| Work Flow
by Toni and Daniel Will-Harris Making it easier to produce and maintain your site, from ideas to finished pages. If you've been working on your site, you know there's a lot more to it than just "making pages." Even once your site is "done" the work continues on a regular basis. Because the Web is never done, you need to get yourself into a routine, so you can get it done (at least for now). In this four part series, you'll learn ways to help organize your people and files, efficiently edit your articles, then bring
everything together in your web building program. Part 1: The People Process: Since everything you do involves people (even the technology stuff), you have to plan for your people; otherwise your technology is meaningless.Finding a routine: Whether you prefer to use strict schedules or more general to-do lists, it is important to follow a process that works for you.Coming up with ideas:
Ask your writers, read your e-mail, pay attention to the things you're doing and learning, and keep an ideas file.The writers: Create a guide so writers know what to expect and you'll know what you're getting; fend off the excuses and involve them in the process; and give 'em credit.You're the boss:
Listen to other people, but you have the final say.Assignments and articles: After making an assignment, ask your writers for an outline
; give them a clear deadline; and read the article as soon as it arrives to
head off potential problems. Part 2—Files and Folders: This is the side where you work with computer files from start to the finish of your Web page  |
The People Process Some people try to plan their Web process before they start.
The problem with this is that until you are actually in the process, doing it, it's almost impossible to really see what needs to be done and when.Each project starts to have a life of its own—every one is different. So rather than trying to nail things down in advance, it can be best to create a simple plan, then see how things actually work. Find out who's always on time and who's always late. Keep track of the technical difficulties you
encounter and make sure you "factor them in" to your plans. Once you know what you need and how long things take, then you can come up with a routine and help make the process easier from issue to issue (or update to update). There are many ways to get the job done—the trick is finding the process you're most comfortable with, the one that works for you.  Schedules
Some people like to create strict schedules (and that can be necessary when a lot of people are involved in the process). These people create flow charts (charts that show the steps and
paths in a project) and Gantt charts (a Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that graphically displays the time relationships between the different tasks in a project.). They like everything planned down to the minute. If that works for you, that's great. To-do lists We personally just like to keep simple lists of what needs to
be done, and when. That way we can look ahead, see what we need to do, and get it done. While deadlines should be part of updating a site on a regular basis, we know from years of experience in publishing that even when you have firm deadlines, other people often don't meet them. So rigid schedules can just make you unhappy when other people can't meet those dates. We find that a more flexible system is less stressful, and usually just as efficient.  Content
One of the most difficult parts of keeping a site current is actually getting the new content—the text, graphics, and "specials" that you need
to keep your site interesting to regular visitors, and useful to your organization. Coming up with ideas It can be difficult to come up with all of the ideas yourself. If you're working with people who have specialties, it's a good idea to give people "columns" or "standing" assignments
based on their areas of expertise. Make it their responsibility to come up with topics and deliver material on a regular basis. This gives them responsibility and "ownership" in the process.There are lots of ways to come up with ideas: - Have your columnists come up with them (always a good way!).
- Pay attention to what you're doing yourself. It's best to try to be personally involved in whatever it is you're
creating content about. Then, when you do whatever it is, you can have first-hand experience and write about things people need to know—even before they ask about it!
- Read your e-mail and pay attention to it. You should solicit and get reader feedback, and this will give you a lot of ideas on what people want to know about.
It's helpful to keep one large word processing file just for ideas. You can even create a macro in your word
processor that opens that file with just a few keystrokes or clicks. That way, when you get an idea, you can jot it down quickly, and everything's in one place. If you use Word's outlining feature, you can also more easily and quickly organize your ideas as you have them. To read about outlining, click here.Then, when looking at the ideas, expand them by creating a small outline with a few points that help turn it from a simple idea, into a more clearly defined piece. Think of each outline item as a section in the article and you'll be able to create a full article outline in four to six lines. Reading your e-mail not only builds a better relationship with your readers, it can also help you learn what your
readers want to know and supply you with article ideas that help your readers answer their questions. Site fixes: It's inevitable that you'll find things once you publish, so it's good to keep a small Windows notepad that you can call up quickly to make notes of anything that needs to be done on the site. Handing out assignments
Make them short and clear, and include a small outline when you can so writers know exactly what you're looking for. Don't write it for them, just give them a list of the topics that need to be addressed. If you are going to assign it, the sooner the better, because then the writer has more time to write it, and it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. It's always better to have too much material in a "stockpile" and make some of it wait, than it is to have too little.
