Getting
Ready
Before
you meet with our representative, you should gather the following
information and materials for inclusion in your web site.
Photographs
Pictures
of yourself, your staff, products, buildings, clients, etc. Ensure
you have permission to use individuals' photos on the web. Clearly
print description of subject on back of photo.
Company
logo
Clean
copy of logo, preferably oversize or digital image, other graphic
art used for organization, maps of office locations, sample of letterhead.
Brochures
Samples
of brochures, pamphlets, flyers, posters, etc. used. If edits are
needed on any material, they should be done before the meeting.
Edits should be clearly printed.
Contact
information
Names,
addresses, phone and fax numbers, email addresses of all contact
people. A brief description of individual responsibilities may be
useful. If generic contacts are to be used, indicate the term to
be used (e.g. General Enquiries, Order Desk, etc.).
Writing
for the web
All
text to be included on the web should be updated and checked for
accuracy before turning it over to our representative. It can be
partly on separate sheets or on disk, and partly from printed brochures.
People
browse the web, but don't often read much of the text on the screen
unless their curiousity is engaged. Dense text, such as can be seen
on the printed page, is only appropriate on the web under special
circumstances.
Use
simple sentences, and break up your text into short paragraphs.
Use headers for sections which hook readers' interest. For an excellent
overview on this subject, read Writing
for the Web from NOF-digitise Technical Advisory Service. For
more detailed information, see Crawford Kilian's "Writing
for the Web", Self-Counsel Press, 1999.
Know
your audience
Before
you start, you should determine who your primary audience is. Is
it your customers? Stockholders? Funders? Children? Adults? Special
group? Men? Women? Your audience will determine what information
will be included in your web.
Here
are some questions your web might answer:
- Who
- is
your audience / primary focus?
- are
you / your organization?
- are
the appropriate people to contact for more information?
- are
your clients?
- What
- does
your organization do?
- are
your mission / vision / goals?
- products,
services or programs do you offer?
- can
you offer that no other web does?
- Where
- are
you located?
- does
your organization work?
-
When
- Why
- should
someone hire/use your organization?
- do
you do what you do?
- How
- do
you do what you do?
- can
people contact you?
- Related
information
- Are
there other organizations / information sources which should
be included?
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