Case studies
We learn so little and forget so much.
Case 9 - After looking at 1000+ school websites
April 30, 2001
![[Image]](../tklogimages/Toms_train.jpg)
IntroductionAs a parent-volunteer assistant webmaster for a high school I've put myself in the line of fire. I've joined the large community of overworked, unappreciated, and very isolated school webmasters. So, on April 3, 2001 we started a forum for school webmasters: Grady High School's Webmasters' Forum.
Creating a forum is easy, locating school webmasters and getting the party started is another thing entirely. This is the story of what I am finding in my search.
As of 5-14-01 I'm up to 1000 school websites.
My criteria for inviting a webmaster:
1. I have to be able to find the school site using google.com, or from a variety of school meta sites.
2. I have to find the webmaster's email address or a form for communicating with the webmaster.
3. Websites have to show some current updates.
4. Or, they have to look like they are trying.
Results after looking at 1000 school URL's: I 've found only 395 sites that were actually working.
Upon finding a site, I developed a routine to check it's pulse.
1. Does is have graphic or flash bloat? How long does it take to load?
2. How easy is it to find the webmaster?
3. Does it present information from the user's viewpoint or from the bureaucracy's viewpoint?
4. Does it have a section for current news or announcements?
5. Does the calendar have more than just school holidays?
6. Is the sports schedule current. Are the scores current? This is less about sports but about the ability to update on an everyday basis.
7. How many screens must I click through to see the baseball (or basketball, whatever) schedule?
8. Are there pictures of teachers?
9. Is there a search?
10. Can I sign up for email bulletins?
11. Can users contribute content?
School web policies are often major barriers:
1. School policies usually prohibit using names and pictures of students or staff. If allowed at all, you may have to get a signed release for each occurrence and file it with school system administrators. Of course, the first thing a parent will ask is, "Why don't you have pictures?"
2. Policies often require a strict content approval process. Up to three people may have to approve a page. This negates the one of the web's advantages - instant updates.
3. School sites hosted on school system servers have the greatest bureaucratic burden. Quite a few schools use commercial hosting even if internal hosting is available.
4. Some schools, either through enlightened school policies or by following the spirit rather than the letter of the rules, have developed some common sense procedures. In these cases a teacher or staff member of the school itself is ultimately responsible for all web content. The school depends on the webmaster to act in good faith.
5. Policies that address internet "have-nots" often prevent using efficient web-centric processes. Documents are created on paper for manual distribution. Publishing them on the web is an afterthought that generates more work. One school system's have-not policy: The only thing you can publish on the internet are things about the internet.
Webmaster expertise covers the spectrum:
1. Private school websites are often professionally designed and maintained. They often include email and password protected areas for school personnel.
2. Larger schools often have adequate technical staffs. The folks who maintain the LAN, the phones, the workstations, and teach the technical classes often maintain the website. They sometimes operate web servers, communications links, server software and mail administration. They may be able to program.
3. A number of web-class teachers engage their students to support the school website. These are often class assignments.
4. The vast majority of webmasters are enthusiastic and very busy teachers. Their technical expertise may limited and require some sort of canned publishing process so they can deal with the content instead of the technology. If the webmaster is technical, the website may present problems with succession: Can the site be maintained if the webmaster leaves? (see Burnout, transience, succession, and the enthusiasm gap)
5. The typical teacher webmaster is probably at the limit of manageability. It is usually a one-person-show.
6. Many school sites are dead. Because only about 1/3 of school websites remain active, I must assume that many were created in a burst of enthusiasm only to wither from the burden of publishing demands. If the web enthusiast leaves the school, has to work on his masters thesis, or gets a new teaching assignment, the website shuts down. Turnover of students, staff, and parents stops the momentum. (see Burnout, transience, succession, and the enthusiasm gap)
1. School meta sites are lists of school websites. They can be wonderful but most seem to have run out of gas. They are too many of them. They don't include all of the schools. Many of the links are broken. I wish they would just check for dead links once in a while.
There are so many meta sites that it would be impossible for a school to know about them much less get listed on all of them.
2. Can't find the school webmaster's email. There are some great sites that don't publish how to contact the webmaster.
3. Schools that don't respond to email. Of course, I want folks to participate the forum but I don't expect everyone to join. I do expect a website to respond to the forum invitation even if the response is, "Drop dead, Terry, but thanks for the invitation." What I suspect is that nobody checks the email, or at the other extreme, the webmaster gets too much email.
Schools may not appreciate the value of responsiveness to their online community. More likely, the school hasn't developed a process to manage the email burden.
4. PDF files I've got to admit that there is a place for PDF files. I must also admit that I haven't found that place yet. Okay, if someone gives you a PDF file to publish, do it. Then ask them not to do it again.
Seriously, what I hate most about PDF is not the extra time it takes to load. It's the fact that you have to change your user interface: You search differently, you copy differently, you scroll differently, you don't have hyperlinks (maybe you do but I've never seen one in a PDF document). And what is the deal the hand - try using the hand to go to the next page.
5. Frames can be OK I guess but I've never seen a page that wouldn't be just as good without frames. Do you find frames on Amazon, or Yahoo, or the New York Times? No.
The worst thing about frames is that they keep your users from bookmarking their favorite pages. It's rude. It's done for the convenience of the publisher but turns out to be an inconvenience to the users community.
6. Graphic menu buttons. Some are really cute and actually help navigation. Cute or not, they take time to load. I'll take speed over cute any day.
7. Graphic bloat I really like nice graphics. I want students to use the web to show their stuff. But, as a user, I want to choose to see the graphics. I don't want to wait for a minute or more just to see the home page. Please just use a few graphics per page, set the width and height so that your text will load while waiting on the graphics to load. Use the Alt command so we'll know what is coming.
