Tips for Creating Your Involvement Web Site
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| Listen as Well as Speak |
Most organizations see the Internet as a communication medium. It does
more. From the beginning, you need to have a strategy for allowing
viewers to speak to you. |
| Identify your Audience |
This step is central to most participation tools, but the Internet
requires an even more precise understanding. The Internet is a good way
to work with technically savvy people who feel they are busy. They do
not want to drive to meetings on your schedule. They want to go online
to work on their schedule. It is not a good way to work with about 25
percent of the population who are unable to use or are actively
resisting the Internet for a variety of their own reasons. |
| Do Something |
Cyberspace is already crowded with pretty pictures. If your web site
is not clearly achieving part of your mission statement, it is a waste
of time and money. It also will not successfully compete against sites
that fully engage a viewer in meaningful activity. |
| Create Several Gateways |
Not everyone enters your site from the front page. Find out how
viewers get to your site and welcome them appropriately. |
| Provide Something for Free |
The Internet has developed traditions and a certain culture:
"Everybody can go everywhere and get everything."
Consequently, web sites have long provided free information or access to
something else free. And no, a glowing description of how wonderful your
organization is does not qualify as free information. A better example
is a list of the tips likely to help your viewers. |
| The Internet is about People |
Programming experience is important for a successful web site.
However, the web changes the way you work. The first issue you face is
How to Handle the Email. If you are using the Internet for Involvement,
you will get more involvement than you have ever handled before.
Prepare. |
| People Want to Talk to People |
Whenever possible, include people's names online. Do not ask viewers
to email to info@agency.gov. Ask them to email marysmith@agency.gov. Put
staff pictures online. Give a personality to that email address and
phone voice. |
| Decentralize |
Allow content access to as many people as possible. If your staff has
to go through one person to put information online, they won't do it.
For example, allow each project manager to update his or her project
page. |
| Standing or Live |
Some pages are standing -- they do not change. This might be a page of
directions to your headquarters. Some pages change such as the current
project page. Know the difference and plan accordingly. |
| The First Thing to Do |
Practice a little site. Put up one or two pages. During this process,
you will discover who wants to do what and you will get an idea of the
issues you face. Don't delay until you can put up a site as good as the
whiz bang one you saw last night. And don't try to get everything done
in a week. |
