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CWA's Guide to Establishing and Maintaining Local Websites
Building Your Site
Building a Site: Getting Started
Before establishing your Web site, you will need to determine which overall approach you will use. Setting up a Web site generally involves three basic approaches:
- developing a "canned" site, meaning you use either software that offers standard site design templates or a hosting provider that offers a similar service;
- having an in-house person create and manage the site from scratch; or
- hiring an outside firm or person to create the site and manage the content.
To set up and maintain a Web site, you will need the following hardware:
- a 486 or higher computer PC processor that has a minimum of 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM and runs Windows 98 or higher (or Macintosh equivalent);
- a 56K or faster computer modem, a cable modem, or a direct Internet connection (ISDN, DSL, etc.);
- Internet access through an Internet Service Provider (ISP);
- Web hosting service (available through some ISPs) that offers at least 10 MB of disk space;
- a scanner and scanning software, or a digital camera (these items are required only if you want to post your own photographs on the site or create Web graphics from printed materials).
You will also need the following software and support:
- An HTML editor. Many word-processing programs, such as Microsoft Word and WordPerfect, let you edit documents for the Web in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). These programs are good for converting documents from other formats into Web pages. You can also modify HTML codes with a text editor such as WordPad (or SimpleText on a Mac).
More sophisticated Web site creation programs are recommended for extensive Web publishing. Macromedia Dreamweaver and Microsoft FrontPage are examples of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors. Allaire Homesite and BBEdit are examples of text-based editors. For more information, click here.
- Graphics software (not required). Graphics programs allow you to create and edit your own graphics or further manipulate graphics created by others. The industry leader is PhotoShop, but simpler and more inexpensive programs such as Paint Shop Pro or Corel Photo Paint are available, and are powerful enough for many users. You may also download graphics programs from the Web as shareware or as freeware. (Note: When using graphics created by others, make sure you are not violating any copyright restrictions.)
- An Internet browser. Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) and Netscape are the most widely used browsers. Each may be downloaded for free at the following respective sites: www.microsoft.com and home.netscape.com. Your Webmaster should have both loaded on his or her computer in order to test Web site design changes; different browsers may display certain site elements differently, and there are some elements that one or the other browser does not support. You should also try to have your site tested by both PC and Mac users.
- An FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program (if you are using a Web hosting service that requires one). This software uploads your Web pages from your computer to the computer that hosts your Web site. Many FTP programs are available as freeware or shareware (e.g., Cute FTP, WSFTP).
| Finding a Hosting Service |
Hosting services come in two main varieties: free Web hosting services offered by ISPs and paid Web hosting services.
Free Member Home Pages
Many ISPs offer free homepage hosting services to members who have smaller sites (of 1-2 MB or less). Examples are Verizon and America Online (AOL). These services provide a relatively quick and easy way to create a site. However, most ISPs generally offer only bare-bones Web hosting services and are not equipped to handle more advanced Web site features, such as online forms. Free ISP Web hosting services also generally do not allow you to have your own domain name, and they may require advertising on the site.
| A Few Additional Words on ISPs . . .
If your local does not already have e-mail and Web access, you will need to select an ISP. (Your ISP may also be your Web hosting service, as well, depending on your needs and the complexity of your site.) When choosing an ISP, consider the following:
- Does the ISP offer service in your area code? If not, you may be stuck with paying long distance charges.
- How will you connect -- through a dial-up connection, an ISDN line, a DSL line, or a cable modem?
- Does the service offer easy long distance access? This is a key consideration if you travel a lot.
- Are you adept at installing software? If not, stick with the major ISPs, such as America Online (www.aol.com) or Prodigy (www.prodigy.com).
- Does the ISP offer Web page hosting? (See "Questions to Ask Your Web Hosting Service" section.)
For a list of ISPs grouped by geographic location, see The List (thelist.internet.com). | Paid Web Hosting Services
Using a paid Web hosting service is recommended for larger, more sophisticated sites. For comparisons of other Web hosting companies, see Budget Web (www.budgetWeb.com) or The List (www.thelist.com).
Questions to Ask Your Web Hosting Service
When shopping around for a paid Web hosting service, you should ask the following questions:
- How long has the service been in business?
- What other clients does the service have? (Ask for client references and visit their sites to check service and connection speeds.)
- What is the cost (and for how many megabytes)?
- Do you get support for sophisticated site elements such as CGI or ASP scripts, Java, databases, secure transactions, password protection, bulletin boards, live chat, and FrontPage or other extensions?
- What kind of technical support is available? (Does the service offer a toll-free 800 number to call for assistance, and is support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or only during certain hours?)
Choosing a Site Address
If you use a paid hosting service for your Web site, one of the steps in the process will be choosing an address for your site, known as a domain name (e.g., www.cwa-union.org). The convention for most CWA locals is to use "CWA" followed by the local number and the domain name extension .org. (e.g., CWA Local 123 would use "cwalocal123.org").
Domain name extensions identify the category of the group that is responsible for the site, as follows:
.com - for commercial groups;
.edu - for academic institutions;
.gov - for governmental agencies;
.mil - for military institutions;
.net - for Internet services; and
.org - for organizations and associations.
Generally, you should be using a .org extension, although you may want to register the .net and .com extensions, as well, to avoid the risk of confusion or misuse of the other extensions by political opponents. Go to Network Solutions (www.networksolutions.com) for information on how to register an address for your site.
| Factors Affecting Download Time | To ensure that users get the most out of your site, it should be designed to download quickly. Important factors affecting download time include the connection between your Web hosting service and the Internet, the volume of Internet traffic at different times of day, and individual-user computer variables. Other key factors will also influence the speed of access to and performance of your site, including:
- Your users' modem speeds and whether they have cable modems, dial-up connections, ISDN lines, or faster, more advanced T-1 lines (which have greater "bandwidth").
