Web Content Provider 101 -When Knowing

How to Type Just Isn’t Enough

Terri VaughanWeb Customer Support Specialist

Office of Web Services

Who are Web Content Providers?• Individuals responsible for the information provided on Web sites.

• They effectively organize text, images, video and other content.

• They write compelling titles for audience appropriate content.

• They add relevant and consistent metadata to ensure search engine optimization.

• They review and update their sites regularly to keep content fresh.

• They spell check each word, use consistent and proper grammar and always have a colleague review and approve their content before it is published.

Our Content Providers

Typical Content Provider• Little or no Web experience.

• Novice to expert computer knowledge.

• Satisfactory to excellent word processing skills.

• Medium to high level of intimidation with learning.

• Web site maintenance duty assigned, not requested.

What Content Providers Want• Content written for them.

• Familiar folder/file structure.

• Drag ‘n drop graphics/hyperlinks/tables.

• Content editing similar to word processing.

• Someone else to maintain their Web pages.

What Content Providers Get• Content writing responsibility.

• Unfamiliar folder/file structures.

• Inadequate graphics editing tools.

• Unclear or hard-to-follow instructions.

• Pressure to meet content update deadlines before learning how to update content.

What Content Providers Do• Keep old content as long as possible.

• Create Web folders that contain only one page.

• Insert improperly formatted and sized graphics.

• Create Web pages with unfriendly URLs.

• Upload documents instead of creating Web pages.

What Content Providers Need• Adequate technical experience.

• Clear understanding of Web best practices.

• Easy-to-use image editing tools.

• Ability to adapt print content to Web content.

• When to upload a file and when to create a Web page.

What to Do

What We Should Do• Select content providers with adequate skills.

• Develop comprehensive training program.

• Require content providers to attend training before granting update access to Web site.

• Provide positive reinforcement during and upon completion of training program.

• Follow up with content providers regularly to provide feedback.

Training Workshops• Computer skills + internet + Web.

• Web best practices + essential html.

• Multimedia formatting and best practices for use.

• Simple tips for writing well for the Web.

• Site specific, hands-on training with supported Web editing tools.

Learning Outcomes

What I Have Learned• Confidence in content providers’ abilities.

• Avoid excessive tech-speak.

• Explain why skills are necessary.

• Analogies that content providers can relate to.

• Entertain and engage during and after training.

How I Engage Content Providers• Recognize value to Web audiences.

• Keep tech speak minimal but stress importance of terminology.

• Describe what skills are needed and why they matter.

• How Web skills relate to skills they already possess.

• Follow up with reminders, cool tricks and compliments.

Helpful Features

What Content Providers Love• Copy/paste from Microsoft Word.

• Activate previous version of updated page.

• Restore accidentally deleted Web pages.

• WYSIWYG – no html editing required!

• Seeing page updates instantly.

Content Stars

Q&A

(and stuff you want me to know)