CLASSROOM 2 Contact us at 303.674.6700 Online curriculum for Intro to Web Design course work: 1. Read through the assignment instructions and accompanying text. 2. Create the projects at the end of chapters. 3. Save to your computer, and print for your own records, then email copies to me as pdf.

This curriculum has seven parts (21 hours of course work):

Syllabus 
CYCLE 7-1   DESIGN FOR THE INTERNET + WEB 

SKILL STANDARD: Theories and Applications 

BENCHMARK: Design-Internet + Web 

In this series of projects you will learn the basics of Internet Design. 
KEY COMPONENTS: Principles and Elements, Company Presence, The Design Challenge, Understanding Business, Design, The Users, The Roles, Client Interviews,
Thinking it Through, Acquisition Marketing, Customer Retention Marketing Tactics, Who Will Do What? And visit some URLs 
Learning Activities: 
1.  Click on the COURSE document to proceed to the assignment list (This matches your blue Task Listing). PRINT OUT AND READ THE GLOSSARY located at the top of the COURSE content page. 
2.  Click on Assignment # 1 to access the first task then move on through # 7. 
3.  Read through the assignment objectives, instructions and accompanying readings or text. 
4.  Do or create the projects at the end of assignments and save work to your Zip disk. 
5.  Also print out projects to the color printer—HP color LaserWriter for pictures-websites or to the LaserWriter 5000 in black for any plain documents. Keep these in your CYCLE 7 section of your notebook for grading. 

Notes: 
    The Netscape window should be only as wide as you can comfortably read the line length. Remember that in good readable text, the line length in not more than 2 1/2 times the text size—in this case 12 pt. so approximately 30 picas wide. After that it is hard to find and read the next line in a body of text. 
    Also remember that page setup will change the horizontal or vertical layout of your page which you may need to take into account to get readable documents printed but if you keep the page at 8.5 inches wide you should get a nice layout to your printouts. 

RUBRIC: The level at which you perform the task. 
Advanced: 100% - Art that is: 
Spotless 
Completed in less time than given 
Shows a higher degree of ideas and concept 

Proficient: 90% - Art that is: 
Cleanly produced 
Completed within time limit 
According to specific directions 

In Progress: 80% - Art that is not: 
Cleanly produced 
Completed within time limit 
According to specific directions 

Course content
CYCLE 7-1.  Design -Internet+Web—7 days or 21 hours.
    This has 7 parts to the assignment with projects included. The main emphasis has you thinking of the client for Web or Internet design. This is becoming a widely needed skill for graphic designers and will give you many options for flexible visual communication in on-line domains. (You will have a software tutorial in the next assignment, to train for the actual building of a site). This assignment will include the introduction to marketing issues and the design challenges. This will also cover understanding of web information and the design basic issues including format, elements, and structure of ideas. 

If you have questions, please contact me at mo6700@gmail.com
Copyright by Marsha O'Keefe

Part 1— Introduction to Web marketing
This is an overview of information and issues companies make when marketing on the web. 

