What the hell, I replied directly to Brian but this list may as well
seem my ramblings!
> I've just managed the project for the new OU home page/site (still in
> beta - and with conceptiual flaws - but live!!!!) - my top ten, very
> quickly off the top of my head:
>
> 1 - convincing people this is serious
> 2 - institutional buy-in to the importance of the website (3000
> searches are being made per day by external users on our site, 1600
> requesrts for brochures are processed each week). The website has to
> be managed by technically and communications (ie PR and Marketing)
> literative staff. It is not a task for Grade 1/2 staff who can hack
> webpages.
> 3 - it is NOT a bolt on extra - to be a functional website you must be
> interactive (ie for establishments such as ours that deal with distant
> students build tools so students can reserve places on a course (for
> those of outside UCAS!), do actual transactions etc)
> 4 - establishing the recognition it is a communications process, not a
> technical one (and hence needs liaison between PR, Marketing,
> Computing Services, Student Services etc)
> 5 - money (compare advertising spend and webspend????)
> 6 - getting the right staff (or buying in the right consultancy - we
> did both)
> 7 - everyone wants to be on the web (but maybe shouldn't be) - ie
> learning to say NO
> 8 - control (or recognising you can't, or shouldn't try to 'control'
> tightly Uni websites) - so it is really web coordination or
> facilitation NOT management
> 9 - web management!!!!!!!! how do you manage a coral reef that grows
> organically and limpet like? Webmonkey has something to say about this
> - if you are managing staff creating webpages, the problem is you also
> need to know the technical stuff (ie I am comfortable with fairly
> sophisticated websites using frames, tables, and some javascript - but
> when am I going to find time for CSS, DHTML etc). You have to be able
> to converse, and make management decisions on what level of HTML to go
> for
> 10 - time
>
> Sorry, rushed but I thought I'd add my tuppence worth - over the last
> year I've seen Brian's e-mails on this subject but I've been too busy
> to contribute!
>
> Ian
>
> Ian Roddis Electronic Media Co-ordinator
Communications Group The Open University
> +44 (0)1908 653 430 http://www.open.ac.uk/
>
>
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