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More Commentary on Web Management Authority

For Centralized Web Management:	[NEW 11/24/00] While I understand the need for innovation and diversity, the main campus web site is not the place for it. Faculty are not web designers... See entire comment Some centralized management is necessary to ensure legal standards are maintained. Maintaining a web site (different [from] maintaining a web page or pages) takes an expertise that most people do not have. There are areas where a person can play, such as their "home" individual web pages. Brand, institutional identity, one brand, ease of use. More sophisticated users look for Internet standards in order to recognize the structure of a site and determine where to find the info they need; without standard structure / organization the user will become frustrated and leave the site. There needs to be a structure [and a] main idea to maintain a web site that is not confusing. Marketing model consistency. Consideration of user (student). Key people should be responsible for look. Identity needs to be maintained. Good point: inequity in distributed module. Centralized does not remove the curve of education, because staff can enroll in classes to further education. Taxpayers are benefited by centralized based on training costs and salaries.
For Distributed Web Management:	My opinion is everyone has the insight to choose what is on their own web page. In academia, distributed web development is better. Centralized development is censorship. More diversity of ideas. Under control of single person -- not good. Is representative of institutional differences. There needs to be freedom of expression in the classroom. Distribution among many departments. Rigid [if only] controlled by one or two people. Diversity of ideas always of value from staff. Concern that the technical person will act as a gatekeeper to control what is put on the web instead of the person who knows the information. Downfall of centralized: maintenance of the individual departments. Who becomes responsible for maintenance? Who makes priority when changes need to be made?
General Commentary:	Web techs need to support staff to allow them to contribute. Takes collaboration, not autonomous process. Need a balance between control freaks and anarchists; a continuous dialog without power grabbing. Too much confusion when there is a lot of diverse information that is squeezed into one page.
Links for learning more about this topic: Some Maricopa campuses have already published information explaining aspects of their web management: Chandler-Gilbert Community College's web committee, goals, guidelines: http://www.cgc.maricopa.edu/pecos/administration/committees_projects/webcom/ District Support Services Center's guidelines for DSSC web sites: http://www.maricopa.edu/guide.html Glendale Community College's web management and principles: http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/webdev/ Paradise Valley Community College's web committee, guidelines, etc.: http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/webdev/ Phoenix College's web management and guidelines: http://www.pc.maricopa.edu/departments/ltd/web.html Scottsdale Community College's guidelines for SCC web sites: http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/webdev/ Provide additional commentary Proceed to: Web Management Authority: 1. What Do We Need To Learn? Return to: Introduction to Web Management Authority Danger in the Construction Zone Contents WebDev 2000 Contents