Why your department needs a web presence
As the World Wide Web has become an increasingly important resource for
the University as well as the public at large, it also has become important
that each department have a presence on the web.
First, the web has become an important place for people at Emory to find
reference information about departments. Anyone at Emory with a computer
and a network connection can get to information about your department.
Perhaps more importantly, many people outside of Emory get their first impression
of the University from the web. For example, at least 4,000 prospective
students per month look at Emory's web site. If your department does not
have a web presence, a prospective student has no way of knowing what types
of programs you offer.
Publishing on the web has several other distinct advantages. First, it is
easy to keep web information up to date. Suppose, for example, you publish
a schedule of courses in your department. When you publish a printed version
of the schedule, you must print the information weeks, maybe even months,
in advance. Almost invariably, the schedule will change before the printed
version reaches its audience. When you publish on the web, you can continue
to add courses or make minor changes as often as necessary. Second, publishing
on the web is almost as easy as using a word processor. Web page editors
such as Claris Home Page or Netscape Navigator Gold work essentially the
same as a word processor. The only difference is that when you create a
web page you have to transfer the file to a web server when you complete
your document. Finally, publishing on the web is free. The only cost is
the time spent developing the pages.
Once you decide to publish on the web, Emory offers many resources to help
you get started. ITD offers free server space to any department interested
in publishing on the web. You may request an account from www@emory.edu.
URLs:
Creating Web Sites: http://www.emory.edu/WWW/WEB_INFO/
Style Guidelines: http://www.emory.edu/WWW/WEB_INFO/style.html
Short Courses: http://www.emory.edu/ITD/CRS/SHORT_COURSE/
Marie Matthews is WebMaster in Computing Resources Services, Information
Technology Division.
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