    Today’s large companies are neck high in the technology transfer of information, new ideas for products or services, customer support, tracking of jobs and balancing risk, cost, and opportunity. A lot of money is spent yearly to market these companies and many careers are in jeopardy over well intended schemes gone bad. 
The technology of the Internet hasn’t proven itself yet to much more than a fast-growing investment driven by speculation and hope.The few who are making
lots of money are only a minority. But with its known reputation, comes the realization that to lie back and "wait & see" is passing at the speed of light and the newer more assertive cliche "you can't not afford to do this" is holding more truth than doubt. 
    What is beginning to emerge is the realization that the Internet is a live entity and can be changed at will.  Project managers are likelier to pull the plug more quickly on the bad ideas created on line rather than hang on and pour more good money into them. 
Defined in the book "Guerrilla Marketing On-line", success in business means selling and that usually means putting your message, your company identity, and your product or service before as many prospective customers as possible. Imagine: putting your message before a million prospects, or being able to target promotions at a very specific group of prospects in seconds for pennies, or opening virtual storefronts in dozens of locations around the world, having instantaneous control over the look and content of your store displays and being able to take orders day and night, competing on equal terms with companies ten times the size of yours and being able to win head on battles through superior customer service and attitude? 
    The on-line marketplace makes all this possible. The World Wide Web is a client program that can access data made available through Hypertext Transport Protocol servers located on the Internet. This usually allows users to follow hyper links and display or interpret a language called Hypertext Markup Language. 
The Web investment model for marketing, as some are learning to call it, is that an idea can be economical or cautious and very aggressive or adventurous at the same time. This moderation approach is being used by more and more companies knowing that in the not too distant past, expensive "New" technologies are the entrenched dinosaurs causing the headaches of today's business world. 
    Lew Mc Creary of the new "zine" Web Master states, "Fortunately the Web-based development model is a somewhat more flexible technology.  Instead of large-scale, 18 or larger month seven figure systems projects, Web initiatives can consist of a series of smaller scale, five figure projects strung together and modified as circumstances mutate over time.  In fact, as some now say, Web projects are essentially endless, and as such can more closely model themselves to the "lifelike" changing nature of a business." This serial development approach means that risk and opportunity can be managed and scaled more precisely. Moreover, systems can be readied quickly and modified more on the fly, and the familiar, open Web front end, which can serve to unify applications, makes deployment simpler by streamlining the training process for end users. 
All of this adds up to an attractive future for investment now enabling big organizations to undertake more projects, more economically and with greater speed. This is an important attribute because many of the best business opportunities are time oriented. 
Some companies have nominations of ideas by employees or customers on the Web sites that should be assessed for marketability. MCI is one such company that wants to encourage innovation in its marketing arenas. They've set a goal that in the year 2000 - 50% of all revenues will come from new lines of business not even thought of in the past. 
    Even software companies are developing applications that can service, for example, a call center for a major bank or customer service and billing for a global telecommunications company.  Applications like these can literally redefine the way a marketing plan for a business competes in the market place. These programs give you everything you need to develop client/server/Web applications. These run on popular client/server operating systems as well as industry leading browsers. These are considered an up and coming way to respond to customer needs. 
    "A benefit of Web purchasing for both buyers and sellers has included savings in time and improved order accuracy," says Kenneth Hill at Dell Computer Corporation. The company started with its best selling system and now plans to make all products configurable online. Existing customers and end users can configure their dream PC anytime they want. 
    Costs for building these commercial Web sites have been a cause for concern because they can be so varied in context. The magazine, Web Master, suggests taking your best educated guess and multiplying it by 4, will give you a close figure. Data Corporation, a research consulting firm, developed this figure. This study, called the "Marketers Internet: Motivations, Costs and Customization," written by analyst Mark Winter, found that the average Web commerce site -one where visitors actually pay money and get something in return - takes twice as long to build as expected and costs $1 million or 4 times what most people think it will cost. An earlier estimating study conducted by Forrester Research calls them "transaction sites" and had costs averaging $3.4 million. They also put the average "content site", one that entertains or informs at $1.3 million and the promotional sites, which promotes brands and customer loyalty, at a mere $304,000. 
    Despite the high price tags, most executives responding to the study said they were pleased with their investments and optimistic about the future of their company's sites.  Future predictions set sites at costs increasing 230% in the next two years. Much of these costs are coming from one overwhelming desire: sites must be a unique experience for the customer, according to a London company StarWare Corporation.  Information must be good, content great and the leading edge coming from offering a unique service. With the Web site design technology as prevalent as it is - this becomes a viable solution. 
    Today Web marketing ideas are everywhere.  According to Russell Daves of the Leo Burnett Co., the business on the Web is a minefield of opportunity with big companies competing against 2 guys in a garage. They're not even trying to be rivals but they will be because they are taking initiative to try something new, taking traffic and customers away from your site.  The answer is to adapt and adopt. 
    The demand by customers and the desire for involvement in business resources require that Web sites be both maintainable and scalable, these then can become true information repositories to sell products, tell a story or share a vision. 
Marsha O’Keefe, 1998 
McCreary, L.  (1996, September).  Home Page.  Web Master.
  (1996, September).  Threads.  Web Master. 
  (1196, September).  Parc Place Digitalk Ad for Visual Wave.  Web Master. 
  (1996, September) Threads, If You Let Them Build It.  Web Master 
  (1996, September) Customer Interface - Brother can you spareadigm? Web Master. 
 Levenson, C.  J., Rubin, C.  (1995).  Guerrilla Marketing Online, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, New York, 

Projects:  On a sheet of paper describe these things:
1. List 5 ads you have seen marketed to young people on web sites or other medias recently. 
2. Do you remember colors, slogans, or the main points?  List these.
3. What were the most memorable parts? Slogans?
4. What were the negatives of the site or advertising?
5. Why do you think there is such a rush to market to young people today? 

