Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 07:53:10 -0400
From: Judy Hallman <hallman@gibbs.oit.unc.edu>
To: Web-Walkers <web-walkers@unc.edu>>
Cc: KAL.HRA@MHS.UNC.EDU, sjared@email.unc.edu
Subject: Summary of Web-Walkers February 19 meeting on maintenance
To Web-Walkers:
Summary of Web-Walkers February 19 meeting on maintenance of Web pages.
The February 19 meeting was a brainstorming session on ongoing maintenance of web pages, particularly those that have lots of links and are also printed.
Many thanks to Libby Evans for leading the meeting.
Libby said that the Carolina Population Center now prepares their newsletter in HTML and prints from the Web to obtain copies for distribution. For reports, like annual reports, CPC converts PageMaker to WordPerfect to HTML and uses a set of UNIX commands to replace names in the reports with links.
Barbara Council said that the Business Manual is over 1,000 pages, of which 700-800 are updated annually. 27 offices submit information for the Business Manual. An update costs about $9,000 plus a full-time job; 500 sets are printed. A PostScript file is sent to Printing Services for the paper copy. The web pages came from PageMaker via Word to rtf and then html. The Web pages are now updated after the printed version is finished, so changes are processed twice.
Printed copies are required because some staff don't have access to the Web and even where there is access, some managers don't allow their staff to use the Web for fear employees may use the Internet for activities not related to their work.
There was discussion about extending Internet access so that all employees can look at the Business Manual, SPA manual, and other University publications online. There is an HRIS project in the works which is likely to make this happen -- an employment database that will require compatible hardware and software in each department.
There was interest in a communications task force on University publications that was chaired by Scott Jared. Libby asked for a copy of their report. [Follow-up: Scott sent Libby a copy of the report.]
The Institute of Government goes from Word to PageMaker for printing; footnotes are frozen when the process is begun.
There was some discussion about HTML editors. Word 8 (for Windows 95) allows you to save in HTML format. Some people like Page Mill (which costs about $200) and some like Netscape 3 Gold (free for educational use). There is something called QVT in Windows 95 that lets you roll in and out Web pages. Home Site X and Claris Home Page were also mentioned.
Some departments have old software and old machines. Departments need a minimal description of what they should have. [I noted to check to see what HTML editors, if any, ATN supports and what is or should be provided in the Labs.]
For large publications that have input from many departments, like the Business Manual and course catalogs, templates might be useful -- something similar to those being used for courses.
There are no easy answers.
Attendees:
Jay Aikat, JOMC, daikat@email.unc.edu
Delores Bayless, HRIS, dhb.hr725@mhs.unc.edu
Michael Brady, Inst. of Govt, jbrady@email.unc.edu
John Cook, OIS, jcook@med.unc.edu
Barbara Council, S&P, bhc.sp@mhs.unc.edu
Jennifer Drolet, IRSS, jdrolet@irss.unc.edu
Pam Duncan, Ctr. Dist. Lrng., School Pub. Hlth., pam_duncan@unc.edu
Susan Dunn, Inst. of Govt, dunn.iog@mhs.unc.edu
Elizabeth A. Evans, Carolina Pop Ctr, evans@unc.edu
Judy Hallman, ATN, judy_hallman@unc.edu
Karen Haywood, Law, khaywood@email.unc.edu
Scott Jared, Advancement, sjared@email.unc.edu
Sandy Jenkins, AIS, sandy_jenkins@unc.edu
Simon Lin, Pharm, meng@med.unc.edu
Jane Lindley, History, lindley.ham@mhs.unc.edu
John Allan Tallant, jtallant@unc.edu
Trish Towne, OIS, trish@med.unc.edu
Cheryl Ward, Carolin Population Center, cheryl_ward@unc.edu
Loren Watterson, Carolina Pop. Ctr., loren_watterson@unc.edu
Judy Hallman (judy_hallman@unc.edu, http://www.unc.edu/~hallman/)
Campus-Wide Information Systems Manager, UNC-Chapel Hill