- The amount of traffic your site gets. If lots of people are trying to access the same data at the same exact time, performance will be affected.
- The individual user's available RAM, disk space, and Central Processing Unit (CPU) speed.
- The number of site graphics and their corresponding file sizes. Keep graphics with large file sizes, which may take longer to download, to a minimum; files totaling no more than 40K per page are recommended.
Your site's Webmaster will be the person who handles content, graphics, and the technical considerations involved. Therefore, that person should have skills or training in each of these areas. The ideal person is someone with both an editing and computer background, and who also knows how to format basic graphics. Because the job involves several components -- editorial, graphical, and technical -- some locals prefer to divide responsibilities up among two or more people with expertise in these areas.
Dividing up responsibilities also helps with time management and workload. Remember, depending on the complexity of your site, it may take many hours to manage. So if you are relying on a volunteer, make sure this person has enough time to upload regular changes and updates. Also, try to have at least one back-up person trained, in case of emergencies. And finally, keep in mind that site management should be considered up-front, before you even begin the design process. There is no use in creating a sophisticated and in-depth site if you won't have the time or the staff in place to manage it.
Hiring Outside Designers and Programmers
If you plan to have a site that goes beyond basic links and graphics and offers more sophistication, you may need to hire an outside designer or programmer. In this case, you should be prepared to pay anything ranging from a few hundred to thousands of dollars, depending on the items you want to incorporate.
A few words of advice when hiring a designer:
- shop around for estimates;
- ask friends or associates who have Web sites whom they have hired (or talk to established Webmasters if you know of any);
- get input from your executive board or Web committee members;
- make sure the company's style, outlook, and personality matches that of your local;
- review other sites the firm has designed, programmed, or created and ask for references;
- ask for several design "mock-ups";
- get a timeline and make sure the firm you hire sticks to it; and, most important,
- get everything in writing.
If your local, like many, decides to tackle the Web site in-house or with help from volunteers, the following resources may help with training and other aspects of establishing and maintaining a site. Many additional resources are listed in the Appendix.
Among the most popular and user-friendly HTML and graphics tutorials are Sams Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML 4 in 21 Days (2nd Edition) by Laura Lemay and Denise Tyler, available at most major book and computer stores.
Other useful books include:
- Creating Killer Web Sites: The Art of Third-Generation Web Design by David Siegel (Hayden Books). Also see www.killersites.com for details.
- Designing Web Graphics .4 (4th Edition) and other books by Lynda Weinman (New Riders Publishing). Also see www.lynda.com for details.
- Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) by Example by Steve Callihan (Que).
Following are among places to go on the Web for self-training, design, and navigation advice and other information:
Should You Include Password-Protected Sections?
Whether to include password-protected sections on your site may be another question for your local's E-board or Web committee to consider. If you do choose to include password protections, be aware that this is a complex function to install within your site and that you most likely will need outside assistance. Also, most password-protected areas are not totally secure, so don't include any information that you don't want getting into the wrong hands.
When using password-protected areas, one good way of distributing members' passwords is by putting it on your newsletter's mailing label, along with an article mention inside the newsletter of where to look for the password. Distributing passwords may also be done through one-on-one mobilization.
Legalities, Formalities, and More
While many parts of the Web remain unregulated, there are still laws and general guidelines to follow. Here are some of the considerations to keep in mind when posting content on your site:
You are not permitted to use union resources, including the local's Web site, for union elections.
Just because you feature an article in your local newspaper announcing the union's endorsement of an election candidate, doesn't mean you can also post the same article on your Web site. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has ruled that the same television and newspaper advertising restrictions regarding such activities also apply to the Web.
According to an AFL-CIO memo regarding partisan political content on union Web sites, "The FEC interprets and enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act to preclude a union or corporation from listing on its Web site endorsements of presidential and other federal candidates, or otherwise expressly advocating on its Web site a candidate's election or defeat, if the Web site is accessible by the general public."
The memo further states that the FEC considers a publicly accessible Web site "to be a means of public communication comparable to other outlets, such as leaflets and print or broadcast advertising." Using the site for political endorsements violates the FEC rule that bars unions and corporations from using their treasuries to communicate partisan advocacy messages beyond their so-called "restricted classes," which for unions includes union members, union executive and administrative personnel, and their families.
Sample Disclaimer:
This portion of the Website is paid for by the CWA Committee on Political Education - Political Contributions Committee, with voluntary contributions from union members and their families, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. |
There are two solutions to this situation. The first is to put a disclaimer on pages with political endorsements, keep track o fthe percent of the total space these pages take up on your site, and bill COPE for that percentage of your Web bill. You can also put this content behind a member's only password.
| Copyright and Trademark Restrictions | While you may think the company's logo might look really nifty on your site, especially since it's so easy to grab off the Web and insert it, don't do it. Corporate logos are among the items that are protected by copyright and trademark law, and it is unlawful for you to use them without permission. The same goes for many of the graphics and photos seen on the Web, as well as text items. So while it may be okay to link to that labor-related article on your local newspaper's Web site, it's not okay to actually cut and paste the text from the article onto your site.
If you are using member photos for promotional purposes on the Web, you should get photo releases, just as you do for print materials. Also, as a courtesy, you might consider checking with members to see if they want their photos posted on the site in news or other sections. Some members who do not object to seeing their photo in the local newsletter may not feel comfortable with having that same photo available to a worldwide audience.
While there is no law that requires you to notify other organizations or entities when you are linking to their sites, many people do go to the trouble of asking permission or at least alerting others as to their actions. Whether you choose to notify others is up to you, and you should use your best judgment.
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