Using a server log file

A standard HTTP server log entry may look like this:

193.63.182.194 [03/March/2001:11:30:35]
‘GET/webguidelines/index.htm HTTP/1.0’ 200 35000

What this means:

* 193.63.182.194 is in principle the IP number of the client’s (the visitor’s) host name or computer making the request. In fact it may actually be the IP number of a ‘proxy’ device that made the HTTP request on behalf of the real user. Such devices include the web content caching appliances that ISPs are increasingly deploying (‘perimeter caches’) and the firewalls that are typically deployed between corporate networks and the Internet.
* 03/March/2001 indicates the date of the access.
* 11:30:35 indicates the time (hours:minutes:seconds) of the access.
* ‘GET/webguidelines/index.htm HTTP/1.0’ is the request that the browser sent to the server.
* 200 is the HTTP status code with which the request completed (code 200 means that the file was served successfully. See annex I Common HTTP server status codes.
* 35000 is the size in bytes of the file that was transferred to the client’s browser.

Depending upon the logging capabilities of the web server software and how the web server logging has been configured, web server logs may contain a large amount of additional information such as:

* HTTP_REFERRER this records the URL of the web page that referred the visitor to the current page. This actually records how a user (client) makes their way through your website.
* USER_AGENT this records the program name and version number of the browser that the user (client) employed. For example, Microsoft Internet Explorer/4.04 (Windows 95).

Understanding user statistics

Website usage statistics are generally obtained by analysing the server logs. A typical HTTP server log contains in a log entry for each HTTP request (or hit) on the server. This entry will contain information about the web resource requested and the browser to which it was served. Software can be used to analyse and process these log files and provide a picture of the traffic to the website. this will include information such as:

* the number of visitors,
* visitor duration and traffic pattern,
* visitor origin including which country, when it can be identified,
* visitor IP address,
* visitors’ technical preferences, such as browser type and version, platform.

This analysis will also indicate:

* traffic peaks and troughs against time of day and day of the week
* average daily user load,
* what obstacles may turn visitors away,
* which pages get high traffic,
* which directories are getting high traffic,
* which graphic files are acceptable in terms of size and download time,
* type of browsers (user agent) being used.

There is a wide range of software available for processing and analysing the potentially huge amount of raw data contained in web server logs. This ranges from the commercially available Webtrends product family through to ‘shareware’ packages such as Wusage and free software like Analog.

Evaluation and website metrics

Is the web strategy working? Does the navigation get people to the information they need? Is the server reliable? Measuring audience satisfaction, looking at feedback, understanding access statistics without measures such as these you will not be able to demonstrate value for money, or that you are meeting the needs of users and the aims of management. Therefore, regular (quarterly will be sufficient), formal evaluation exercises of both the content and the technology are strongly recommended.

Evaluation of website design and content can be carried out by drawing on:

* Website access statistics provided by the ISP/hosting service provider. (The ISP/hosing services provider may either supply the raw web server logs or the results of their having been processed by analysis software);
* Responses via feedback tools (forms, databases, email addresses);
* Feedback from contributors to the website;
* Conventional audiences research, for example, focus groups and professionally authored online questionnaires.


The effectiveness of the website can also be judged by measuring achievement in other ways. For example, one recruitment website was evaluated on:

* The number of recruits that applied via the website.
* Their performance of web recruits measured against that of staff recruited by other means.
* The cost per recruit measured against the cost per recruit of publicity in other media.

If the ISP/hosting service supplier provides the results of analysing the web server logs as opposed to providing the unprocessed raw logs, the minimum information that should be required from them is statistics on:

* number of unique users (visitors)
* number of visits ,and
* page impressions (page views).

Some examples of other relevant metrics that can be identified from web server logs are:

* error message counts (indicating that pages and other content were not served successfully); and
* traffic analysis focussing on peak times (to assess bandwidth requirements) and ‘dead’ times (should it be necessary to switch the site off while
* maintenance is carried out) see section 1.4.8 for a graphical summary.

For definitions of these terms, see section 1.4.7 Understanding the terminology.

Additional useful information can include:

* successful requests;
* unsuccessful requests;
* most frequently visited pages;
* least frequently visited pages;
* top entry pages;
* top referring websites.

This information can be used to do such things as:

* identify the most popular content,
* review the navigation system for example, identifying orphaned pages,
* identify referring websites (the sites from which users arrive at your website),
* audit the level of response to electronic forms,
* assess the effectiveness of marketing/PR campaigns in bringing traffic to the website,
* provide information on users’ platforms and browsers,
* identify users’ DNS domains and thus visits from abroad or from within government.

It is, in addition, recommended that web teams should:

* give more importance to visitors, unique visits and page impressions than to hits;
* take as much notice of error logs as of any other statistics;
* determine who is using the website the most;
* monitor current bandwidth use, and attempt to project future requirements;
* archive server logs to use for monitoring trends over time.

The web strategy and management team should ensure, at the procurement stage, that ISPs/hosting services are offering to provide a full range of server log information.

It is acceptable to use HTTP cookies or session identities to track visitors' paths through the website (and this will be essential in e-transactional sites). The website should contain a clear statement of policy on the use of cookies.

Good practice dictates that the need for attention to the accuracy and timeliness of information will increase as the level of activity of a site increases.

Web managers should, in the interests of open government, consider publishing a summary of usage statistics on their websites

The commercial value of credits

The giving of credit to suppliers of web services that you employ directly within the functionality of your website can have commercial value. Significant reductions to the cost of features such as search engines can be negotiated especially if logos and links to suppliers’ sites are granted. The value will vary with the popularity of the specific web pages, and the relevance of the service to your readership.

The giving of credit to suppliers of web services, for example, by name, by email address, particularly if within your metadata will also have commercial value. Reductions to costs should be negotiated.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship may be a useful means of saving public expenditure. Like all government publicity projects, websites should observe the guidance given in the Cabinet Office Guidance for Departments on Sponsorship of Government Activities. This document can be found online at: http://www.gics.gov.uk (see above) or published in the Directory of Civil Service Guidance. These guidelines should be consulted in full. Like all government guidelines they are subject to amendment and update.

In general, sponsorship:

* must avoid any suggestion that the sponsors will be sympathetically regarded for other purposes;
* must be seen to add significant benefit;
* should add to, not replace, core funding for the project;
* cannot be given by firms which are involved in significant commercial negotiations with the department or are licensed/regulated by it;
* should be sought in an open and even handed manner between organisations in a particular field, using the appropriate public sector procurement methods to secure the contractual arrangements;
* must not be an endorsement by Government of the sponsor or its products or services;
* must not dilute the effectiveness of your website or the message that lies behind it. Sponsors cannot influence, the messages of Government communication in their business area;
* must not bring adverse publicity to the project;
* must be of websites and not of individual Ministers or civil servants;
* does not place a Minister or a Department under an obligation to a sponsor.