Then, use a page as a gateway to student graphics so we can find and view them when we want to.
8. Gateway pages. I've seen one or two gateway pages I liked and none on a school site. They provide a showcase for student graphics (see 7 above) but they make we wait. I want to go to your site. I want to see what is there. Don't make we wait. Don't make your own on-line community wait.
The school webmaster is often the whole team. Web publishing is one of the few fields where one person can make a difference. It's an efficient management model but it doesn't scale and may not last through the summer recess. (See Barriers below)
So, what kind of expertise do we need and what jobs must we do? (Thanks to Philip Greenspun)
Technical talent:
- at least one person who understands the technical part of publishing
- at least one person who has a great feel for the end-user and the overall site experience
- at least one person who is organized and likes to communicate with the school community
Design and implementation jobs:
- develop a data model (What do you want to publish? What do users want?)
- specify the legal transactions (What can users do?)
- structure the site into directories of URLs that call each other (How will your users use the page and how will you make sure that they can?)
- implement those individual URLs (Produce the basic site.)
Content jobs:
- authors
- editors
- publishers
- information designers
- graphic designers
- programmers (maybe)
Administration jobs:
- scheduling content and managing version control
- managing workflow
- preparing a budget, getting the funds, and paying the bills
- marketing the site (you want folks to know about how cool your site is)
- responding to emails and other queries (customer support)
Of course school webmasters often do all of these jobs except for perhaps some of the authoring. Somebody else produces the school calendar, dress code manual, and PTA minutes. The webmaster usually has to edit or retype the information into a web page.
To all of you school webmasters, I salute you. Take this to your boss ask for a raise.
There is a model for your web team
This is an intimidating amount of work. You have to wonder how in the world a school webmaster can manage all of this. Yet, there is a long tradition of getting work like this accomplished in schools: your school's student newspaper. In Organizing a web team just substitute "print publishing" for "web publishing" and you will probably find a well established publishing team right under your nose.
Working on a school newspaper, particularly at a high school, confers prestige on both students and advisors. It looks great on student resumes. There are lots of local and national awards. Advisors usually get paid to do it.
Many school websites publish their school newspapers online and I think that is great. From where I sit though, the newspaper is just another page on the site.
Can web publishing and print publishing co-exist or even thrive together at your school? We know that the web hasn't destroyed print but we also know that nearly every significant newspaper and magazine has a web presence from the "Wall Street Journal" to "Mother Jones." We also know that there are many more new web magazines than there are print print magazines.
Can web publishing achieve the prestige of print publishing? It can if we do it right. In fact it should carry bit of extra prestige: Managing shorter deadlines, publishing instantly rather than through a print cycle, becoming familiar with web technology, providing a new community service. It impresses me.
Can web publishing and print publishing join forces at your school? Start lobbying now. Emphasize the literature a little more and the technology a little less.
Barriers to keeping-it-going: one-man-show, transience, succession, burnout, techno phobia, web have-nots. and the enthusiasm gap
This poses the questions but not the answers: How do you keep the school's website thriving in a transient community? You may be interested in my barrier chart.
The enthusiasm gap As a web surfer especially as a web publisher, I have the web curse: I am so excited about the web that I turn people off. Friends, students, teachers, parents, school administrators, and even my family just don't get it. I've moderated a little now, but I'm sure some folks get a sense of dread when the see that web-net (me) coming. I blame myself.
The ultimate turn-off for me is web education hype: It's the way of the future. The web will change education forever. Everything you need to know is on the web. Folks can do all their learning from home. Teachers will have do their teaching on the web. Teachers will have to learn how to publish on the web. If you don't get on the web you will be left behind. I hope I've never said these thing in public.
Techno phobia This covers a lot of ground. Here are a few highlights:
-
Folks are busy today and just don't have time to delve into something new.
-
Web-shy folks are afraid that the internet or even email will take over their lives. They are deathly afraid they will become like me.
-
Some folks fear computers and don't think they can learn how to surf, or do email. They are too embarrassed to ask.
-
Folks believe that you have to be a computer expert to use the web and a major nerd to actually publish to the web.
-
For many folks dot.com shakeout confirmed their belief that the web is a failure.
-
Even folks who surf may not have found a site that actually makes a difference in their life.
Web have-nots Have-nots will always haunt the school web community. If some folks in the community aren't on the web, you can't make vital information web-only. It's a real show stopper. Why bother to have a school website if there are community members who can't see it? The have-nots will affect your budget, the support you get from teachers, the school administration, and parents. News reports that 60% of households are connected to the internet are no comfort.
Web-centric processes are important to efficiency. For example, A teacher prepares the school calendar in word, prints it, copies it, and puts 30 calendars in each teachers inbox. The webmaster retypes or scans the calendar in publishes it to the web. No have-not problem here but we duplicate work here.
In a web-centric process, the teacher creates the calendar on the web, prints it, copies it, and puts 30 calendars in each teachers inbox. No have-not problem here but we gained some efficiency.
One-person-show As mentioned in Organizing a web team one person can do it all. Once a website becomes popular, a webmaster will often dedicate all of his/her free time (for free) to the site. Unfortunately, that is often not enough. This of course leads to:
Burnout Enough said.
Transience and Succession Schools are among the most transient communities. Students, parents, teachers, administrators come and go. I've seen many great school websites that have died. It is a major risk to every nonprofit site.
Whatever the faults of bureaucracy it keeps organizations afloat as the make up of the organization changes. So, the school website must become institutionalized. It must have a value, a life, beyond any individual. School newspapers endure constant turnover of students and advisors.