Part 2—The clients needs
‘If you don’t know where you’re going, anyplace will do’ Alice in Wonderland

Web design principles and elements
    Use this information when beginning a review of client’s needs for web design such as establishing a Web Presence. It takes 7 seconds for a viewer to form a partly mental, mostly emotional, impression of the company when looking at their site:
* Viewers- looks at pages
* Surfers- accesses page and look briefly
* Users- are people with a decided interest
    The main goal of a web presentation is to fulfill users’ information needs and wants, for them to become users. The home page is the first page the viewer sees on reaching the site. This must give some indication of the contents or purpose of the site and convey information about the company itself.

Another goal is to visually please the user:
* Be bright and inviting
* Have company identifier on each page
* No backgrounds or very light one
    Have a mail-to, home and any non changing essentials on each page
Seizing and keeping users attention through visual aesthetics and relevant information is a major design challenge.

Design should be:
* Understandable
* Interesting and valuable
* Capable of converting surfers to users
* Consistent and engaging
* Skillful for integration of text, graphics, audio, video, and information extracted from databases
* Easily navigated
* Unified in look and feel

The Challenge:
Three essential criteria for designing a successful web presentation are effectiveness, affectiveness and navigational efficiency.
1.  Effectiveness is a rational criterion requiring that the presentation be complete, sensibly organized, and accurate in conveying the intended message.
2.  Affectiveness is an emotional criterion requiring that the presentation capture viewer attention by being interesting, stimulating, and enjoyable.
3.  Navigational efficiency refers to the ease with which users can locate the information they want.
 

    While effectiveness relates primarily to the mental reasoning and thinking states of users, effectiveness and navigational efficiency relate more to their emotional, artistic and feeling states.
    First generation sites are basically text based, reflecting a paper based typed design or replacements: The hyperlinks between pages are not developed on the basis of their potential relationships but for coincidental, text based reasons.
    Second generation sites usually improve the affective value for the visual page like improvements, usually with excessive hyperlinks causing confusion, 
which drops navigation ability.
    Third generation sites are the most difficult to produce successfully, because its goal is usually to avoid trade-off of the three main criteria. It is designed for effect, affect, and efficiency.  It has deep understanding of:
* The intended user audience
* The purposes of the Web presentation
* The design demands, opportunities and challenges of the media being used
* The information presented and the way it can be hyperlink
 Forth generation incorporates all the main areas and uses multimedia, interactivity, or connection to other useful Web pages.
    These are rationalized to achieve more efficient, intuitive navigation and to increase affective links to other organizations’ sites. These might provide additional pertinent information that increases a sites affect.

Project—Answer these questions:
1. What is the difference between a surfer and a user? 
2. What is the difference between effectiveness and affectiveness? 
3. Why must designers make trade-offs between effectiveness, affectiveness, and navigational efficiency? 
4. What is the importance of making the first, or home, page of a Web site easy to digest? 
5. How long does the average surfer looks at a page?
6. How do they meet the criteria of effectiveness, affectiveness, and navigational efficiency?

Part 3—A Web presentation is designed to inform, entertain or encourage users to engage in some exchange activity.
Attract the Users:
* Information must be presented in such a way that it makes intuitive sense to the user.
* Users need the first page to have their expected information on it.
* Random information is only a secondary need.
* ‘Like’ topics should be grouped together and move from general to specific.
* Users need something that will change, adapt, adjust, give new info, share a value, or persuade the user to act.
* Use the senses, seeing, hearing and to a lesser extent touching to attract attention.