Sponsorship of individual amounts, including value-in-kind, of more than £5,000 must be disclosed in Departmental Annual Reports.

To measure the value of in-kind sponsorship, where the sponsor provides goods or services that benefit of the project, Departments should consider the opportunity cost, ie, how much it would have cost the department if it had paid for the support provided. Ongoing costs should also be taken into account for the lifetime of the sponsorship agreement.

Returns to the sponsor must be specified in writing as part of the sponsorship agreement. The agreement should cover, for example, the display of the name of the sponsor or whether there is to be a link to the sponsor’s website.

Credit to a sponsor must never create confusion about branding or your website’s identity.

Credit to a sponsor should only occur on those parts of your web space where the sponsor is directly contributing to its provision. This should be specified in the sponsorship agreement.

Acknowledgement should be concise. A company logo, if used, must not distract from clear branding of your website’s own identity or any government branding. A sponsor’s logo must comply with the universal accessibility and graphics requirements of these guidelines

A company logo must be seen as appropriate and must not be of a size that is visually or perceived to be visually larger or more important than any official or campaign logo. A link to the sponsor’s own web page is perfectly okay. To retain your audience, you may wish to have it open in a new browser window.

If these guidelines have been followed, then no specific disclaimer for this instance of sponsorship should be necessary. It should be evident that the source of sponsorship is appropriate. It is, however, your responsibility to ensure that this relationship cannot be misinterpreted.

In the case that a disclaimer is necessary to avoid the semblance of an inappropriate relationship with the company, then it should be placed next to the credit line in the same heading level and typeface and on the same page. This is because disclaimers that are a link away from a credit have not in practice proved to be effective at avoiding the appearance of a problem.

It would be useful if the government’s policy on sponsorship is included were the disclaimer information just off the home page together with an assertion that all sponsorship of the site meets these criteria.

The buying of advertising space on other websites

As the market place is in constant evolution and having a strategic approach to Internet advertising is required. Unlike traditional advertising space, the Internet does not benefit widely from independent audience audits. Traffic claims can be variable and you must ask for specific information - page impressions, from where specific information and pages are requested, etc - and make judgements on the effectiveness of an individual site against the site operator’s claims.

In line with your overall media communications strategy specialist agencies are best placed to carry out the following tasks for you:

* planning an internet advertising campaign using various sites and methods of reaching your target audience;
* negotiating the approved plan to ensure maximum value for money;
* implementing the approved plan to ensure that the adverts appear on time and in the right place, and
* optimising campaigns through identification of the most appropriate web pages to be used for advertising, analysis of page impressions and ‘click through’ and the published performance of individual sites.

This is a specialist area and you are advised to refer to the Guidance on the Work of the Government Information Service

Advertising

Using the Internet for advertising falls into two distinct categories:

* Selling advertising or sponsorship space on your website, and
* Buying advertising space on other websites.

Advice on buying advertising is covered in section 1.3.3.

Selling advertising space on Government websites is not an easy task. This is a rapidly evolving and fiercely competitive area and a dedicated, trained resource is required to managed, sell and promote this service. You are advised to source help from specialist agencies, eg, COI Communications.

The full value should be obtained from the sale of advertising on government websites.

Departments and agencies need to judge carefully the balance between the effort required to achieve the maximum value and the income that is earned. Payment for web advertising may not be based on space alone, but on the number of page downloads or ‘clicks on the ad’. Alternatively, an advertiser may wish to sell ‘button space’ on your website. These are fixed graphics with links to the advertised organisation’s own website or campaign, paid for at a fixed rate for a fixed period of time, sometimes regardless of the number of page impressions or ‘clicks through’. Advertisers may expect there to be a link between known user interest and who sees the advert. You will probably need to be able to prove levels of access (refer to section 1.4 Evaluation and section 1.5 Focusing on user needs).

* in designing pages, you should ensure that advertisers' brands do not compete with or detract from the effectiveness, integrity and appearance of their own branding or that of the government as a whole.
* attention should be given to avoid any implication of endorsement of products or services or of contradiction between government messages and those of advertisers.
* website users are often irritated by pop-up advertisements and related technologies (variously referred to as ‘interstitials’, ‘superstitials’) and particularly by those that draw animations within the main window overlaying the page content. It is therefore recommended that advertisements on government websites should be confined to the use of banners and buttons.
* where banner and button advertising space is included in Web pages, it is recommended the dimensions should conform to those of the industry-standard Interactive Marketing Units (IMU) defined by The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) at:

Advertisers should be advised to bear in mind the range of connection speeds used by visitors to government websites and the implications for viable file sizes of advertisement content.

* with images and animations ensure use of the attribute to describe the function of each visual and ensure that the overall guidance in section 2.4 and section 2.8 is followed.

* if you are using information about user behaviour to sell advertising space, you must not breach your own website’s published privacy statement (see section 1.10) and if in any doubt you must ask the advice of your Data Protection Officer.

Contract management

The management of advertising or sponsorship arrangements can be established using the following routes:

* in-house management of web space to be made available for advertising or other means of publicity agreed under a sponsorship agreement, or
* the use of a third party supplier to manage the advertising or sponsorship web space on your behalf.

The available costs, benefits and expertise are key factors when deciding which route will suit your organisation. All must be examined and included in the evaluation of the business case for making use of advertising or sponsorship to raise potential commercial revenues

Management documentation

Whether the organisation’s website has been produced internally or by a design agency, it is important that each element of the construction is fully documented.

Personnel within the website management team will eventually move on and need to be replaced. Without adequate formal documentation a great deal of time will be lost in new staff determining, eg, what markup to use in order to maintain a consistent look and feel.

A number of standards should be developed for the life cycle of a website or document, covering many of the following:

* the management structure that a document must be passed through before it can be published;
* the production of HTML pages, whether they are manually constructed or dynamically generated from a database;
* the production of other document formats, such as PDF and RTF from the source document;
* the organisational publishing standards, eg housestyle covering colour usage, font specifications, logo placement, writing styles, etc;
* the lifespan control of on-line documents;
* the organisation’s designated web authors and their roles and responsibilities;
* the management and storage of archived documents, both electronically and paper based (records management);
* the management of the web-hosting service-provision contract;
* the administration of the web server (if controlled internally);
* the information back-up routine that has been adopted;
* the management of existing third party contracts for publishing or design work;
* records of software and license agreements that are used by the website team;
* the administration and use of any escrow agent(s);
* the maintenance of an asset register of all domain names/sub-domains registered by/owned by the organisation, eg, date registered, when to be renewed, and corresponding IP numbers;
* record of permissions granted by third parties for you to link to their website(s);
* record of intellectual property rights permissions obtained, eg, for text, graphics, audio or video materials used;
* manage passwords keeping a record for emergency situations.

