John Magill

Introduction

Planning a Web site for the first time can be daunting. This article is designed to answer the questions of those not familiar with the various ins and outs of Web publishing. This article covers:

1. Considerations that need to be made along the way, from conceptualization to implementation.

2. An inventory of tasks to build a team around.

3. Budget considerations for hardware, software, and human resources.

4. Suggestions for conceptualizing, prototyping, producing, and testing your site.

5. What to do after your site is launched, with recommendations for getting your site publicized.

6. Launch logistics as well as some of the interdepartmental, managerial, and potential organizational issues involved in the development process.

What Is a Site Producer?

A site producer oversees the development and implementation of a Web site and thus functions as a kind of general contractor, coordinating the efforts of everybody involved: third-party vendors, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), plus designers, editors, testers, developers, and other technical staff. The title site producer -- just like movie producer -- can mean different things to different people in different settings; typically, a site producer is in charge of pulling together and supervising the Web team. In most cases, the team should be selected to represent a broad range of skills: programming, editorial, marketing, and testing.

In addition to performing the supervisory and coordinating functions, a site producer should be able to champion the site -- communicating the vision to the rest of the organization and securing the resources necessary to carry out that vision.

Defining Objectives and Goals

Whether you'll be doing all the tasks yourself or coordinating the work of people across multiple departments, clearly defined objectives and goals save time, money, rework, and most importantly, agony. It's not that you can't change your mind. Things happen. But if you plan well from the outset, you'll know how any change or compromise will affect the budget, functionality, launch date, or design when things do happen.