    Once you have them concentrating on your page they become a user and browse if it is rewarding.  They then are connecting this stimuli experience by the senses into the context of previous experience.  During perception, a user’s memory works in conjunction with the sensory stimuli to produce images and thoughts.
    What a user perceives first are edges, shapes, relationships, lights, shadows, and a sense of the whole.  This is why typography, layout, and graphic design play such a crucial role in Web page design: these are the elements that the user first perceives.  As the mind perceives the edges, shapes, and so on, it interprets them as elements with meaning.
    Users do two things with the images and thoughts that form in their minds: they feel them, reacting to them artistically and emotionally, and they think about them.  Feelings can involve a full range of emotional responses for example, joy, excitement, serenity, anger, or revulsion.  Thinking includes a full range of mental processes including selection, combination, separation, correction, completion, synthesis, abstraction, simplification, and problem solving.  User behavior ultimately results from these feeling and thinking processes.
    A web presentation must motivate the user to engage in these processes so that he or she is moved to take action; this is the recognizing, interpreting, thinking, etc.
The input to the user is limited to five-nine concepts at one time or, this capacity is often refereed to 7 plus or minus 2 units or thoughts (or chunks or facts) at one time.
    Users often experience information anxiety, an uncomfortable feeling of dread that occurs when a person feels unable to understand a situation. Such as:
* Not understanding information
* Feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information to be understood
* Not knowing if certain information exists
* Not knowing where to find information
* Not knowing exactly where to find the information, but having the key to access it
    Effectiveness of Web presentations in providing concise, easily understood, complete, and accurate information soothes information anxiety, and helps turn it into information proficiency.  Information proficiency is the opposite of information anxiety; that is, it is a feeling of competence and complete understanding.
    Affectiveness in being emotionally consistent throughout a site, and effectiveness in matching the user’s mental map, also increases the likelihood that a user will gain information proficiency.
    Navigational efficiency makes its desire for the user to determine what actions are available, how those actions relate to the pages, and how to take them. The more the interpage navigation is made intuitive, natural, and easy to use, the more proficient and less anxious the user will be.

Four Roles:
1. Presenter or senior manager-this is the one responsible for the webs overall strategy.
2. Information Steward-they define sources of information, users, user needs and wants, and threads that tie different types of information together. They approve all work and provide for management and guidance. They select final wording, final selection of media, and overall look and feel of presentation.
3. Designers-These people gather information, analyze it, decompose it, define the overall structure, develop alternatives, and propose media and technologies to implement the required design technologies. They have graphic design skills, visualization, semantic, technical, implementation, security and interpersonal skills.
4. Developers- these people are concerned with the mechanical, technical, maintenance, and server needs of the site.

Three understandings of users’ reactions:
1. Try to capture and maintain the user’s attention within seven seconds.
2. Stimulate the desired behavior by matching the user’s mental maps from initial attention through perception, thinking, feeling and, eventually, action.
3. Satisfy one or more of the user’s needs.

Client Interviews:
Interviewing is a process of asking questions and getting responses.  Interviews can have a single interviewer and a single respondent, or they can have many participants with one or a few interviewers. In interviews conducted during the preparation phase of Web presentations, the designers are usually the interviewers, and the stewards and/or presenters are the interviewees.  Group interviews can be very productive because many minds focused on a single set of questions can generate more perspectives than on-on-one interviews can. In addition, conflicts, issues needing resolution, and inconsistencies can be identified easily.  Group interviews work best with groups of fewer than 15 people. Interviews can be used to elicit all kinds of information, quantitative or qualitative.

Project—Online:
1. Print out this and email to me as an attachment
2. Click on Netscape browser in upper right hand corner, type in http://apple.com. Look for the education seminars located in Denver. Where and when will they be held? 
3. Print.
4. Go to the search function in the Netscape menu. 
5. Type in Graphic Design agencies, schools, or designers. 
6. Pick 5 different ones. Surf through some of these. 
7. Describe the layout and content of these sites and how your eyes follow the design to move to various page elements. 
8. Define aspects of the design that capture and focus your attention.
9. What are the emotional or aesthetic responses you feel toward the design?
10. What things were ineffective? 
11. Write a paragraph on each plus print out a copy of each.
12. Go to warrentech.org. 
13. What are the design challenges? 
14. What questions do you have for the Presenter for strategy? 
15. What suggestions do you have as a Designer for any section of this presentation?
Conger, Sue., Mason, Richard. Planning and Designing Effective Web Sites.
Course Technology, 1998, ITP.

