RE: Web site maintenance by non-technical users

["Ed Wurster" <eawurster -at- hotmail -dot- com>]

Cynthia,

I've been following the responses to your original post (at end of this
message) and have a few comments for you. I have worked with three small
companies that set up web sites, and have relevant advice for you.

The project you mention is simple to accomplish, and it is understandable
when someone with enthusiasm and a mission hits the inevitable wall that
people erect to protect their job security.

There are challenges in this project for you (YOU), as well as for the
non-technical user (NTU).

YOU:
1. Can interview the NTU and list the needs of her job.
2. Can help the NTU understand the technical aspects of web (small bites
only.)
3. Can investigate solutions and score them.
4. Can propose a solution.
5. Can implement a solution.
6. Can train and support.

You have made a few statements below that should be verified. For instance
"...simply
putting everything up as Word documents isn't going to work." Is this really
true? For instance, a web site exists now. Have you tried to access it with
different browser O/S combinations, and found that it does not display
accurately? If you find problems, then these become the basis for justifying
a simpler HTML solution, which you implement (design, build, test and
train.)

If the site owner does not really want to cooperate, she won't. What you
must recognize is that a job is involved. She was doing the job when you
arrived, and she'll be doing the job after this semester. You are speaking
of technical change. You are messing with her job security. So tread lightly
and show her how her workload will not increase.

I can suggest a few things.

1. Find an HTML intro seminar offsite for the NTU.
2. Use a site design that allows the NTU to drop in her MS Word html (a
frame or CSS thingy.)
3. Find out more about MS Word and how files will be uploaded to the site.
4. Develop parallel solution. Let the site owner continue on while you
include her content in your design.


Ed Wurster



Your message:

From: Cynthia Armistead
Subject: Web site maintenance by non-technical users

I've searched the archives, but haven't found anything on this particular
topic. Please forgive me if I missed something relevant.

I'm a technical writing student. I'm taking a web design course. Our team
project involves redesigning the composition program web site for the
school. The site owner is not technical and doesn't wish to change that.
She wants to be able to update the site using MS Word, never encountering
HTML code. It does need to be useable by users on any platform, so simply
putting everything up as Word documents isn't going to work.

She doesn't want to know about FTP or anything similar - she wants to be
able to edit site pages and save them just like any other document. That
part, at least, I can accomplish by mapping a network drive for her.

I detest the HTML that results when one saves an MS Word file as HTML. It's
always messy. I've seen it "break" pages that were working before, if an
HTML file created in another program is opened, edited and saved in Word.

The school doesn't have any kind of "solution" in place to address this
situation, nor is there any plan to change that. Their suggestion is to
"use WebCT" (http://www.webct.com/ "). The professor wants this site
accessible to people outside the university, though, so WebCT is not
suitable in this situation.

We are not permitted the use of anything beyond basic HTML and pre-approved
cgi scripts (I haven't been able to find out what scripts are available,
though I've asked).

Any suggestions?

Thank you!
Cyn