Records management

Records Management is the systematic control and management of recorded information resources within an organisation to ensure that the business, legal, regulatory and other requirements for the retention of authentic, evidential records are met.

There are also useful management concepts familiar to records management professionals that are of use to managing large volume information resources. Examples include retention management (usually achieved using schedules), protective marking of sensitive material (eg on Intranets), corporate fileplans etc.

The underlying principle of records management is that records are kept for a period appropriate to their use. Specific procedures follow this principle to assist in its achievement in a systematic and structured way.

Records occurring on websites should be managed in the context of other information resources and records in government and not in isolation. Certain web content across government will have the status of records and should be identified and managed accordingly to manage business risk and comply with legal and regulatory obligations. Some will be required to be preserved for long periods for these reasons or to satisfy the archival preservation requirements of the Public Records Acts (see section 1.10.5).

Managing records in the electronic environment is demanding. Issues of retrieval, migration, authentication and preservation replace pressure on storage space in the traditional hard copy environment. Adding disk space may be a cheap option in the short term, but migrating the content to new platforms and ensuring media refreshment occurs at regular intervals are extremely costly.

This has a significant consequence on the management of web resources and the Public Record Office has published guidance on how these issues might be addressed.

Developing educational content

Where an organisation’s website is developing online education content it is important that you refer to advice published by the National Grid for Learning.

* When planning web pages the content providers should be clear about whether they are likely to appear to a high proportion of children or young people.
* Consider carefully before linking from pages designed for children to pages where children are not the primary audience. Take special care when planning to link to external websites.
* Web managers should take steps to prevent any child from publishing their email address on your website or in a discussion group.

Web managers should also be aware of procedures that apply to the use of children’s photographs on websites. You should be especially sensitive in the case of children or young people with special educational needs. If:

* You could readily identify an individual child by sight,
* or if the child is named.

Then you should:

* Have written consent to the publication of the photographs, signed by the parent of legal guardian.
* The consent should clearly include the Internet - it would not be sufficient to simply re-use consent that applied to a conventional publication.
* Retain the signed consent form.

Mirror (ghost) copy of website

The machine running the live website will usually reside at an Internet hosting datacentre. It is recommended that the web manager should keep one or more additional 'mirror' copies of the organisation’s website on a local PC. This is in order to facilitate the development and testing of updates to the website's content and organisation prior to installing the changes on the live site.

One commonly adopted solution is for the web manager to establish a development environment and a second checking (or staging) environment in addition to the live website. It is possible to have the development and staging versions of the website on the same computer. However, it is important to keep the development and testing functions well separated regardless of whether the two mirror copies are on the same computer or separate ones.

Maintaining local copies of the website will also allow the complete and latest version of the site to be available at all times when only a dialled or slow speed connection to the Internet is available. It may also be desirable to automate the updating of the live website in order to minimise the time that it is unavailable while updates are being installed.

With a local development copy of the website, it is easy to see how any new documents will fit into the existing structure. Maintaining a staging copy of the website enables content and links to be checked and general usability to be tested prior to applying changes to the live website.

It is likely that a local PC’s filesystem naming and organisation rules will be different from those used on the live server. In order for the development and test environments to be of value and easy to use, it is important they should replicate the directory and file organisation and naming used on the live website. Often this can be achieved quite straightfordwardly by keeping all file and directory names and the references to them in hyperlinks within pages in lower case and always using relative URLs in internal hyperlinks (ie, reference all links from the root of the website). Following these recommendations will improve the chances that the live website directory structure and the files it contains can be copied to a PC where the site hyperlink navigation will work without having to make changes to all the files.

It is a role of the web manager to assess the technical requirements for the website development and testing environments in consultation with server managers. Typically the requirements will depend upon issues such as the size and complexity of the website and aspects of the regime under which it is managed, for example, whether it is being updated by more than one staff member or from multiple geographical locations.

Contingency planning

Whatever an organisation’s line of business, there is always a requirement for contingency plans to cover a number of eventualities.

A government organisation can be thrust into the spotlight of the media at a moment’s notice. You should ensure that your website has the capability to carry fast-developing stories and that its web hosting service would be able to deal with a sudden increase in the number of visitors.

A news development that requires immediate publishing on the web must not shortcut or bypass existing publishing standards. The contingency plan may suggest that it can be streamlined but the correct authorisation must be given before any information is published on the website.

Within this contingency plan there should a clear and easily accessible list of roles and responsibilities for each of the staff concerned in publishing emergency information. This list must be up-to-date and have contact numbers for each individual.

This same list of individuals to contact and a similar list of roles and responsibilities will be vital in any disaster recovery scheme. If the server is physically destroyed, severely hacked or ceases to function there should be plans already in place to restore service. If your organisation has an overall disaster recovery plan, then plans to restore website service should work within it.

Finally, you should ensure your contract with your server host writes preventative measures such as frequency of backup and the supplier’s responsibilities in the event of a disaster.

Conventions on government publicity

Websites maintained by UK Government departments and agencies, the Scottish Executive, the Northern Ireland Executive and the National Assembly for Wales are a form of publicity, and are subject to the conventions on government publicity and advertising.


In summary, they require that government publicity:

* should be relevant to government responsibilities;
* should be objective and explanatory, not tendentious or polemical;
* should not be party political, nor liable to misrepresentation as such;
* should be produced and distributed in an economical and relevant way, so that the costs can be justified as a proper expenditure of public funds.

These rules not only govern decisions on what should or should not be published on the Internet; they also apply to issues of content and style. For example, departments should take care when publishing ministerial speeches on the Internet to remove overtly party political content, such as direct attacks on policies and opinions of Opposition parties and groups.

Web service management

A team of people will be responsible for ensuring that the website achieves its strategic aims. It does this through:

* measuring achievement against overall aims and objectives set by the organisation
* effective website operation
* effective content provision

This team should consist of people with a mix of publication, web and project management skills. A senior web manager is recommended to manage the team and ensure it carries out its tasks. A further division of labour between content and technical responsibilities is likely.

Meeting overall aims and objectives

Clear, formal and regular progress reports against the aims and objectives are recommended to ensure that:

* ongoing and proposed new developments for the website have been measured against the objectives, costed to ensure the best value and considered in relation to corporate developments;
* a business case has been prepared and approved to ensure sufficient resources (financial, time and people) have been allocated;
* projects for delivery are being managed within agreed tolerances (again tied to the business case).

