Plenary talk on “Virtually Everything Virtually Everywhere: Pursuing A Radical Web Strategy” given by Andrew Aird at the IWMW 2002 event. See http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2002/sessions.html#talk-aird

1. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 20011
Virtually everything virtually everywhere:
pursuing a radical web strategy
Andrew Aird, Director of Web Services,
King’s College London

2. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 20012
Founded in 1829, 1721, 1553 and 606AD
King’s College (1829) merged with United Medical and
Dental Schools in 1998 (itself a merger of Guy’s
[founded 1721], and St. Thomas’, [founded 606AD,1553
in ‘modern form’])
 10 schools
 4 main, several subsidiary sites
 c. 120 departments
 16,200 students

3. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 20013
Web Staff
 Director (since May 2001)
 Establishment of 2 senior web officers, 1 junior
(none yet appointed)
 Currently 1 part-time (.4) officer
 Increasing use of contractors for training and
programming
 Temp clerical help as required

4. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 20014
Statistics
 Over 400 ‘IP’s
 616,000 files
 15,000 visitors a day
 Average time over 14 minutes
 70 % overseas
 49% of applicants cite web as first contact

5. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 20015
The impossible job
 Amateurs responsible for 90% of content
 Balance between corporate/departmental
interests
 Politics
 No realistic strategy
 No resources
 Other usual problems

6. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 20016
The coming crisis
 London HE recruitment difficult
• Present situation worsening post 9/11
 More places available
• Importance of clearing
 Overseas competition
• ‘Value for money’
• Post 9/11 worries
Web is under exploited tool and weapon

7. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 20017
The web is over
 Content
 Management
 Strategies for:
• Marketing (external communication)
• Internal Communication
• Learning and teaching
• Personal web publishing

8. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 20018
Key strategy planks
 Everything on the web
 Variety
 Integration
 Core datasets feeding many applications
 Scalability
 Universality
 Publishing not filesharing

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Good things
 So much content!
 Willing contributors
 Resources not a problem for current
infrastructure
 Increasing belief/support from top
 Good technology available

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Bad things
 So much content!
 Low quality of content
 Lack of corporate EVI
 We’re coming from behind
 Incompatible technologies
 Inadequate structure
 Centre/parts tension

11. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200111
The Strategic Vision
• For the web to become the primary means of the distribution and
exchange of information within the College
• Where possible and appropriate the web will replace conventional
documentation as the definitive source of that information
• All members of the College community can become consumers and
contributors to the KCL web regardless of their level of technical
expertise
• Access to the web is global, permanent and resilient
• Appropriate mechanisms and systems are implemented to protect
the security of users, contributors and subjects of the KCL web
• The infrastructure, content and management structures must be
sufficiently scalable to adapt to ever increasing demand

12. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200112
Strategic goals
 Material primarily created by and for consumption by
members of the College (e.g. departmental
handbooks, staff phone numbers, financial information,
etc.)
 Information and resources in support of the Learning
and Teaching in the College (e.g. lecture notes,
student timetables, on-line study resources, etc.)
 Content designed for users outside the College (e.g.
Prospectuses, ‘What’s On’ information, Schools page,
etc.)
 Personal web publishing

13. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200113
How?
 Pre-emptive structure
 Electronic or paper (not both)
 Controlled contributors
 Different facilities
 Resources
 Accountability
 The right team

14. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200114
Unpopular goals
 No subdomains
(e.g. kcl.ac.uk/pharmacy rather than pharmacy.kcl.ac.uk)
 Search engine submission blocked
 Strict content lifespans (content dies)
 No Word or PDF files
 Adherence to style, presentation and content
 Ban Dreamweaver and all other web editing software
 No FTP access or local servers
 Web contributions produced by groups not individuals
 Web Team has ultimate say-so. No buts.

15. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200115
Popular goals
 No software to learn
 Publishing process much quicker
 Programme/group/person orientated navigation
(rather than school/faculty/department)
 Clear role of contributions
 Less photocopying, money saved
 Currency of information
 Resilience

16. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200116
Pre-emptive structure
 Hierarchical, inevitably based on structure of
institution
 Every programme, group, person has a place
and default information (from core sources)
 Simplification of urls – intuitive
 Better navigation
 Subject/person orientated access

17. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200117
Electronic or paper
 Strategy covers all publishing
 Specifies which type of documents
 Electronic or paper
 Electronic always definitive
 Implies low technology
 Everything through the browser
 No web-based paper distribution (PDF, Word
etc. banned)

18. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200118
Controlled contributors
 System of responsibilities
 Web co-ordinator job descriptions
 Form based content
 Devolved server licensing system
 Support / SL agreed with web team
 Audit
 Cascade training

19. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200119
Different facilities
 Everyone a publisher
 Facilites for staff, student homepages; un-
moderated, not guaranteed, independent
 Development server
 No public departmental servers
 Best-in-class technology, servers with 300%
capacity

20. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200120
Resources
 Savings from paper printing costs – prospectus
£50,000 each minimum
 MIS functions in web team
 Identify stakeholders
 Income generation
 Manage in-house
 Use of contractors better value

21. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200121
Accountability
 Promise accountability – how much does it all
cost?
 Performance indicators
 Publish results
 Do some sums on page turnover, shelf-life,
‘stock value’
 Prove the web has value / value added

22. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200122
Balance sheet
 Pages are assets
 They depreciate
 They have a falling value
 After a point they have a negative value
 Cost of page / value of page not the same
 Good =1, absent=0, bad=-1
 So what’s it worth?

23. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200123
The right team
 Clout at the top
 Clear strategic and operational roles
 Formalised support
 Blend of skills
 Focus management of areas
 Manage stakeholders too!

24. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200124
Electronic prospectuses
- for the user
 Up-to-date
 Self-contained
 Interactive
 Attractive
 Instant
 Relevant and focussed

25. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200125
Electronic prospectuses
- for the institution
 Resources released
 Demonstrates commitment to medium
 More pervasive
 Resolves contractual issues
 Content better managed

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Recruitment implications?
 Students with higher IT skill base
 Medium is strategic message
 Special needs access
 Better teaching and learning
 Better retention rates

27. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200127
Let’s do it
 MIS has 18 staff (Web team will have 4 -
hopefully!)
 Separate content, ‘form’ controlled centrally
 De-technologise
 Act like bureau
 Recognise distinct web areas, get right
expertise
 Other models include PR, Finance, Estates etc.
 Control of appropriate resources

28. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200128
Loss of freedom?
 Staff / student publishing facilities
 The place of paper
 Information policies
 Sticks and carrots

29. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200129
Added value
 E-commerce
 24/7 webcast channel
 Conferencing
 L & T applications
 Resilience
 Standards
 Accountability

30. Web Management Workshop 2002Andrew Aird - November 200130
Conclusion
 Web has a value
 No going back, only forward
 After strategy everything else is tactics
 Someone will jump higher, sooner
 Where do we want to be in 3 or 5 years?
 Are we the right people for our jobs?
 MBA for web managers?