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10.09.03
By
Gerry McGovern
Websites change the way an organization communicates with its staff,
customers, investors and general public. A change in communication
is a major shift for the organization. To effectively implement such
a change will take time. You need a five-year plan for your website.
Let's dispel a big myth about the Internet. It is that the
Internet is changing so fast that it is impossible to plan for. That
is absolute rubbish. Just how exactly has the Internet changed over
the last eight years? Sure, it's got much bigger. But how has it changed
structurally? Is the website of 1997 radically different from the
website of 2003?
We're still using HTML. We're still using hyperlinks. We're still
using text and simple images. If anything, the Web has become more
similar. Have a look around. A great many websites now use the three
column layout. Black text on a white background dominates.
Where is all the multimedia? I saw more websites offering video in
1999 than I do today. Why? Because it didn't work. Do you really think
an investment analyst is going to watch a tiny, choppy video of a
CEO discussing quarterly results? They'll scan the transcript, read
the press release, ring someone up--it's much quicker.
We live in a world where a manager can order more stock on his wireless
device as he sits on the toilet. But the same manager is so busy acting
tactically that he has no time to plan for the long term. And then
the lights go out.
A tree falls on a power line in Switzerland. The lights go out in
Italy. Should the citizens of the digital age buy candles with their
broadband? Why is such a basic utility as electricity going out all
over the world? Lack of long term planning and investment is the reason.
All that fancy content management software, all those portals delivering
jazzy personalization; forget that they're going to give you a great
website. You've got core issues that only long term planning can address.
Too many of your senior managers still don't understand the
Web. They use it only occasionally and thus lack practical experience.
This often results in them caring more about what color a button
is that what the content is communicating. They need winning over
and that takes time.
Your staff are not being trained to create quality web content.
Writing for the Web is different from writing for print. It is
hard, but not impossible, to get people to think Web instead of
print. It takes time and training.
There is very little recognition for people who create quality
web content. It's not written into their job profiles. They don't
get part of their bonus because of it. If you want quality content
you must motivate and reward people to create it.
Before you can give rewards you need to measure the cost and
value of your content. It will take a lot of time and effort to
implement comprehensive return on investment models for content.
You can have the best intranet in the world. But that doesn't
mean that staff will flock to it. You may have a wonderful online
bill paying process. That doesn't mean your customers will automatically
use it. Habits take time to change.
About the Author:
Gerry McGovern is a content management consultant, author and speaker.
http://www.gerrymcgovern.com
Read this newsletter at: http://www.itmanagementnews.com/2003/1009.html
The Semantic Web gives data more meaning through the use of metadata (the data about data, which describes particular sets of data) and how it was formatted...
By
Gerry McGovern