Things don't always work out as planned (surprise, surprise), so it's good to have extra articles you can use at the last minute, just in case. Create a "writers' guide" Create a guide so writers know what to expect. Make it short and sweet, with your purpose (to educate, inform, entertain,
sell, whatever it is) and a sample of the writing style you're looking for (formal, informal, corporate, personal...). Also include technical information about how contributors should send you information. Should they be HTML files? Word files? How should it be formatted? Consider giving contributors a Word .dot template file with the formatting you want—this formatting should translate into your HTML program. For example, if you copy from
Word and paste into NetObjects Fusion, it keeps the fonts, sizes, indents, bullets, and some other formatting features, which makes it faster and easier to format your pages. Explain to writers how you want them to send pictures. In GIF? JPG? Can you translate formats for them? Can you scan for them? And how do they mark where the pictures go? Can they put the pictures directly into Word?  Getting people involved
You may learn, the hard way, that "asking" people to help can result in statements such as our favorite high-tech excuse, "I don't have enough bandwidth." We laughed the first time
we heard this. What it really means is, "I don't have enough time" or, just as often, "I don't care enough to make time and won't get any extra credit if I do."If updating your site is a priority, then it has to be clear to everyone that it's not elective; it's part of their job. Maybe not a big part, but still an important one. You have to explain that when a deadline is missed, everyone can see it. If you aren't getting what you need to get the job done, you
need to talk to someone higher up in the food chain and see if they can help. If they can't, then you need to make it clear to them you don't have the resources you need, and revise what you can realistically accomplish. Where credit's due We recommend that you give your writers credit—put their
names on the articles. Some organizations don't want to do this—they want to make it seem as if their Web content just kind of magically appeared, and that's fine for some things, such as product descriptions. But a person's name (and, better yet, a picture) not only rewards the person who created the content, but also helps your site visitors see the real people behind your organization. It humanizes your site—which helps create a stronger connection between your
visitors and you. Remember, even big companies are made up of people, so creating a more person-to-person and personal approach makes people feel more comfortable at your site. You're the boss When you're the editor or manager of a site, the buck has to stop with you. Yes, a lot of people will try to tell you what to
do and how to do it. And yes, you may actually work for those people (or be married to them). But it's an editor's responsibility to do what's best for the site—even if it means disagreeing with other people. You must always listen to other people's opinions and suggestions—and you can often learn from them. But you also have to be the final say. While large sites can require many "producers," there should still be only one editor at the
top. If you're running a small business, that person is probably you—so, remember, it's your responsibility, and it should also be your call. Outlines Even if you've supplied a very short outline, it's good to ask the writers to expand on this and give you a heading and a
sentence about each item. That helps you make sure the writer is on the same wavelength as you are. This actually helps save the writer (and yourself) time because it prevents them from writing a whole piece that you might not find acceptable.It also gives the writer the chance to think about the topic in terms of structure, add ideas of their own, or even suggest a different structure that might be better, based on their knowledge.
Be flexible; they may think of different things, or may want to dig into one of your points instead of glossing over all of them. In that case, you may have a series, rather than just one overview.  Deadlines
Make your deadlines clear—that makes it easier for writers because they know when they have to turn something in. Otherwise they can neglect it, or edit it over and over and over. Pad your deadlines. If you need it on Wednesday, make the deadline Monday—that gives you time in case they're late or in case you need more time. Friday deadlines aren't a good idea. Monday deadlines are better, because then
writers have the weekend if they need it. The article It's best to try to read the article as soon as possible. It doesn't have to be a full edit, just a quick read to make sure it's what you expected. That way, if you have questions or comments and need the writer to make more changes, it's
still fresh in their mind. It also gives you more time if changes must be made, because it isn't done at the last minute. If you have major changes, it's always best to ask the writer to make them (if you think they can). Once you've got your people figured out (even if the people involves just you), it's time to read Part II, about the mechanics of putting together your content. About the authors  Daniel Will-Harris is a designer and author whose design and writing work can be found at his Web site. His site features TypoFile
Magazine and EsperFonto, the Web's only typeface selection system. He may be reached via e-mail at daniel@will-harris.com. Toni Will-Harris is a writer, designer, and
naturalist who runs the
Point Reyes Chipmunk Observatory and Gardens. She can be reached at Toni@Will-Harris.com. This picture is neither recent—or actual size.
Illustrations: Amir Bahadori Office Works for Artville.com
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