Reports need not be onerous, with the emphasis being on reporting by exception. They will help inform the broader organisation of progress and give stakeholders the opportunity to raise concerns, issues and/or new developments.

The benefits of this process are:

* it provides a way to ensure continued adherence to delivery against set objectives;
* open and clear communication on developments throughout the organisation;
* accountability for development work against clearly defined resource limits;
* reduced risks on overlaps, duplication and failure to deliver against expectations.

Effective website operation

The website strategy should also determine the management, communications and security regimes that will drive the service. These objectives are also the criteria against which service level agreements (under formal contract where external commercial suppliers are party to service provision) are set.
The web management team should:

* manage the day-to-day operational interface with the Internet Service Provider (ISP)/hosting service in line with the agreed standards of service;
* ensure the security and reliability of the ISP/hosting service;
* determine the most appropriate technologies to be used for the production and availability of the information and/or goods and services;
* manage the procurement and subsequent contracts or Service Level Agreements with Internet Service Providers /hosting services;
* ensure that staffing levels are maintained for website content provision, in line with agreed standards of service;
* keep key stakeholders within the organisation informed of service performance against agreed targets and objectives;
* co-ordinate publishing of Internet information;
* set and maintain the organisation’s design and editorial specifications for the Web (commonly called style guidelines);
* ensure that all information held on the website conforms to frameworks and standards set by the Cabinet Office, including the Government Web Guidelines and legislation, eg, copyright and data protection;
* ensure the website continues to work in a range of browsers and keep checking page links as they are easily broken;
* in partnership with the ISP, maintain the integrity of a website’s structure, content and availability to agreed standards;
* monitor website activity including bandwidth usage, analyse usage statistics, review the regularity of updating information and report the findings to the relevant personnel.

The web management team can contribute towards effective transactions by ensuring that the website effectively exchanges data between the user and the organisation. They contribute to ensuring that transactions and authentication are secure. Effective transactions are likely to also require reform of other operational systems in order to accept electronic applications.

Effective content

The web management team is also the overall point of responsibility for ensuring that content:

* is line with the web management strategy;
* takes its place in a clear and navigable website structure;
* is consistent in style, intent and accuracy;
* communicates effectively and meets users needs.

The relevant units can still carry out production of material across the organisation, but material can only be published once authorised by the appropriate posts in the web management team. The objectives for information providers must therefore be to ensure that:

* information is accurate, relevant and up-to-date;
* content held conforms to the style set down for the website;
* contact points (email, telephone or interactive form) are staffed, inputs received are actioned and responses given within agreed targets;
* metadata is provided for all new documents;
* information is provided by the agreed deadline.

There should be sufficient controls in place to check that content:

* meets all editorial standards;
* is in line with overall communication strategy;
* is reviewed regularly by the information provider for currency and correctness;
* is removed or archived when appropriate;
* is easily accessible, navigable, with no broken links.

Effective service

All government websites must be working towards providing online information and services. The web management team’s role here is to help ensure that data can be securely and effectively exchanged between the user and databases within the organisation and partner bodies. Effective service provision also involves reform of business systems in order to work with electronic data, security and authentication.

Skill sets for setting web strategy

Communications: Executive Board

At this level the corporate communications policy is set. Therefore a clear framework covering how the organisation is to communicate information is required and is to be used to determine the subject matter to be covered by the website. This approach will clarify the areas of content control appropriate to both the Internet and Intranet.

This role does not require day-to-day involvement. It is more about clearly defining the parameters within which information is to be made available in the public domain and establishing appropriate control mechanisms for handling potentially sensitive information.

Corporate services: publicity and marketing

Publicity or marketing skills support the communication strategy, ensuring that audiences are identified and effective communication of messages and promotion of services takes place. Their understanding of the organisation’s publicity and marketing strategy is integral to ensuring that the website communicates effectively and provides services users require.

Web service provision: Web management team

The web management team will know the opportunities and caveats of working with the web: what it does well and what can go wrong.

They can be a source of new ideas, and are likely to be able to keep an eye on the technological future.

As they represent the day-to-day management of the website they are also a source of practical advice on procedures, resourcing, scheduling, capacity, risks and benefits.

They are likely to be responsible for looking at access statistics and user feedback and are well placed to take an impartial view of customer needs versus organisational perceptions.

They are responsible for maintaining the structure of the website and understanding the limitations of staff time, Internet technology and the systems the organisation has in place.

It is likely that there will be one key manager responsible for content and another responsible for technical issues and developments. Both sides of the team should be represented on the editorial board.

Content owners

The people in the organisation who will want to publish to the web. What are their needs, issues, etc? What capacity do they have to amend and update content? It is important that a procedure is in place to control the correction and uploading of content, ie, who has final signoff before content goes live.

Resource provision

Because a website invariably impacts the whole organisation in terms of service delivery and business processes, it is essential that the resource implications are recognised and handled accordingly. Allied to this is the need to ensure that the technology aspects of the website are sufficiently and appropriately resourced and that future staff and equipment needs are planned in advance. This can be particularly difficult in an area notorious for its pace of change and evolution.

Material for the website (and other future communication technologies) has to be generated using specific software tools and languages. These create training and organisational requirements that need to be covered as part of the website management regime.

Finally, staff has to be recruited and trained and a purchasing budget will be necessary for software, equipment and consultants.


Technology provision:

All web services are dependent on technology solutions. Impartial technical advice and guidance is required to ensure that the most appropriate solution is used to meet customer service needs. It is essential that someone familiar with the technology should cover this area. However, given the diversity of IT solutions available in the marketplace, technological impartiality is essential and as such should be a key factor when selecting a suitable representative.

The establishment of a web strategy and management team comprising representatives that cover these roles will result in a more streamlined operational group. By operating in a more project-style management environment the team will be able to create and manage small teams geared towards delivering products on a customer-demand basis.

The owning organisation

The owning organisation is responsible for establishing and maintaining the web management strategy and for ensuring that it integrates with wider strategic plans.
The equivalent of a senior editorial board is recommended. This will help ensure that key areas of the organisation bring a full range of necessary skills and awareness to the process of setting aims and objectives for the website. The owning organisation should also ensure that the resources are in place to achieve these aims. The following are examples of key areas of the organisation that should be represented.

• communications
• corporate services
• web service provision
• content provision
• resource provision
• technology provision.