Part 4—Thinking it through
Think about what benefits is hunch, fact or are we deriving and providing something? Are we expanding business or reaching out?  Finding new subscribers or users?  Are we growing a new market of users, building a community, support for customers, educating, entertaining? 

What is the goal?
Current statistics say:
* 70% of current users view the Site as a source of information
* 65% of users view the Site as a source of communication
* 50% as an educational resource
* 35% as a source of entertainment

Facts about what we deal with now for technology:
* Lack of bandwidth is a concern
* Demand is high and slow access is typical
* Erratic connections are common
* Content is disappointing still in many sites
* We're still figuring out how to make it work!
(‘Art is the nobility that shapes the soul’ M. Angelio)

What makes a good story?
* Does the client have goals? You can think in terms of this school.
* Are they thought through, clearly articulated and tied to specific outcomes?
* Do they have quantifiable goals, e.g. so many visitors per month, new students etc?  per semester by just looking at their online info? Then you can evaluate success and decide how to continue, or commit more resources, etc.  To having the client or school verbalize this information for you to design with.
* Conventional marketing wisdom and cookie-cutter tactics won’t pay off in the world of cyber space marketing. New theories are coming out and need to be researched.
* Do they have a personalized form of relationship marketing, more relevant to the needs, preferences and interests of their customers and prospects?
* Do they put a site up just for the sake of having a website—then not look at its effect or affect?
* Do they have a way to evaluate the site?
* When the site is a neglected—dust gathers and the visitors stop coming.

Online Project:
1. Go to the apple, click on Netscape or Internet, connect to Apple.
2. Go the search function and type in Vocational-Technical or University School to find a variety web site.
3. Pick 5 different schools.
4. How does this school speak to the user?
5. How is their story told?
6. Print out a copy of each home page.
7. Find their Art, Graphic Design or Multi-media programs.
8. Print out copies of each.

Part 5—Acquisition marketing—things to remember
* Make sure it is listed with on-line directories.
* Place banners or marquee ads at other related sites, directories and catalogs.
* Promote your URL in local print ads, TV, marketing collateral, product-packaging, etc.
* Post the URL in www directories and online Yellow Pages.
* Publish press releases and provide links to bylined stories.

Interest—Things to consider:
* Create deep, detailed online ads that let the prospects control how much information they get.
* Provide detailed hyperlinked product or client literature for onscreen viewing and/or print on demand from site.
* Publish an interactive catalog of all your products and services, along with companion products and services. 
* Publish FAQ documents.
* Provide case studies, testimonials or success stories.
* Provide automated e-mail for common inquiries.

Education—Some good points
* Provide pricing and cost information and configuration details for products or programs.
* Publish papers and reports on related subjects at your site.
* Provide opportunities for direct interaction with staff experts via e-mail surveys, etc.
* Provide directories or pointers to user groups, affinity groups and related topics.
* Host chat sessions and special events where prospects can interact with current students and staff members.
* Offer trial classes or free products from classes.
* Offer limited-time evaluation services or introductory services.
* Provide guided tours and animated demos to simulate classroom experiences.
* Use virtual reality or video to help prospects visualize your products or service.

Project:
Remember the rule of 7 plus or minus 2, or 5 - 9 headings for information? Recreate an outline of the main headings for warrentech.org. as shown below.  This outline format is good for brainstorming and is simple to create yourself.  It will help us to deconstruct our current site to its smallest object or chunk of information when it’s displayed on the site.
I.  WARRENTECH School Information—Home Page www.warrentech.org
A.  Counselors
1.  Intervention Assessment and Services 
B.  Administration and Staff
1.  Tuition and Fees 
2.  Application
C.  Programs 
1.  Youth Organizations
2.  Schedules
3.  Credit and Chart
D.  About WARRENTECH and Mission Statement
1.  Quality Workers
2.  Standards-based Education
3.  LAN Support
4.  Library
E.  Map to Warren Tech
F.  Red Rocks Community College Classes 
G.  Parking and Transportation
H.  Calendar of Events 
I.  Admissions and Staff 
J.  Jefferson County School to Career 
K.  GED Testing

Part 6— Online promotions—things to remember 
* When designing for On-line, think about having personal direct marketing, offer support for the online experience maybe ‘by students for students. (On a first name basis only as not to reveal personal information online for legal reasons) 
* Provide clickable maps and directories to help potential customers and students locate the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of special events. 
* Continue to sell to current users or students to obtain name retention and secondary marketing tactics by word of mouth. 
* Find allies to market from, i.e. Future Links, Rotary Club, Vocational Clubs etc. 
* Provide tools or giveaways to channel partners to your site.
* Provide information on current, changing Business/Industry needs and jobs for students. 

