Boneyard

I get the impression that when I speak to people and potential clients about developing their web site, that they feel that just by getting their web site online means that a flood of traffic and business is coming their way. In the movie Field of Dreams Kevin Costner hears a voice whisper,”If you build it, he will come” and I feel that we have the same expectations about our web sites. If we build them, we automatically think that “they will come” in droves and stay interested enough to keep coming back. It just isn’t always the case.

Your web site - and mine - is an extension of your business and needs to be cultivated in the same way that your “brick and mortar” business was developed. It’s like opening another location, only this one is digital. And in order to get the best location and traffic, we need to solidly build a good, semantic web site and make people aware of it.

What does a good, semantic web site mean? It means that it is a web site built on relevant information that is organized and structured to allow access to information regardless of device. It means not using hacks to get a visual result that only works in one browser and on one platform. It means not using nested tables for layout. It means not endlessly wrapping things in more than one DIV just for rounded corners or a coveted shadow. It means using HTML elements correctly.

It also means that you need to worry about the information about the information. Wuh? The data about the data - meta data. Solid content and semantic HTML elements that are relevant are one thing, but you also need to think about good keywords and write descriptions for each page. Yes some people think that the meta information isn’t relevant anymore when it comes to search engine optimization. And I definitely agree that you need a plethora of inbound links. And that you should write articles and blog posts. And tweet. And go out and shake some hands.

Market your business like crazy. Seriously. It’s something that I’m learning to do for my business. It isn’t easy and it doesn’t happen right away, but you need to leverage some traditional marketing techniques to get known.

One of my concerns with content management systems (CMS) and the clients that ask for one, is that sometimes they feel as though it's going to be this magic talisman that removes the burden of learning the language of the web. Somehow, magically, by using a content management system it removes the responsibility of web standards, accessibility, and/or learning some basic HTML. It's like using smaller plates to lose weight, yet you still pile food on it a foot high. I do this for a living and there's still plenty for me to learn and do when working with content on the web.

The typical selling point delivered to people in an organization in regards to a content management system is that it will make the addition and updating of content on their web site easier and they won't have to be burdened with web type things. It's just like using a word program. My usual response is, "It’s easier than what?" and "It's easier for whom?"

If your reason for moving to a content management system is because you think that it's easier than learning HTML and/or CSS, you will still be faced with that section in the middle of the creation screen that requires content - and some layout and styling. And you will still need to learn something. Instead of HTML and CSS, which you should learn, it will be using the content management system. There's still no guarantee that the content that you enter into your WYSIWYG or copy and paste from your word program is going to behave properly or as expected. Or validate. Now what do you do?

If the selling point is that it will be easier for your staff to enter and edit content on your web site, you still need to remember that you'll need to rely on your technical staff to support the CMS. Will it be easier for them? Does it remove any burdens from them by moving from a static HTML web site? The answer is no. It will add more responsibility to their daily activities because a CMS needs care - regular updates for security and programming, additional resources to install on a web server, a database to install and support, and all of the problem solving for both users and internal staff.

Should you not consider a CMS at all? No way. Content management systems are a great way to publish content and share resources and ideas with the world. You just need to understand that choosing to use a CMS does not remove responsibilities from your staff, it will in some cases add more or at a minimum replace others. When you are evaluating whether or not you should choose a CMS over your current solution, ask yourself one question repeatedly.

It's easier than what and for whom?

It was just a matter of time before I had the campus cop/skateboard encounter and I think this encounter had a few elements that contributed to its development. First, I went to work early. Going to work early means that there are fewer people on campus and more reasons that some dude with sideburns on a 40 inch longboard will get noticed.

Secondly, it’s summer session at Penn State and this also means that there are less people out and about. We just don’t have the same level of student activity on campus during the summer sessions. We have plenty of construction, but that’s another blog post.

Third is the fact that skateboarding is associated consistently with anti-social and anti-establishment attitudes - which is ironic because skateboarding is also a business. People on skateboards, in my opinion, are considered undesirables by community members, brick-and-mortar business owners, policy makers, and professionals in law enforcement. In their defense, there are individuals that in their quest for gnar destroy property, put others and themselves at risk for injury, and display less than respectable behavior.

Fourth. The adherence and support of laws and policies that are out-of-date or are just “cover your ass” in nature are not readily designed for expansion, review, or critique. No dialogue means no evolution. Case-in-point is policy SY16 at Penn State.

No person shall coast or ride upon any roller skates, in-line skates, scooter, sled, or similar device upon any roadway, parking area, or bicycle route, or within any building on the campus. Nor shall any person coast or ride upon any sled or similar device upon any sidewalk or improved surface used only for pedestrian traffic. Persons may coast or ride upon roller skates, in-line skates or scooters on sidewalks, provided they yield the right-of-way to pedestrians on foot. No acrobatics of any kind are permitted.

Seriously? I can rock out in leg warmers and terry cloth shorts and roller blade, but I can’t ride my longboard between buildings or from meeting to meeting? Provided that there won’t be any “acrobatics” what’s the difference between “coasting devices?” I’m not chewing up benches and walls and oversized planters. No acrobatics there. Just cruisin’ and carvin’ and maybe some footwork - sans the acrobatics.

Lastly, skateboarding is not a crime. It’s just some not-so-new sport that gets young people and old people off of their asses and away from their computer, smart phone, television, and/or video game console (showing my age) and puts them actively into a real, human-filled environment. There is still a lot to do about the destruction of property, but there’s also still a lot to do about perception and policy making. Let’s talk.

Time for a change. After 5 years of trying to support a multimedia group, which collapsed and then I moved to another group, it’s time to trade in my mop for a paintbrush. There is only so much that you can do when you are putting all of your effort into treading water instead of moving forward. Everything gets stale - multimedia skills, paper work, email, meetings, waking up. Everything seems to just go gray.

As I fast approach the time when I transition from old to new, I greet the fuzzy image of a man I knew in the bathroom mirror. It is the reflection of myself less gray in spirit, yet more gray in hair. A reflection of myself more eager for challenges, more eager to turn on a computer, more eager to pick up a stylus for a graphics tablet, more eager to learn more things. It’s still a little fuzzy, this reflection in the mirror, but seems to get clearer everyday.

So as Snagglepuss has done in many situations, I too am exiting stage left. Where to? It isn’t to Murgatroyd, but a multimedia specialist position in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State. More specifically to Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences where I will work with a team to develop online learning resources for environmental toxicology and immunology. What does this mean? It means that I will work on animations and illustrations, building a web community around the subject matter, shooting video, and more importantly interacting with people.

Enter…stage right.