inheriting website responsibility--no paddles goin' up river

[horowit -at- en -dot- com]

My department has just inherited the web duties from the outgoing graphic
artist in the communications department.

This is all new to me/us, though I've read a few things here and there just
in case . . .

We're on Mac; current page is in PageMill, but they got GoLive for the next
run of updates.

All the materials are in a pile or in a folder on the LAN; nothing is
organized, nor do they have any priorities as far as projected changes or
additions.

The current hot project is a marketing promotion for a tool. They are
sending out a fax to all the auto dealerships to tell them they can buy
this tool online. The order form to do this is not even generated, let
alone put on the site. In addition, they have information blocks on the
form for credit card numbers . . ., but the site is not secure.

I have a million questions from liability issues about putting up a an
unsecure page (with or without a disclaimer) to ways to obtain security for
this page. No one even thought about this, and I know that because I'm
newly appointed to do this, they may think I'm nervous about the site
because I don't know something.

My first challenge is to make sure the company doesn't do anything that
risks liability issues--the said fax is due to fly on Sunday night (go
figure: the outgoing graphics person never gave us any of this information
but just dumped it in our laps). We cannot get this out by tonight, but
even if we were to have it ready, should we put a page out that requests
information without providing security to our customers?

Anyone got any suggestions? I am as open to any as I'll ever be. Perhaps
the company will send me/us to a workshop or two, but in the interim I need
some methods to get important information quickly.


---------------------------
Your art cannot lie, it tells
the true story, your
tale of hope, of pain, of joy.

Donna M. Horowitz
horowit -at- en -dot- com