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| World wide web |
The Internet is a beautiful thing and here’s why…
- It enables us to participate in a virtual community;
- It’s easily accessible;
- It lets you shop in peace – splurging all you want in whatever you want and bringing the good/service to your front door;
- It makes researching tasks easier; and
- It’s the guilty distraction to completing your homework.
While
some of the above might not be applicable to everyone, there’s one thing for
certain – we’re all users of the Internet. In fact, writing this blog is prime
evidence!
However,
it seems very strange to think that although we’ve been consumers of the net
for more than a decade we hardly know how our favourite websites function and are
maintained.
A
website needs to take into account many factors– such as understanding the #target #audience, how to engage with its consumers, how to make effective use of
space, etc. It all contributes to a site’s success and the likelihood of individuals
to visit the page again.
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| Who is your audience? |
In other
words, a successful site knows what works with its viewers and has programmers
to ensure it’s well-maintained to meet the viewers’ expectations.
Through
my internship, I realised how unaware I was of the expertise needed to enter
content onto a website and within a client’s deadlines.
But with
practice and an understanding of how the different systems work, I now feel
equipped to implement websites in the future.
I’ve entered data into a Content Management System (CMS) before and after a site
went live – and witnessed the highs and lows of progress. I’ve uploaded and
updated data, such as: news, events, case studies, contact details, etc. And I've became more competent and confident in applying myself to these
tasks.
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| Content Management System (CMS) |
Some valuable tips I learnt along the way...
Tip 1)
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| No room for error |
The Internet is live – in other words there is no room for error. Any data
entered into the back-end of the system will automatically be saved to the live
site. Therefore, if there’s a spelling mistake, an incorrect statement or
contact details, it will be visible to the public and the client immediately.
As a public relations practitioner, this would reflect badly on our credentials
and the client wouldn’t be very satisfied with our work either. So, make sure to
double-check and edit data before it’s saved onto a #CMS.
Tip 2)
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| Spinning wheel of death |
Although #technology has changed the way we work and created better
opportunities for individuals there is also downfalls – such as when technology
decides it doesn’t want to work anymore and the spinning wheel of death
appears. In this case, it’s significant to regularly save your work and not
leave deadlines to the last minute in case of technical issues. Also, it helps
to have access to an Information Technology support team who can assist you in
these matters.
Tip 3)
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| Messy font styles |
Lastly,
make sure there is #consistency. For instance: if you’re typing in Times New
Roman, font size 12, stick with it throughout the website. Consumers do not like
to be bombarded with different fonts and font sizes and it definitely doesn’t look professional. This includes the different template options under tabs –
e.g. a ‘Case Studies’ tab would use an article template, whilst a ‘Home Page’
tab would use a simpler template. It’s significant to have consistency in
content and use of space to make the data flow easier for viewers.
Just by
utilising these simple steps, it will automatically help strengthen a company’s
reputation, create awareness and increase the likelihood of an individual to
visit your website again.