Other ideas could include: 
* Give away a free screen saver of business 
* Create a calendar template of current year including activities at business 
* Have a search engine for long sites 
* Create a map of the site 
* Have business photo montages to show off the employees 

Customer retention tactics: 
* Some way to have purchases 
* Provide online registration from counselors 
* Send thank-you fax or e-mail to new students or customers 
* Promote extended warranty or other aftermarket services
* Post-sale services and product evaluation sent 
* Provide links to additional training and post-sale (from programs) support 
   products and services 
* Provide tech support and FAQ online 
* Provide hyperlinked tips and tricks to increase users proficiency with product 
* Create interactive galleries where customers can show off their work 
* Offer free subscription to online newsletter with push-technologies 
* Sponsor membership in online groups 
* Publicize special online events for customers and subscribers 
* Publicize company’s participation in regional or local events and activities 
* Promote aftermarket books and related services 
* Provide incentives for customers to interact with you and provide feedback 
* Explore best practices and share the learning 

For renewed loyalty try: 
* Offer trade-ups, upgrades or subscription renewals 
* Offer incentives for frequent buying or referrals 
* Cross-sell related products and services 
* Survey customers on product likes and dislikes 
* Seek feedback on new product feature trade-offs 
* Provide online e-mail hotline to company management. Publish white papers on companies longer-range vision and future product direction 
* Use a Web site to reduce costs on all publishing materials 
* The cost of paper, printing, warehousing and distribution consumes the lions share of most marketer and publisher’s budgets. Using a web site can shorten print runs.  You can solicit feedback that enables you to target your printed material more effectively and thereby reduce printing and distribution costs. Help them serve themselves. 
* Think of ways of generating revenue on your Web site.  This could be the wave of the future. 

Advertising: 
* Add-ons to servers have Counters for Hits, what time of day, how long on-line, where they came from, and where they go next, the exact path through your site.
* Have e-mail addresses made available to produce a what’s happening at business/school’ type of intranet newsletter sent globally to all, i.e. a calendar of events for all programs, work/school quality worker photos, a presentation of each area/program visually in the main entrance of buildings, newsletter by and for students/employees. 
* Check major search sites i.e., Yahoo for their newest visual solutions 

Sponsorships: 
* A way to connect to a financial donor. They provide funding in exchange for contributing editorial content that is consistent with the overall purpose and sensibility of the site. 

Subscriptions: 
* This is an on-line publication providing timely, focused information and a trusted, engaging editorial point of view. 

Membership dues: 
* Customers or consumers pay a fixed monthly or annual fee for access to your secure Web site.  This fosters communities or cohorts of interest; gatherings of like-minded people looking for valuable information and/or social contact. 

Sales and transactions for products and services: 
* The shopping cart features of credit card authorization and verification.
* Products such as time critical services like travel, technical business services, unique images, flower orders and catering could be feasible. 

Project— Answer these questions:
1. What school classes or programs will do what type of work for the Warren (WT) site? 
2. What resources do you think you need to make the changes you want? 
3. Get a copy of the newest WT list of classes brochure and any other school related pieces from the student file for this assignment. 
4. What info do you think we need that is not on the website now?

Part 7—The design firm
These vary. You need an expert in visual communication, typography, navigation-sequence, and information design. They can create a balance in the typography-white space areas with the multimedia-interactive and with high bandwidth-clogging media.