Briefly explain about Benefits of publishing data on the Internet

Although publishing documentation on the Internet initially seems to be little different to publishing in any other medium, there are a number of special considerations that need to be borne in mind. There are almost as many permutations of monitor resolution, colour rendering, browser types, operating systems and user ability, as there are websites. Website Managers will have to consider many capabilities and standards to ensure that data is available to the widest audience.

Information access

A well designed website offers users a broader range of information than is available to them through conventional media, when they want it and in a form they can use.

To achieve this, the website should make use of the number of ways the web helps users find the documents they are looking for such as search engines, menus, navigational aids, indices and links between documents. Web navigation should also help users find the information they want within the document.

Some information such as menu pages and document summaries will have to be written specifically to be quickly scanned and understood.

It may be appropriate to make documentation available in a variety of differing formats. For example, some users may find it easier to download and print an entire document in Portable Document Format (PDF) and read it offline, whilst other may prefer to read it in online and on -screen in the form of a sequence of HTML pages.

Accurate and up-to-date

The web is easier to update or correct than print. Documents contained on the website can be a point of reference for both the public and your staff. Some departments provide a copy of their website on their intranet to facilitate this. A ‘What’s New’ section should be included and constantly updated so that users have a constant and familiar route to new and updated information.

To achieve accuracy, the maintenance of documents after publication should be planned and resourced. Each document should adhere to the site template and all data should be formatted in a consistent way. Particular care should be paid to the Cascading Style Sheet, which may be used to control the formatting of the website.

Savings on print and distribution costs

Publishing data on the website should save on the printing, distribution and storing of printed documents and the wastage caused by overestimated print runs. Only the one copy needs to be maintained; as soon as a changed version is published it is available to everyone.

In order to achieve this publication in print and on the web should be part of one carefully planned publication process. This process should be audited regularly to ensure it is efficient.

Website maintenance and archiving

Web documents can also be a reliable source of older documents, developing into a useful archive.

This will be achieved if archived documents are given a stable URL and are clearly marked as being archived. It is important that electronic master copies of each document published on the website are kept. This not only makes the creation of new versions in other formats easy; it also maintains an archive version for historical purposes.

Providing the call to action

A good publicity campaign issues a call for action - something the user is expected to do. A campaign website can give the user the chance to quickly and simply carry out that action, whether it is to set up an appointment, order more information, or enter the recruitment process for a public sector job.

Opening up consultation

Government makes policies and needs to collect informed views from organisations and individuals. The web can provide this opportunity and provide another channel for the distribution of the background documents that people need in order to contribute to the debate.

Interactivity

The Web can speed up the process of individuals getting the answers they need. Websites could be used to direct enquiries to the right place in the organisation to get an answer. Email can speed up the process of responding to them.

Adapting to user needs quickly

Feedback and access statistics can tell web managers which pages are popular and which pages need further development. They can help identify gaps in information or services. A well-managed website will respond to user needs and use the flexibility of the web to revise the website.

Building individual relations with the citizen

Web technology provides a way for users to register interests and receive automatic updates of news and developments in the areas that interest them. Website content can be personalised to meet their interests and concerns, or provide local or national versions of information that are relevant to them.

Saving costs on services

Properly supported by business plans and backend systems, the web can be used to improve services and reduce the cost of providing them.

Enormous benefits are listed below

There can be enormous benefits when documentation is published on the Internet, both for the publishing body and the general user. They are listed below

• Information access
• Accurate and up-to-date
• Savings on print and distribution costs
• Website maintenance and archiving
• Providing the call to action
• Opening up consultation
• Interactivity
• Adapting to user needs quickly
• Building individual relations with the citizen
• Saving costs on services

Benefits of publishing data on the Internet

Although publishing documentation on the Internet initially seems to be little different to publishing in any other medium, there are a number of special considerations that need to be borne in mind. There are almost as many permutations of monitor resolution, colour rendering, browser types, operating systems and user ability, as there are websites. Website Managers will have to consider many capabilities and standards to ensure that data is available to the widest audience.

Tasks to be addressed when setting the aims and objectives of the website are:

* Identification of your website's place in the organisation's overall communications strategy;
* Identification of the audiences for your website, where possible on the basis of market research or dialogue with client groups;
* Understanding and responding to users' satisfaction with the website;
* Provision of resources, especially staff with the necessary skills, for the website team;
* Integration of the website with business processes, which might include electronic dealings with the public, publication of information, recruitment and consultation;
* Integration of the website into the department's strategy for electronic government and freedom of information;
* Integration of web services with other systems where practicable;
* monitoring the development of the website and its success as a means of meeting departmental objectives.

To ensure that the aims and objectives of the website are achieved they must be applied to key roles in the organization and placed under an appropriate management regime.

What is the website for?

In establishing the aims of the website, each organization must ensure that:

* Users should be able to find your website;
* Users are clear about who owns the website and what it is designed to achieve;
* Navigation is clear and customer orientated, taking into account the needs of specific audiences;
* Goods and services being offered by the organization are effectively focused on the target audiences in terms of relevance and ease of accessibility;
* Visitors are able to access the information they seek as directly as is practicable;
* Adequate security is in place when dealing with online transactions for the purchase of goods and services - and that neither the client nor the provider is compromised;
* contact points (whether email, forms-based or telephone) must be staffed and all enquiries answered within reasonable timescales;
* The information published is up to date, accurate and relevant to the website;
* Content is clear, concise and appropriate;
* Links are kept up to date that users can rely on the website being available and is fast enough.

Planning your products and services

Departments and local authorities are currently investing millions of pounds in building the infrastructure to support the electronic delivery of their information and services. Without a central architecture to manage this spending much more will be spent on duplicating research, design, systems integration and hosting.

Departments and local authorities have been wrestling with the same problems: managing customers, content, new channels and emerging technologies. Entire infrastructures, both technical, as well as people and process?based, have consequently evolved, not always with consideration of the customer experience.

The Office of the e-Envoy (OeE), has 'productised' its infrastructure, the Government Gateway and the www.ukonline.gov.uk portal, into components, both products and services. The OeE is now able to offer these products and services, as a service organisation, to facilitate quick deployment of government content and transactions, economically, and focused on the customer. Such products and services include:

Products

* Authentication and authorisation
* Secure Routing
* Search
* Content management and delivery>/li>
* Management information

Services

* Hosting
* Systems integration
* Customer research and user experience
* Business process design and change management
* Requirements analysis

These products and services conform to government guidelines and recommendations produced by the OeE, and have all been security accredited by CESG.

The OeE product set has been designed and built to be fully modular, to enable departments and local authorities to customise to their specific strategic business needs. These products and services will increase over time, as more departments and local authorities take advantage of the centralised architecture.

