Virtually everything virtually everywhere:
pursuing a radical web strategy
Andrew Aird, Director of Web Services,
King’s College London
Web Management Workshop 2002
Andrew Aird - November 2001
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Founded in 1829, 1721, 1553 and 606AD
King’s College (1829) merged with United Medical and
Dental Schools in 1998 (itself a merger of Guy’s
[founded 1721], and St. Thomas’, [founded 606AD,1553
in ‘modern form’])
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10 schools
4 main, several subsidiary sites
c. 120 departments
16,200 students
Web Management Workshop 2002
Andrew Aird - November 2001
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Web Staff
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Director (since May 2001)
Establishment of 2 senior web officers, 1 junior
(none yet appointed)
Currently 1 part-time (.4) officer
Increasing use of contractors for training and
programming
Temp clerical help as required
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Statistics
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Over 400 ‘IP’s
616,000 files
15,000 visitors a day
Average time over 14 minutes
70 % overseas
49% of applicants cite web as first contact
Web Management Workshop 2002
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The impossible job
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Amateurs responsible for 90% of content
Balance between corporate/departmental
interests
Politics
No realistic strategy
No resources
Other usual problems
Web Management Workshop 2002
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The coming crisis
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London HE recruitment difficult
• Present situation worsening post 9/11
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More places available
• Importance of clearing
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Overseas competition
• ‘Value for money’
• Post 9/11 worries
Web is under exploited tool and weapon
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The web is over
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Content
Management
Strategies for:
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Marketing (external communication)
Internal Communication
Learning and teaching
Personal web publishing
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Key strategy planks
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Everything on the web
Variety
Integration
Core datasets feeding many applications
Scalability
Universality
Publishing not filesharing
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Good things
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So much content!
Willing contributors
Resources not a problem for current
infrastructure
Increasing belief/support from top
Good technology available
Web Management Workshop 2002
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Bad things
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So much content!
Low quality of content
Lack of corporate EVI
We’re coming from behind
Incompatible technologies
Inadequate structure
Centre/parts tension
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The Strategic Vision
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For the web to become the primary means of the distribution and
exchange of information within the College
Where possible and appropriate the web will replace conventional
documentation as the definitive source of that information
All members of the College community can become consumers and
contributors to the KCL web regardless of their level of technical
expertise
Access to the web is global, permanent and resilient
Appropriate mechanisms and systems are implemented to protect
the security of users, contributors and subjects of the KCL web
The infrastructure, content and management structures must be
sufficiently scalable to adapt to ever increasing demand
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Strategic goals
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Material primarily created by and for consumption by
members of the College (e.g. departmental
handbooks, staff phone numbers, financial information,
etc.)
Information and resources in support of the Learning
and Teaching in the College (e.g. lecture notes,
student timetables, on-line study resources, etc.)
Content designed for users outside the College (e.g.
Prospectuses, ‘What’s On’ information, Schools page,
etc.)
Personal web publishing
Web Management Workshop 2002
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How?
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Pre-emptive structure
Electronic or paper (not both)
Controlled contributors
Different facilities
Resources
Accountability
The right team
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Unpopular goals
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No subdomains
(e.g. kcl.ac.uk/pharmacy rather than pharmacy.kcl.ac.uk)
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Search engine submission blocked
Strict content lifespans (content dies)
No Word or PDF files
Adherence to style, presentation and content
Ban Dreamweaver and all other web editing software
No FTP access or local servers
Web contributions produced by groups not individuals
Web Team has ultimate say-so. No buts.
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Popular goals
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No software to learn
Publishing process much quicker
Programme/group/person orientated navigation
(rather than school/faculty/department)
Clear role of contributions
Less photocopying, money saved
Currency of information
Resilience
Web Management Workshop 2002
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Pre-emptive structure
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Hierarchical, inevitably based on structure of
institution
Every programme, group, person has a place
and default information (from core sources)
Simplification of urls – intuitive
Better navigation
Subject/person orientated access
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Electronic or paper
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Strategy covers all publishing
Specifies which type of documents
Electronic or paper
Electronic always definitive
Implies low technology
Everything through the browser
No web-based paper distribution (PDF, Word
etc. banned)
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Controlled contributors
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System of responsibilities
Web co-ordinator job descriptions
Form based content
Devolved server licensing system
Support / SL agreed with web team
Audit
Cascade training
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Different facilities
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Everyone a publisher
Facilites for staff, student homepages; unmoderated, not guaranteed, independent
Development server
No public departmental servers
Best-in-class technology, servers with 300%
capacity
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Resources
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Savings from paper printing costs – prospectus
£50,000 each minimum
MIS functions in web team
Identify stakeholders
Income generation
Manage in-house
Use of contractors better value
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Accountability
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Promise accountability – how much does it all
cost?
Performance indicators
Publish results
Do some sums on page turnover, shelf-life,
‘stock value’
Prove the web has value / value added
Web Management Workshop 2002
Andrew Aird - November 2001
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Balance sheet
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Pages are assets
They depreciate
They have a falling value
After a point they have a negative value
Cost of page / value of page not the same
Good =1, absent=0, bad=-1
So what’s it worth?
Web Management Workshop 2002
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The right team
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Clout at the top
Clear strategic and operational roles
Formalised support
Blend of skills
Focus management of areas
Manage stakeholders too!
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Electronic prospectuses
- for the user
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Up-to-date
Self-contained
Interactive
Attractive
Instant
Relevant and focussed
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Electronic prospectuses
- for the institution
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Resources released
Demonstrates commitment to medium
More pervasive
Resolves contractual issues
Content better managed
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Recruitment implications?
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Students with higher IT skill base
Medium is strategic message
Special needs access
Better teaching and learning
Better retention rates
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Let’s do it
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MIS has 18 staff (Web team will have 4 hopefully!)
Separate content, ‘form’ controlled centrally
De-technologise
Act like bureau
Recognise distinct web areas, get right
expertise
Other models include PR, Finance, Estates etc.
Control of appropriate resources
Web Management Workshop 2002
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Loss of freedom?
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Staff / student publishing facilities
The place of paper
Information policies
Sticks and carrots
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Added value
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E-commerce
24/7 webcast channel
Conferencing
L & T applications
Resilience
Standards
Accountability
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Conclusion
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Web has a value
No going back, only forward
After strategy everything else is tactics
Someone will jump higher, sooner
Where do we want to be in 3 or 5 years?
Are we the right people for our jobs?
MBA for web managers?
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