They think through the business goals by asking questions such as:
Q-Do you need sophisticated interactivity or database programming?
Q-Do the designers provide files, ready for uploading onto your site? Do they need style guides containing templates so future content is poured into readymade formats and teaches how to do so?
Q-Will they take you only to the launch of the site or provide ongoing services, What mechanisms and process can they provide for ongoing maintenance?
Q-Will they conduct usability testing to make sure designs work on different browsers, at different speeds, etc.?
Q-Who will maintain hyperlinks, making sure none point to obsolete addresses or dead ends?
Q-If the workflow is complex, can they automate using Applescripts?

The Web consulting/programming firm:
Depending on complexity of content, you may need specialized expertise.  You may need custom CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts that link HTML pages on site to applications that run on server.
You may need experts in database design and implementation as well as custom scripting and programming in a variety of languages.  The server ISP may have these resources available for use already in off-the-shelf hardware and software solutions with custom programming to provide functionality that meets your sites goals.  Bring these in early as team members so they can contribute to the design and ensure that form and function work seamlessly together.

You may need an electronic commerce systems integrator:
If you plan to conduct electronic commerce or selling goods and services directly from site the server-ISP must handle order entry, payment processing, credit card authorization, inventory management, and shipping logistics.
Depending on the scale and complexity, you may need to retain a systems
integrator who specializes in EC solutions.

The ISP:
* Check with them for services and ability. They may have answers to questions you
didn’t know to. 

Ask:
* Who pays? Owns? Controls? Maintains?
* Depending on size and structure of company, setting up a site may cross-departmental barriers and may cause strife.
* An orphaned site (one that is neglected) may find too many parents to confuse the issues, or as a well-tended child, the site could be abandoned and totally new designers and developers found to start fresh.

Ask:
* Who pays start-up costs?
* Who will staff it?
* Who will pay sustaining costs?
* Who has editorial control and responsibility?
* Who has design/interface control?
* Who has technical control and responsibility?

Territorial conflicts:
The managers of information services typically 'own' web site departments.  But in recent times reality shows that the collaboration between MIS and marketing, initial web master, editorial, and art director—along with clearly defined roles and responsibilities—will produce the best results.

Quality control and authorized spokespeople:
In the early days of desktop publishing, design and typographic standards declined when people lacking expertise were handed publishing and production tools. Similarly, web sites have provided a platform for would-be authors without the required writing and editorial skills.  This can be risky and confusing to the readers of the site.
Identify one person in editorial or marketing to be responsible for content.  Have a review and approval procedure to ensure that everything that’s published serves the intended purpose. Also be aware of legal impact of content.

What resources do you need to maintain a site?
This is an ongoing commitment.  Failure to meet freshness standards can damage
your company’s image.

Ask:
* What content changes? How often? Does it have archival materials? 
* Is it new?
* How much new design needs to be done?
* Who maintains content, hyperlinks, standard for freshness?
* Who evaluates the success of current strategy and can tweak it for optimum return on investment?

Consider:
* The person responsible for the site’s progress
* The creator of content (automating this by asking for impute from internal sources and external)
* The creator of illustrations
* The marketing position
* The production person (consider automating by having scripts ready to pour new content into existing templates)
* The web master-the programming whiz and doctor on call
* The ISP watcher of server, tracking usage and optimizing performance, security and access control.
* The administrator of the mailing lists
* The maintainer of the folders, directory structure, and technical form?

Risks of web sites:
* Biting off more than you can chew—start small and phase in new aspects.
* Have a 'cost analysis' reality check
* Have a 'worst case scenario' check
* Enable experiments, learning, change, and flexibility.
* Watch not letting it grow with need.
* Set modest expectations then meet these.
* Do what you say you will do.
* Invite visitors as development partners.  Say 'we value your feedback’ This fosters ownership, interest, and loyalty.
* Have a clear commitment with quantifiable business goals. This is easier to revise when needed.
* Don’t ask your web team to write, create or program in their free time. This asks for mediocrity and employee frustration.
* If internal resources are impractical, find skilled outside contractors and put them under the direction of a reliable internal champion (and/or adjust that person’s priorities accordingly).

Project:
Write out your conclusions, reflections and suggestions for this site—2 pages of
suggestions.