Considerable investment has been made at the centre, in researching customer needs, defining the types of interaction customers require of government, as well as the best of breed technologies capable of delivering government information and services effectively. All government departments and local authorities are advised to consider the technical viability and value for money of these products and services before investing resources in building their own infrastructure.

How should a website be considered by an organisation

It is essential for the success of any website that it is recognised as an integral part of the organisation. It is a global, potentially low-cost communication and an (increasingly) transactional medium by which information and services can be made available at any time of day or night.

As such, organisations need to consider how best the Internet can be used to provide access to information and to aid in the delivery of goods and services to customers.

A clear web management strategy is at the heart of developing this thinking. It must be an integral part of the organisation’s Corporate Communications and e-Strategies.

There are three main categories of website:

• Information orientated: these cover departmental publications, publicity, recruitment, news, statutory information, promotional material, providing advice, requesting responses and feedback. They may, for example, provide an electronic catalogue to users. Queries and requests can be handled via email or forms. Orders, and necessary payment, can be fulfilled through the conventional procedures.
• Operational: these are transactional websites geared towards e-business and cover the whole online process, from service selection through ordering and confirmation to online payment. These may be integrated with departmental systems to enable electronic transactions with the public and other customers.
• Campaign: such websites will support a specific publicity campaign, working directly with press, TV and radio advertising. All the media reflect the same messages and images. They may also provide an electronic catalogue to users with requests being handled via email. Fulfilment can be handled through the conventional procedures.

Many websites may incorporate aspects of each of the above. In all three categories the principle of developing a relevant and effective management strategy applies. This section sets out the five key components of a web management strategy:

• Purpose - what is the website for?
• Strategic and operational management - who is the owner and who is responsible?
• Information and other content management - how will material and services be provided and presented online?
• Evaluation and ongoing development - how should use and performance of the website be monitored and how should the results be used for future development?

Domain: Information

The Information Domain addresses standards and guidelines for:

• Data Interoperability
• Data Management
• Data Formats
• Records Management (TBD)

A process-independent, enterprise view of government information enables data sharing
where appropriate within the bounds of security and privacy considerations. Service
oriented architectures promote information and service reuse through open standards.
To help the Commonwealth achieve the enormous benefits of information and service
reuse, the Information Domain emphasizes standards for data interoperability among
diverse internal and external platforms and applications. By promoting the ubiquitous use
of XML standards, the ETRM specifications insure that all new development initiatives
result in interoperable services that can be reused across the enterprise, as well as with
external business partners and governments where appropriate.
Given the level of complexity of integration projects, especially with multiple developers
and teams collaborating on the development of services, data models should be explicitly
visible to all architects, developers, and project managers as a coherent set of XML
schemas, in a Commonwealth Registry, and service development should be driven by
those schemas.

Initiatives such as Homeland Security rely upon all parties adhering to Community of
Interest XML specifications, defined by open standards bodies comprised of
representatives from Government, Business and Technology Communities. Open formats
for data files ensure that government records remain independent of underlying systems
and applications thereby preserving their accessibility over very long periods of time.

General Topics Involved in the Web design

THey are ,

* Home page design
* Page and site navigation
* Graphics and images
* Effective Web content writing
* Search optimization

Research Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines

Although recent findings show that people increasingly interact with Government Web sites, they often cannot find what they are looking for. The official Research-Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines aid in correcting this problem by providing the latest Web design guidance from research and other evidence.

This unique publication has been updated from its earlier version to include more than 40 new or updated research guidelines, for a total of 209. Primary audiences for the book are:

* Web managers
* Designers
* All staff involved in the creation of Web sites

Time Delays

Why do timed responses present problems to web users with disabilities?

Web pages can be designed with scripts so that the web page disappears or "expires" if a response is not received within a specified amount of time. Sometimes, this technique is used for security reasons or to reduce the demands on the computer serving the web pages. Someone's disability can have a direct impact on the speed with which he or she can read, move around, or fill in a web form. For instance, someone with extremely low vision may be a slower-than-average reader. A page may "time out" before he is able to finish reading it. Many forms, when they "time out" automatically, also delete whatever data has been entered. The result is that someone with a disability who is slow to enter data cannot complete the form. For this reason, when a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted via a prompt and given sufficient time to indicate whether additional time is needed.

Example: Thrift Savings Plan

Navigational links

Why do navigational links present impediments to screen readers and other types of assistive technologies?

This provision provides a method to facilitate the easy tracking of page content that provides users of assistive technology the option to skip repetitive navigation links. Web developers routinely place a host of routine navigational links at a standard location – often across the top, bottom, or side of a page. If a nondisabled user returns to a web page and knows that he or she wants to view the contents of that particular page instead of selecting a navigation link to go to another page, he or she may simply look past the links and begin reading wherever the desired text is located. For those who use screen readers or other types of assistive technologies, however, it can be a tedious and time-consuming chore to wait for the assistive technology to work through and announce each of the standard navigational links before getting to the intended location. In order to alleviate this problem, the section 508 rule requires that when repetitive navigational links are used, there must be a mechanism for users to skip repetitive navigational links.

Example: USDA Target Center and DOL websites use the Skip Repetitive Navigational Links.

Electronic forms

Currently, the interaction between form controls and screen readers can be unpredictable, depending upon the design of the page containing these controls. HTML forms pose accessibility problems when web developers separate a form element from its associated label or title. For instance, if an input box is intended for receiving a user's last name, the web developer must be careful that the words "last name" (or some similar text) appear near that input box or are somehow associated with it. Although this may seem like an obvious requirement, it is extremely easy to violate because the visual proximity of a form element and its title offers no guarantee that a screen reader will associate the two or that this association will be obvious to a user of assistive technology.

The following form demonstrates these problems. Visually, this form is part of a table and each field is carefully placed in table cells adjacent to their corresponding labels (n.b. formatting forms with tables are by no means the only situation presenting the accessibility problems inherent in forms; tables merely illustrate the problem most clearly).
While the relationship between the titles "First Name" or "Last Name" and their respective input boxes may be obvious from visual inspection, the relationship is not obvious to a screen reader. Instead, a screen reader may simply announce "input box" when encountering each input box. The reason for these difficulties is revealed from inspecting the HTML source for this table.

Applets and Plug-Ins

Why is this provision necessary?

While most web browsers can easily read HTML and display it to the user, several private companies have developed proprietary file formats for transmitting and displaying special content, such as multimedia or very precisely defined documents. Because these file formats are proprietary, web browsers cannot ordinarily display them. To make it possible for these files to be viewed by web browsers, add-on programs or "plug-ins" can be downloaded and installed on the user's computer that will make it possible for their web browsers to display or play the content of the files. This provision requires that web pages that provide content such as Real Audio or PDF (Adobe Acrobat's Portable Document Format) files also provide a link to a plug-in that will meet the software provisions. It is very common for a web page to provide links to needed plug-ins. For example, web pages containing Real Audio almost always have a link to a source for the necessary player. This provision places a responsibility on the web page author to know that a compliant application exists, before requiring a plug-in.

