Walk-in Web Clinic for Faculty and Staff

Keeping on the WebTrack

• Sunil Hazari, Campus Computing Associate, Robert H. Smith School of Business
  Sunil's Tips:
  • Surf the Web!
  • Learn a Search Engine AltaVista is a good choice. Learn Boolean logic operators and how to use them.
  • Use Ask Jeeves!
  • Subscribe to quality listservs in digest form.
  • Be a frequent visitor to professional society websites.
  • Use Internet World electronically - or in your rocking chair at night with a cup of coffee you can browse thru the hardcopy version - subscriptions are free.
  • Check out ShopBot for fun.

• Marlene Bruce, Webmaster, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  
  Two things determine how "up-to-date" you should be on newer web-based technologies: browser capabilities and your users. If browsers don't completely or adequately support a given bell or whistle, or if your users are required to download some special plug-in or application to use your web site, I'd recommend avoiding that particular technology until it is better integrated into a future browser. That said, don't make the mistake of assuming your users are even going to upgrade their browsers! Check your server's logs to see what your users are using, and design your pages to suit. The best designed web site may be an elegantly simple one, created with restraint and intelligence. On the other hand, keeping up on back-end technology (server and database, for example) can be especially helpful, if this is your area of expertise.
  
  See my list of helpful bookmarks, and my web site development tips.
  
  Marlene's Tips:
  • Surf the Web!
  • Learn what the newer technologies can do, then use them sparingly or not-at-all (at least until they're proven useful and are multi-browser supported). Most of all - know your users and design for them.
  • See AlertBox by Jakob Nielsen for current issues in Web Usability - 5 stars. Usable Web is also a comprehensive resource.
  • Visit WebMonkey for great tutorials. Consider subscribing to their listserv: Monkey-Junkies . I prefer it message by message rather than digest form. Warning: this averages 45 messages a day.
  • Other excellent resources are Web Review and the HTML Writers Guild (and of course, Internet World).
  • Get your code from Free Code
• Dan Cabirac, Campus Computing Associate, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  Dan's Tips
  • Surf the Web!
  • For database interfaces look to perl scripts, ColdFusion and watch Microsoft offerings. Skip the Java.
  • Use and Opera browsers.
  • If you don't want to code by hand use Netscape Composer or Microsoft Frontpage.
  • For image processing check out Paint Shop Pro or Adobe Photoshop.
  • Use Apache web server software.

• Vernon "Skip" Warnick, Past Webmaster, DiversityWeb & Letters and Sciences
  Skip's Tips
  • Surf the Web! and check out the coding for what you see that you like.
  • Keep in touch with the World Wide Web Consortium.
  • Keep CoolTime handy.
  • And read CIO

• Linda Martin, Electric Pub, University Publications
  Linda's Tips
  • Surf the Web and look at
    • marketing
    • web trends
    • research on audiences
    • e-commerce
    • web graphics
    • conferences
  • Check out Tripod.com and their listserv.
  • National Geographic is always doing cool things>
  • Audience surveys can be found at Media Metrix
  • See CMPnet for Business and Technology updates.
  • Adobe has great Tips and Techniques
  • You can get free cgi-scripts from weinman.com
  • If you are looking for graphic design help try Lynda Weinman's website
  • Conferences and training opportunties can be found at Thunder Lizard
  • And check out Browserwatch

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  For more information visit our website at www.oit.umd.edu/WebClinics,
  contact the inforM office at 405-2936
  or send email to inform-editor@umail.umd.edu