How I killed the webmaster - and got away with it

How I Killed The
Webmaster...
... and got away with it !

Jang F.M. Graat
STC-TransAlpine Chapter

52nd Annual STC Conference - Seattle - May 9, 2005

Jang F.M. Graat - “How I Killed The Webmaster...”



TransAlpine - where is that ?!



5 countries
• Austria

• Slovenia

• Italy

• Germany

• Switzerland

• (+ Netherlands ?)



In Europe...
• ... not everything is small

• ... TechCom is not big yet
~ 2000 km
• ... we are few and far apart
(1200 mi)
• ... we don’t meet often

• ... phone calls are expensive

• ... everyone has internet



we are a global chapter
• We have 104 members
from 14 countries:

• Germany (35), Italy (22),
Austria (14), Switzerland
(9), Slovenia (9)

• United States (7),
Canada (2), Netherlands
(2), Finland (1), France
(1), United Kingdom (1),
Lebanon (1)



the website is our lifeline



what we need in a website
• information about upcoming events
• leads to jobs, contracts or products
• news about our profession
• information about our organization
• links to other interesting websites
• space to express views, opinions


problems with org websites
• ... there is no commercial incentive
• ... the webmaster has another job
• ... no frequent changes are made
• ... submitting items is not easy
• ... hasty additions mess up the styling
• ... obsolete items accumulate




the webmaster’s job
• get other people’s input
• convert all that stuff to web pages
• get the ﬁles uploaded to the server
• take the blame for errors and typos
• update the information constantly
• remove the outdated items - on time






goals of STC-TAC redesign
• make the website structure clearer
• improve and enforce consistent styling
• add much more dynamic content
• allow easy posting of information
• minimize the webmaster’s role
• automate website updates where possible


user requirements
• low-tech for the website users
• viewable in all browsers
• independent of user-side software
• safe against unwanted access
• minimal interference by a webmaster
• easy to handle as an administrator


available web technology
web applications special clients

HTML server web browser

server-side code client-side code

server OS local OS

server computer local computer



technological pitfalls
• incompatible software
• special features, new versions, bugs
• safety restrictions
• Java, cookies, ActiveX, JavaScript
• corporate restrictions
• ﬁrewalls, licenses, security policies


used web technology
HTML server

server-side code

small XML ﬁles web browser

server OS local OS

server computer local computer



why not use a CMS ?



so I wrote my own CMS
• content stored in small XML files
• coding in ASP - as low-tech as possible
• standard procedures in a “toolbox” file
• all items handled by the same code
• parameters via URL and “post” method
• website styling in a separate XML file


all code is server-side

HTML server
HTML web browser

asp code in page

toolbox code

small XML ﬁles







www.stc-transalpine.org
• homepage shows excerpts from sections
• each item links to the full article in the list
• color-coding shows you where you are
• items are sorted automatically
• latest news, next events, new members
• expired items disappear automatically


posting an item
• open the appropriate list
• click on “post your item”
• ﬁll out the form and click “preview”
• check the result and click on “submit”
• receive the ID and code (for changes)
• wait until the item is validated


what happens next ?



validating an item
• open the “administration” section
• enter the secret code to log on
• read the item text, change if needed
• contact the person who posted, if needed
• check the “valid” box and click “submit”
• the item is now visible on the website


no more “webmaster”
• newsletter editor validates news ﬂashes
• employment manager validates jobs
• president validates board messages
• vice-president validates events
• membership manager validates member info
• info manager validates “treasures”


website administrator’s role
• serve as back-up for validation
• cc. of each posting to administrator
• change contact e-mail addresses & codes
• changes are automatically notiﬁed
• change “static” content on the website
• extend the functionality & solve bugs


the future...
• separate dynamic pages for LIGs ?
• subcategories in the “treasure chest” ?
• language ﬁlters for various item lists ?
• pictures added to member info ?
• members-only discussion forum ?
• chatroom for members ?


adding a section
• create a directory to store the items
• upload an image to use in the header
• add a menu item to the XML config file
• define header text, colors, image
• upload the new XML config file
• add a menu section to homepage (optional)


our new webmaster...
• ... concentrates on the website structure
• ... uses his time to make the site better
• ... does not handle individual items
• ... will survive a lot longer than the old one



Questions ?
Jang F.M. Graat
president@stc-transalpine.org


How I killed the webmaster - and got away with it

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