Re: staffing for websites

Like Diane, I'm "it" for our small research center, not only for
website work, but also computer resource management and support (mac
only because of time constraints--we're an all-portable group
requiring custom installs), and all business and administration
(financial management of $2+ million, proposals, workshops, contract
negotiations, policy, etc).

HIERARCHY - The research center is small enough that we nearly all
report directly to the Director. It's very much a team setting, with
a high degree of autonomy for all of us.

STAFFING - We're made up of approximately 28 scientists, techs,
students. We're partially under LBNL, and partially under campus
(I'm located on campus); only two professors in this team. This
website is more for the campus side of our center, so primary content
comes from 10 people.

WEBSITE TASK ASSIGNMENT - I handle almost all of the functions for
the website itself: planning, research for user interface, design,
graphics prep, writing, collecting and editing content for
web-friendly language, updating, even heading out for lab and field
trip photos--and QA, God help me! I search out content from all of
our staff (of course, the techs are the best in responding...).

I don't do system admin work or background programming (we have no
database at this point). I could probably do both, but I'm rusty,
and it's inefficient. (See "NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR" below.)

We just launched the CIG website (aka Center for Isotope
Geochemistry; arcane stuff, I know). When it's done, it will be
approximately 80 pages, many static--small enough for easy control.
(I also take care of a relatively static small research site at
LBNL.) A lot of our recent "process" has been about defining goals,
setting design constraints, and developing "buy-in" from everyone.
We had only two organized meetings (agreeing on goals, and mapping
out site structure). Otherwise communications was either by email,
phone calls, over-coffee discussion, or the walk down the hall and
standing by someone's desk. This works for us, but we have a great
team with excellent rapport on our campus side

It usually takes a face-to-face visit to get the LBNL folks involved,
but they are cooperative once you're there in person. Otherwise it's
too easy for them to defer responding to content requests by email.

One of the goals is teaching the students how to put together their
own webpages, to slowly make them "part of the web team." (This
requires a trustworthy bunch--but these folks are.) I've been
providing the design structure (templates, guidelines), often doing
the first incarnation of their pages, and then coaching (especially
graphics prep) , handing out books or URL resources. So far I have
two students doing their own updates directly (one had prior html
experience) while I unobtrusively make small fixes and edits, and a
third has his own website (tho' of course it has no shared identity
with CIG's). Two more want to begin updating their own pages. We're
using Dreamweaver with "check-in" activated.

This student-involvement goal also requires using the KISS principle
in our website process AND its design--and I think it may have
resulted in a better website!

WORKING WITH THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR: The campus department (EPS)
whose server we use for host has a devoted system/network
administrator (he's unix-based), and they hired (half-time) a
programmer (linux/windows-based) who supports all the windows systems
in the department as well as provides php and html coding, etc. for
the department's website (separate from ours). These are heavy
workloads for 1.5 FTE, especially with all the recent work related to
Microsoft security fixes.

I've asked the new programmer to set up the back-side programming of
a couple of forms we have yet to construct, and to link some
department website links to our web pages. And I asked the system
admin to set up our website's partition and account/password. Other
than that, I don't feel free to bother them since neither has time to
devote to anything but the bare nitty-gritty of survival.

The department has elected to have the Student Affairs Officer and a
new, talented Admin Asst II be in charge of all daily updates and
content organization--both are just learning html. I understand that
another website redesign is in process right now, but I don't think
there is a single person on the design team who has an understanding
of user interface, the ADA requirements, or organizing/editing
content for the web, which will certainly make the redesign a
challenge for them.

I'm not sure, but I think this brave redesign team involves a
professor, the new programmer, and the Student Affairs Officer.
Steep learning curves ahead...

- Marilyn
   http://eps.berkeley.edu/cig/saarni

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>At 10:31 AM 10/27/2003 -0800, Sara Leavitt wrote:
>
>>Hi Webnet,
>>
>>I am exploring redistributing the tasks associated with maintaining
>>our website and would like to know how others have done this. How
>>is your website staffed? Who handles day-to-day content updates,
>>server maintenance, database development, graphic design,
>>information design, usability, quality control etc? If you have
>>more than one person responsible, how do you coordinate efforts? Do
>>they all report to the same supervisor?
>>
>>Thanks, Sara
>>--
>>____________________________________________________________
>> Sara Leavitt - Web Developer - Lawrence Hall of Science
>> email: saral@uclink.berkeley.edu
>> Ph: (510) 642-8863 - Fax: (510) 642-1055
>> http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/
>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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>>Webnet information is available at <URL:http://webnet.berkeley.edu/>.
>>
>_______________________________
>
>Debra Goldentyer
>Web Editor
>University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business
>510-643-3847 / goldenty@haas.berkeley.edu
>http://haas.berkeley.edu/

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Received on Wed Oct 29 11:10:05 2003