How can plug-ins and applets be detected?

Plug-ins can usually be detected by examining a page's HTML for the presence of an OBJECT tag. Some plug-in manufacturers, however, may require the use of proprietary tags. Like plug-ins, applets can also be identified by the presence of an OBJECT tag in the HTML source for a web page. Also, an APPLET tag may also signal the inclusion of an applet in a web page.

Scripts

When pages utilize scripting languages to display content, or to create interface elements, the information provided by the script shall be identified with functional text that can be read by assistive technology.

What accessibility problems can scripts cause?

Web page authors have a responsibility to provide script information in a fashion that can be read by assistive technology. When authors do not put functional text with a script, a screen reader will often read the content of the script itself in a meaningless jumble of numbers and letters. Although this jumble is text, it cannot be interpreted or used.
How can web developers comply with this provision?

Web developers working with JavaScript frequently use so-called JavaScript URL's as an easy way to invoke JavaScript functions. Typically, this technique is used as part of a anchor links. For instance, the following link invokes a JavaScript function called myFunction:

a href="javascript:myFunction();"Start myFunction/a

This technique does not cause accessibility problems for assistive technology. A more difficult problem occurs when developers use images inside of JavaScript URL's without providing meaningful information about the image or the effect of the anchor link. For instance, the following link alsoinvokes the JavaScript function myFunction, but requires the user to click on an image instead of the text "Start myFunction":

a href="javascript:myFunction();"img src="myFunction.gif"/a

This type of link, as written, presents tremendous accessibility problems, but those problems can easily be remedied. The img tag, of course, supports the "alt" attribute that can also be used to describe the image and the effect of clicking on the link. Thus, the following revision remedies the accessibility problems created in the previous example:

a href="javascript:myFunction();"img src="myFunction.gif" alt="picture link for starting myFunction"/a

Another technique advocated by some developers is to use the "title" attribute of the a tag. For instance, the following example includes a meaningful description in a "title" attribute:

a title="this link starts myFunction" href="javascript:myFunction();"img src="myFunction.gif"/a

This tag is supported by some but not all assistive technologies. Therefore, while it is part of the HTML 4.0 specifications, authors should use the "alt" tag in the enclosed image.

Finally, the browser's status line (at the bottom of the screen) typically displays the URL of any links that the mouse is currently pointing towards. For instance, if clicking on an anchor link will send the user to http://www.usdoj.gov, that URL will be displayed in the status line if the user's mouse lingers on top of the anchor link. In the case of JavaScript URL's, the status line can become filled with meaningless snips of script. To prevent this effect, some web developers use special "event handlers" such as onmouseover and onmouseout to overwrite the contents of the status line with a custom message. For instance, the following link will replace the content in the status line with a custom message "Nice Choice".

a href="javascript:myFcn();" onmouseover="status='Nice Choice'; return true;" onmouseout="status='';"img src="pix.gif"/a

This text rewritten into the status line is difficult or impossible to detect with a screen reader. Although rewriting the status line did not interfere with the accessibility or inaccessibility of the JavaScript URL, web developers should ensure that all important information conveyed in the status line also be provided through the "alt" attribute, as described above.

JavaScript uses so-called "event handlers" as a trigger for certain actions or functions to occur. For instance, a web developer may embed a JavaScript function in a web page that automatically checks the content of a form for completeness or accuracy. An event handler associated with a "submit" button can be used to trigger the function before the form is actually submitted to the server for processing. The advantage for the government agency is that it saves government resources by not requiring the government's server to do the initial checking. The advantage for the computer user is that feedback about errors is almost instantaneous because the user is told about the error before the information is even submitted over the Internet.

Web developers must exercise some caution when deciding which event handlers to use in their web pages, because different screen readers provide different degrees of support for different event handlers. The following table includes recommendations for using many of the more popular event handlers:

* onClick – The onClick event handler is triggered when the user clicks once on a particular item. It is commonly used on links and button elements and, used in connection with these elements, it works well with screen readers. If clicking on the element associated with the onClick event handler triggers a function or performs some other action, developers should ensure that the context makes that fact clear to all users. Do not use the onClick event handlers for form elements that include several options (e.g. select lists, radio buttons, checkboxes) unless absolutely necessary.
* onDblClick – The onDblClick event handler is set off when the user clicks twice rapidly on the same element. In addition to the accessibility problems it creates, it is very confusing to users and should be avoided.
* onMouseDown and onMouseUp – The onMouseDown and onMouseUp event handlers each handle the two halves of clicking a mouse while over an element – the process of (a) clicking down on the mouse button and (b) then releasing the mouse button. Like onDblClick, this tag should be used sparingly, if at all, by web developers because it is quite confusing. In most cases, developers should opt for the onClick event handler instead of onMouseDown.
* onMouseOver and onMouseOut – These two event handlers are very popular on many web sites. For instance, so-called rollover gif's, which swap images on a web page when the mouse passes over an image, typically use both of these event handlers. These event handlers neither can be accessed by the mouse nor interfere with accessibility – a screen reader simply bypasses them entirely. Accordingly, web designers who use these event handlers should be careful to duplicate the information (if any) provided by these event handlers through other means.
* onLoad and onUnload – Both of these event handlers are used frequently to perform certain functions when a web page has either completed loading or when it unloads. Because neither event handler is triggered by any user interaction with an element on the page, they do not present accessibility problems.
* onChange – This event handler is very commonly used for triggering JavaScript functions based on a selection from within a select tag. Surprisingly, it presents tremendous accessibility problems for many commonly used screen readers and should be avoided. Instead, web developers should use the onClick event handler (associated with a link or button that is adjacent to a select tag) to accomplish the same functions.
* onBlur and onFocus – These event handlers are not commonly used in web pages. While they don't necessarily present accessibility problems, their behavior is confusing enough to a web page visitor that they should be avoided.

Text-Only Alternative

A text-only page, with equivalent information or functionality, shall be provided to make a web site comply with the provisions of these standards, when compliance cannot be accomplished in any other way. The content of the text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes.
What must a text-only page contain to comply with this provision?

Text-only pages must contain equivalent information or functionality as the primary pages. Also, the text-only page shall be updated whenever the primary page changes.

Flicker Rate

Why is this provision necessary?