Other sources: 
A good on-line source of definitions is the Free On-line Dictionary of Computing run by Denis Howe.
European site: http://wombat.doc.ic.ac.uk/foldoc/index.html
US sites: (NJ) http://wfn-shop.Princeton.edu/foldoc/
 (CA) http://nightflight.com/foldoc/
http://whatis.com/
http://www.msg.net/kadow/answers/
http://www.pcwebopaedia.com/
A search facility for acronyms, called V.E.R.A., (Virtual Entity of (computational) Acronyms) is available at: http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~oheiabbd/vera-e.html

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books about On-line and distance learning

Conger, S.  A., Richard, O.  M.  (1998)  Planning and developing effective web sites.  ITP Cambridge, MA:  Course Technology

eCollege.com.  (1999)  Instructional Design Handbook-How to Design, Develop, and Teach An On-line Course.  Denver, Colorado.

Gall, J.  P., Gall, M.D., Borg, W.R.  (1999).  Applying Educational Research, A Practical Guide. New York:  Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. 

Gatta, K., Lange, G., Lyons, M.  (1991).  Foundations of Graphic Design.  Worcester, Massachusetts:  Davis Publications, Inc.

Hall, B.  (1997). Web Based Training Cookbook.  Canada:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Herman, J.L.,Aschbacher, P.  R.,Winters, L.  (1992). A Practical Guide to Alternative Assessment.  The Regents of the University of California.

Keirns, J. L.  (1999).  Designs for Self-Instruction.  Massachusetts: Viacom Company:  Needham Heights

Khan, H. B.  (1997).  Web Based Instruction. Englewood Cliffs: Educational Technology Publications, Inc.

Lickona, T.  (1991).  Educating for Character. New York, New York: Bantam Books

McCormack, C., Jones, David.  (1998).  Building a Web-Based Education System.
Canada:  Wiley Computer Publishing

Morrison, G. R., Lowther, D.L., DeMeulle, L.  (1999).  Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom.  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Nielsen, J.  (2000).  Designing Web Usability.  Indianapolis, Indiana:
New Riders Publishing, 

Northhouse, P. G., (1997).  Leadership-Theory and Practice.  Thousand Oaks, California:  Sage Publications, Inc.

Rhodes, J. A.  (1970).  Vocational Education and Guidance.  Columbus, Ohio:  Merrill Publishing Company.

Roblyer, M D., Edwards, J., Havriluk, M.  A.  (1997).  Integrating Eduacationl Technology into Teaching.  New Jersey:  Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Slavin, R.E.  (1997).  Educational Psychology-Theory and Practice.  Needham Heights, MA:  Viacom Company.

Worthen, B.R., Sanders, J.  R., Fitzpatrick, J.  L.  (1997).  Program Evaluation.  White Plains, N.Y:  Longman Publishers USA.

Wiles, J.  (1999).  Curriculum Essentials, A Resource for Educators.  Needham Heights, MA. A: Viacom Company.

Wiles, J., Bondi, J.  (1998).  Curriculum Development-A Guide to Practice.  New Jersey:  Prentice Hall. 

Internet resources for On-line and distance learning

CLN network in British Columbia - Web site Consortia Building and Industry Support for Implementing Instructional Technology

Technology in Schools Brochure. Web site: http://www.salt.org
http://www.etc.bc.ca/tdebhome/guidebooks_beg.html or adv.html and for web  pages...tdebhome/themes/webpages_intro.html or advanced.html

Colorado Christian University-Denver, Colorado rubric for upper level courses in Integrating Technology into Education—Education Department

University of Colorado-Denver’s Art Technologies department newsletters and the Education department Instructional Learning Technologies department’s course resources including currently required books.

Classroom Connect - Internet Education Catalog Fall 99.  (1999). 
This resource company which provide a full spectrum of materials including conferences for administrators, educators, library media specialists, and technology coordinators. A division provides On-Site Training and Consulting brining to a school guidance with trained specialists to design a program tailored to the schools technology needs. They have On-line resources for everything educational.

Hartnett, J.  (1999). Interacting with Interactions. Lakewood Publications. Inside Technology Training Magazine. July-August pg. 40-41.

Miller, F.  (1999). Technology and Learning. Volume 20 number 5.

The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Edutopia newsletter. Published semi-annually by The Foundation, this is a nonprofit organization promoting innovative efforts to improve K-12 education through the integration of technology with teaching and learning.

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