Hi Rick,

>To save another post (sighs of relief from all :-), Mike McConnell said:-
>
>"Departments should of course be able to control their own content, but
>they are not independent entities and I would question whether they should
>be able to publish materials without at least some form of centralised
>editorial control."
>
>This sounds like a recipe for disaster unless handled very carefully.  I
>make small updates virtually every day so to have these vetted would be
>unworkable.  If Mike meant that the overall content be vetted - who is to
>judge what is relevant to the needs of a particular department?
>Departments have a range of "customers" with very varied needs and I
>don't believe that anyone would be capable of grasping these for every
>department in an institution.


My concern is not to decide what is relevant to the needs of a particular
department. Nor, obviously, would I wish to vet every single update you
make. It is the _institution's_ concern, however, that the information any
given department puts up is accurate, authoritative: the definitive version
that supports the institution's objectives. Given resource constraints,
having a centralised web team is, in my opinion, the best way to exercise
this form of editorial control.

This does NOT mean:

- pulling the plug on your site
- telling you your subject specialisms
- imposing a top down 'solution'

It does mean, however, ensuring that:

- department sites are accessible
- departments are not duplicating information provided elsewhere, or
information they do not 'own', such as clearing information, recruitment
information
- appropriate language is used (international audience, prospective students)
- information is structured logically
- information is relevant and timely
- contact details are available
- pages work across browsers/operating systems/screen resolutions
- copyright is not being breached with images or other content
- course material is correct (contractual implications)

I could go on, of course.

I don't doubt for a minute, that you, personally, Rick, do all this
already. But what if you were to leave? What if the person to whom site
maintenance fell was not as thorough/literate/technically skilled as you?
We're all pretty much agreed that the HEI web sites are under-resourced and
that we rely on the good will of departmental enthusiasts to maintain
sites. There are plenty of departments in my institution who do a wonderful
and creative job of maintaining their sites; equally there are those who do
not. That is why some form of centralised co-ordinating/editorial/support
service is so important.

A second point is that a departmental site should not just reflect the
particular concerns of the department, but should also have esprit de
corps; viz., it should assist and support the institution (of which it is a
constituent part) in reaching its goals: it is a two way street!

 > who is to judge what is relevant to the needs of a particular department?

Quis custodiet ipso custodes, eh?

Quite, but equally it is not the role of the department (alone) to decide
institutional objectives, by its independent actions. It should be a
partnership, not a competition!

And now I'm off to the pub. Have a good weekend.

Mike


------------
Mike McConnell
Web Team Manager
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http://www.abdn.ac.uk/web

University of Aberdeen
Directorate of Information Systems and Services
Edward Wright Building
Dunbar Street
Aberdeen
AB 24 3UF
Tel: +44 (0)1224 27 2602
Fax: +44 (0)1224 27 3372