource intensive and demands much user education

Document Management System

Qualitative analysis of information flow

• Quality and timeliness of the information
• Duplication of information
• Cost effectiveness of the information
• Cost Benefit Analysis between paper and web
• Publicity, navigation – retrievability and access

Post production market research of info flow.

Identifying audience and their requirements

Who – what they visit, where they are from, why they are visiting – interrogate users – invite feedback – registration – guest book and where do they go! Do they ever come back?

Do we prioritise some info flow above all others based on our evaluation and analysis?

Try using a conceptual approach to design at the top level and avoid letting internal structure affect this. Use tours – technologically possible and nice (see UKOLN software for touring home pages and libraries within UK HE on their web site) which are specifically audience targeted for your main user bases (prospective students, new students, new staff etc.).

· Recommendations

A UK HE standard of metadata and XML that has direct relevance to our work and processes that is acknowledged across the Internet.

More work encouraging and training senior management and departmental management to have a firmer, better documented handle on the documentation and data process involved in sharing and working in UK HE and within institutions.

Help from national bodies on how to carry out market research on visitors to UKC HE websites.

· Discussion

Does this imply central control?

Aren’t all adults (i.e. students and staff) responsible enough to be allowed to publish unmonitored?

Market research – where is it for the web and how do you do it?

How do you know? What recommendations – metadata standards and metadata for process

Comments from students

How did you find us?

Central image – branding etc.

Where did you come from – which sites?

· AUP

· Key issues and possibilities

a. Liability – key issue

Print is same as online

Validity of disclaimers – are they – how many pages need them? You can make the situation worse!

b. Control of servers (unofficial)

Part of student experience is publishing web – also departmental and splinter servers.

Is there a technical solution?

Take action when problems occur

a. Acceptable Use Policy

Action when people don’t conform – needs management backing

Persuading people to conform

Consultation with bodies and not just top down

Must be enforceable

For all electronic mediums

· Tips

Show that you are aware and active by having rules/guidelines and publicise these

If you become aware of a problem, take action to address it

Trademark logos

Involve student union

· National Body recommendations

1. Obtain legal advice on liability and info on disclaimers on behalf of the community,
2. Produce a model AUP for all HE

· Discussion

JISC – would they do this? Yes – part of JISC re-invention

Is anything being done on disclaimers and copyright notices that people can use? Copyright is covered – see Library Association – published document.

· Supporting Information Providers

The group looked at the people who want to publish or who are – what are the problems and what can we do?

· Issues and solutions

· Web authoring

Problem

• Housestyle – internet – intranet
• Tools
• Skill spread
• Maintenance

Solution

• Good tools – standard tools
• Management backing
• Good guidelines and documentation
• Give maintenance responsibility to information provider – not CS

· Resources

Problem

· Time

· Equipment / tools / software / etc…

Solutions

• Management involvement – why put up with bad internet publishing when you won’t accept bad paper?
• Back End Support – technology to do it
• Pilot projects: encourage enthusiasts or they will give up or do it themselves.

· Lack of management involvement

This is the problem!!!!!

Solutions

• Executive briefing
• Facts and figures – case studies
• Point out the competition
• Point out the benefits

· Hot Tips

• GET A GOOD TOOL with web management facilities – e.g. FrontPage98
• Anticipate demand
• Encourage pilot projects – work with the pioneers.

· Recommendations

• Free deals for training / evaluation of software suites
• TQA to take e-distribution into account
• Specific training and seminars for webmasters

· Discussion

• Archiving
• Housestyle
• Text editor or tool – fp98 evaluation copy?
• Tea and sympathy
• How about do it for them for money – CBA? – how about keeping up-to-date?

· Promoting the Service

· Key issues

1. Backing of senior management
2. Fear of new technology
3. Change of culture

· Solutions

1. Sell to senior managers

be visual

marketing benefits

cost savings

internal management benefits

what are others doing

Then get managers to sell downwards – ladder of authority

2. How much expertise will be required of providers?

html training for providers

middleman system

automatic conversion system – e.g. Document Management System.

Emphasise benefits

long term decreased workload

more interesting work for providers

freely available information.

Encourage interest in other sites, both internal and external

web surfing is healthy within reason.

3. How to move away from paper culture?

How to encourage trust in web versions? – possible use of expiry dates and automated updating.

Gradually improved knowledge of who does what

less enquiries by phone and paper.

Emphasise rewards

Time

Cost

information availability

increased skills.

· Hot tips

• Get sales pitch right at each level.
• Decide on level of skills required and promote accordingly
• Must have management backing
• Emphasise rewards
• Publicise success stories

· Recommendations

Is there research into how effective universities’ web sites are?

Encourage web tools research with recommendations and training materials on-line.

· Discussion

Raise of expectations – about maintenance and validity of information – users more aware of information

Re-grading carrot could be used for secretarial, clerical, administrative staff etc.

· Ongoing work recommended by the session

• Standardised metadata
• Legal advice
• Model AUP
• Chest deals / eval.
• TQA and e-publishing
• More webmaster training
• Measures of effectiveness
• More web tools research and online training.