July 10, 2007 Webmasters Committee Meeting Minutes

Present: Tom Harmon, Jill Lenz, Charlie Kerlee and Merry Wright.

Merry Wright, Chair, started the meeting at 9:06 am

Old Business

  1. "Writing Right for the Web" Presentation Review

    This presentation review is continued from last month's meeting. Jill reviewed slides 46-58 of the presentation.

    Recommended Best Practices

    1. Writing for search engine exposure
      1. SEO = Search Engine Optimization - the process of improving Web pages to rank higher in search engine results for targeted keywords and keywords phrases
      2. Use keywords/carewords that a real person uses. Example "heart disease" vs. "cardiovascular disease" - is your primary audience the general public or heart surgeons?
      3. Add new content to give search engines something new to find
      4. Use short headers
      5. Link to and from related sites - the stronger your link system, the more attention the things that crawl the web will pay to your Web site
      6. Integrate printed pieces with your Web site
      7. Vary title tags on every page to focus on primary page content
      8. Most important element is relevant content
      In summary:
      • Make sure people can scan your document quickly
      • Write in direct marketing style
      • Use words people care about
      • Writing right will help search engines find you
      • Add new content as often as possible

    Discussion

    Content Management Systems

    Jill mentioned she is on the advisory committee for a redesign of the Warner College of Natural Resources (WCNR) Web site. This college has taken the approach of using a content management system instead of Dreamweaver for producing Web pages. The idea is let content managers add content without being skilled in HTML, CSS or validation, and instead teach them the skills to write the content right for the Web. Some of the committee members attended the same "Writing Right for the Web" webinar that we have been reviewing.

    Official CSU Logos

    We noticed the Argus Institute Web site is still using an old CSU logo. Jill will contact Del Rae Heiser to help her switch to the new logo. The new logos and instructions are available at http://graphicstandards.colostate.edu/index.asp?url=download_logos_web

    Which Server Hosts the Page?

    Tom Harmon showed us how to find out what server hosts a Web page. In this example, we found that the Argus Web site is hosted on the Lamar server, maintained by ACNS, not CVMBS.

    In Window, click on the Start button and choose "Run". Type in "cmd" and then hit the Enter key. A command prompt window will open. Type in "nslookup" and then hit the Enter key. Type in the server/host name "www.argusinstitute.colostate.edu" and then hit the Enter key. The name of the server appears along with it's IP address and alias.

    Command prompt screen shot

    Call to Action

    We were reviewing the Clinical Sciences Continuing Education web site at http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/clinsci/ce/ scanned it for a call to action. We didn't think it was clear that you can "register online" and perhaps this should be a "call to action" on every page. We suggest "Register Online" be added to the green bar at the top of the page, at the end of the list, just after "Contact Us".

    Screen shot of Clinical Sciences Continuing Ed top of page

New Business

  1. Change to WebCT Link - Merry Wright for Jamie Bethel

    On August 10th 2007 all "WebCT" links throughout the CVMBS Web site need to be changed to the text "RamCT" with the following address. http://ramct.colostate.edu/. The reason for this change is that the WebCT server will be turned off to students on August 10th. Let’s discuss the most efficient way to make this change by August 9th.

    Discussion

    Last time we had to make a change to all pages, Jill tried to create a site for the entire W drive and her computer couldn't handle it, therefore each webmaster will need to change the pages for which they are responsible. A reminder will be sent to the listserv on August 8th as a reminder for all to make these changes to their pages.

    • We have a WebCT link on the page header, so it's on every page in the college and department sites. Here is an example of the source code you want to find and replace for the top navigation area. Find and Replace screen shot

    • There is also a WebCT link on the Computing fly out on the CVMBS homepage and Deans Office pages, too. Here is an example of the source code your want to find and replace for the left-hand navigation.
      Find and Replace screen shot

The meeting concluded at 10:05 am.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 14th, 9:00-10:00 am, Environmental Health Building Conference Room 120.

Minutes submitted by Jill Lenz.

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