This provision is necessary because some individuals with photosensitive epilepsy can have a seizure triggered by displays that flicker, flash, or blink, particularly if the flash has a high intensity and is within certain frequency ranges. The 2 Hz limit was chosen to be consistent with proposed revisions to the ADA Accessibility Guidelines which, in turn, are being harmonized with the International Code Council (ICC)/ANSI A117 standard, "Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities", ICC/ANSI A117.1-1998 which references a 2 Hz limit. An upper limit was identified at 55 Hz.

How can flashing or flickering elements be identified?

Flashing or flickering elements are usually added through technologies such as animated gif's, Java applets, or third-party plug-ins or applications. Java applets and third party plug-ins can be identified by the presence of APPLET or OBJECT tags. Animated gif's are images that download in a single file (like ordinary image files), but have content that changes over short periods of time. Like other images, however, they are usually incorporated through the use of the IMG tag.

Frames

Why is this provision necessary?

Frames provide a means of visually dividing the computer screen into distinct areas that can be separately rewritten. Unfortunately, frames can also present difficulties for users with disabilities when those frames are not easily identifiable to assistive technology. For instance, a popular use of frames is to create "navigational bars" in a fixed position on the screen and have the content of the web site retrievable by activating one of those navigational buttons. The new content is displayed another area of the screen. Because the navigational bar doesn't change, it provides a stable "frame-of-reference" for users and makes navigation much easier. However, users with disabilities may become lost if the differences between the two frames are not clearly established.
What is the best method for identifying frames?

The most obvious way to accomplish this requirement is to include text within the body of each frame that clearly identifies the frame. For instance, in the case of the navigation bar, a web developer should consider putting words such as "Navigational Links" at the beginning of the contents of the frame to let all users know that the frame depicts navigational links. Providing titles like this at the top of the contents of each frame will satisfy these requirements. An additional measure that should be considered by agencies is to include meaningful text in the frame tag's "title" attribute. Although not currently supported by major manufacturers of assistive technology, the "title" attribute is part of the HTML 4.0 specification and was intended to let web developers include a description of the frame as a quote-enclosed string. Demonstrating the use of the "title" attribute requires a basic understanding of how frames are constructed. When frames are used in a web page, the first page that is loaded must include a frameset tag that encloses the basic layout of the frames on the page. Within the frameset tag, frame tags specify the name, initial contents, and appearance of each separate frame. Thus, the following example uses the "title" attribute to label one frame "Navigational Links Frame" and the second frame "Contents Frame."

client-side image maps

Why do client-side image maps provide better accessibility?

Unlike server-side image maps, the client-side image map allow an author to assign text to each image map “hot spots.” This feature means that someone using a screen reader can easily identify and activate regions of the map. An explanation of how these image maps are constructed will help clarify this issue.

Creating a basic client-side image map requires several steps:

* Identify an image for the map. First, an image must be used in a client-side image map. This image is identified using the img tag. To identify it as a map, use the "usemap" attribute.
* Use the MAP tag to "areas" within the map . The MAP tag is a container tag that includes various tags that are used to identify specific portions of the image.
* Use AREA tags to identify map regions . To identify regions within a map, simply use AREA tags within the MAP container tags. Making this client-side image map accessible is considerably easier to describe: simply include the "ALT" attribute and area description inside each AREA tag.

server-side image map

How do "image maps" work?

An "image map" is a picture (often an actual map) on a web page that provides different "links" to other web pages, depending on where a user clicks on the image. There are two basic types of image maps: "client-side image maps" and "server-side image maps." With client-side image
maps, each "active region" in a picture can be assigned its own "link" (called a URL or "Uniform Resource Locator") that specifies what web page to retrieve when a portion of the picture is selected. HTML allows each active region to have its own alternative text, just like a picture can
have alternative text (see §1194.22(a)). By contrast, clicking on a location of a server-side image map only specifies the coordinates within the image when the mouse was depressed. The ultimate selection of the link or URL must be deciphered by the computer serving the web page.
Why is this provision necessary?

When a web page uses a server-side image map to present the user with a selection of options, browsers cannot indicate to the user the URL that will be followed when a region of the map is activated. Therefore, the redundant text link is necessary to provide access to the page for anyone not able to see or accurately click on the map.

Internet

Ad Buys Internet advertising (banner ads and other ad buys) can be a boom or a bust, depending on how you approach it. Lesson Five gives you a practical orientation to today's online ad space. You'll learn what makes online ad buying different from other media buys, what questions to ask the seller, and how to determine if your ad was successful. The merits of keyword buys are discussed, with an emphasis on return on investment (ROI). Email marketing and newsletter sponsorships are discussed as ad buy opportunities. Finally, the utility of the venerable banner ad is analyzed for today's market, with a look at what's working and how to utilize landing pages. Case studies encapsulate some online advertising successes and failures before you plan an ad buy strategy (keywords, banner ads, landing pages, placement, and pricing strategy) and design some banners in the exercise.

color

Why is this provision necessary?

Web page with a green button labled "start" with text above: "Press Green button to Start." There is text above an adjacent red button labeled "cancel" that states "Press Red button to Cancel."

When colors are used as the sole method for identifying screen elements or controls, persons who are color blind as well as those people who are blind or have low vision may find the web page unusable.

Does this mean that all pages have to be displayed in black and white?

No, this provision does not prohibit the use of color to enhance identification of important features. It does, however, require that some other method of identification, such as text labels, must be combined with the use of color. This provision addresses not only the problem of using color to indicate emphasized text, but also the use of color to indicate an action. For example, a web page that directs a user to "press the green button to start" should also identify the green button in some other fashion than simply by color.

Is there any way a page can be quickly checked to ensure compliance with this provision?

There are two simple ways of testing a web page to determine if this requirement is being met: by either viewing the page on a black and white monitor, or by printing it out on a black and white printer. Both methods will quickly show if the removal of color affects the usability of the page.

Multimedia Presentation

What are considered equivalent alternatives?

Captioning for the audio portion and audio description of visual information of multimedia presentations are considered equivalent alternatives. This provision requires that when an audio portion of a multimedia production is captioned, as required in provision (a), the captioning must be synchronized with the audio. Synchronized captioning would be required so someone reading the captions could also watch the speaker and associate relevant body language with the speech.

If a website offers audio files with no video, do they have to be captioned?

No, because it is not multimedia. However, since audio is a non-text element, a text equivalent, such as a transcript, must be available. Similarly, a (silent) web slide show presentation does not need to have an audio description accompanying it, but does require text alternatives to be associated with the graphics.

If a Federal agency official delivers a live audio and video webcast speech, does it need to be captioned?

Yes, this would qualify as a multimedia presentation and would require the speech to be captioned.