Building a web site for documentation?

["Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

Bonita White requests: <<Please don't *yell* at me for this question>>

Can we yell at you for the answers? <g> One thing you haven't defined is why
you want to create the site. Without knowing that, you can't list the needs
you're trying to solve and the requirements generated by fulfilling those
needs.

<<I would like to put together a proposal for creating a web site for the
documentation.>>

This is like any other form of proposal you've ever done: start with a list
of your needs, then figure out the implications of each need. One very
useful resource is PC Magazine. Over the past year, they've run all kinds of
articles on finding a good host for your Web site, authoring tools,
usability, and so on. If you want an "all in one" package, head over to
www.topfloor.com and pick up "Poor Richard's Web site"; I reviewed the
original version of this book, and it was wonderful. I imagine the revised
edition is even better.

<<I know that I need an IP address to get started>>

Yes and no. If your company already has a Web site, then you can simply add
a section to that site--with the Webmaster's help. If not, then you need to
come up with a good estimate of your storage requirements, what kind of
traffic you expect (number of visitors multiplied by megabytes downloaded,
since you pay by the megabyte), what bells and whistles you need (Java,
forms, etc.), and on and on: in short, how people will use that site, and
what the implications are for managing the site. This gives you a
preliminary idea of the setup and ongoing costs, but you'll also need to
figure in the time for maintenance (updating files, solving problems, etc.).
Web sites _can_ be done simply and inexpensively, but they have this
tendency to make like dust bunnies and breed in the dark until they produce
mutant monsters that devour the whole house. <g> A little housekeeping keeps
them under control, but the bigger the house, the more likely it is that
you'll need a full-time housekeeper (Webmaster).

<<I would hate to set myself up for failure.>>

Rule #1: Measure three times, cut once. (In short, plan what you're going to
do, then ask others to rip the plan apart so you can rebuild it until it's
foolproof. Of course, nature always evolves a better fool, but at least you
can make it tougher for that fool to wreck things...) Since you're not in
any particular hurry, don't even consider starting until you know what you
want to do; this _isn't_ like the typical Platonic documentation situation,
in which you've got a deadline and you can't plan so much that you never
actually do the work. Make sure to list both the immediate needs and future
needs, so that what you design now can easily grow as your expertise and
needs grow. Even if you never implement those future plans, you should at
least pick a design that lets you implement them if necessary.

Rule #2: Start simple. Pick something that you can do easily, that will
offer significant value to users, and that will prove that you're capable of
doing the job and doing it well. (In short, gather confidence as you go, and
demonstrate that you're good enough to make all the labor worthwhile.) As
you build expertise, you can start adding more complex or demanding
features.

Rule #3: Do one thing at a time, and do it well; when you're done, move on
to the next thing. In short, don't try to do it all at once. There's no
easier way to drop the ball than to juggle several balls at once, but even I
can reliably juggle a single ball. <g>

--Geoff Hart, FERIC, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
"User's advocate" online monthly at
www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/usersadvocate.html

"The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is
by accident. That's where we come in; we're computer professionals. We cause
accidents."-- Nathaniel Borenstein

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A landmark hotel, one of America's most beautiful cities, and 
three and a half days of immersion in the state of the art:
IPCC 01, Oct. 24-27 in Santa Fe.  http://ieeepcs.org/2001/

  +++  Miramo -- Database/XML publishing automation.  See us at  +++
  +++  Seybold SFO, Sept. 25-27, in the Adobe Partners Pavilion  +++
  +++ More info: http://www.axialinfo.com  http://www.miramo.com +++

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit 
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.