Web page construction

There are a variety of compelling reasons to represent yourself, your chapter, your job, your school and/or your business on the World Wide Web. (You have probably been speculating about a few reasons of your own, or you would not be looking at this site.)

Since you may still be trying to make up your mind about creating a site or deciding on strategies to ask for site development resources, you may find that some of the reasons listed below can be helpful. [Top]

• To attract interest or offer a service
  • A service desk that never closes. Chapter members, colleagues, patients, and/or customers have access to your information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • A virtual exchange where people can "buy" and even receive products/information products, without having to deal with a "middleman."
  • Interactive course notes that enhance lectures and learning with sound, pictures, video, virtual reality, or animation.
  • The WWW is an inexpensive media—reach 50 million potential users and/or prospective clients. [Top]
• To share a special skill, knowledge, or perspective
  • The initial Internet culture fostered cooperation and coexistence. Share and share alike are still expected behaviors.
  • Particular personal skills, special subject knowledge, an interest area shared by others—this knowledge can be provided through a Web site.
  • The Internet ethos takes a pragmatic turn if there is specialized content that's of particular interest to specific users. Don't worry if the subject matter is a little arcane—another Internet founding principle seems to be that no information is too obscure, no knowledge too unusual, no image too unorthodox to have a place in cyberspace. [Top]
  • The constant accessibility of Web resources puts all kinds of information at the users' disposal, and makes it available when and where it's needed. Information resources can be created and combined—a newsletter, problem solutions, and a small business—in one Web site that fits in the computer, but is always open for business. Patient care standards, data sheets, or chapter minutes can be obtained when needed or wanted. Policies and procedures are instantly available (and always current) to either the "early bird" or "night owl" Internet user. [Top]
• To shrink distances and reduce isolation
  • The Web is an ever-expanding array of social, educational, and professional resources. All are available through the phone (or network) jack on the computer. Anyone with a connection (wired or wireless) from Taipei, Taiwan to Farmer's City, Illinois has equal access to the site.
• To support learning and intellectual stimulation
  • WWW enabled communication possibilities are endless: share "war" stories about nursing school experiences, develop a care map/protocol with nurses in neighboring states for patient weight reduction, present innovative Chapter programs, showcase your children's artwork, provide a collection of links on nursing research. [Top]
  • The Web is an excellent mechanism for distributing information and resources on demand—it can both liberate and raise performance expectations.
• To pursue personal interests
  • Web pages are not only an effective professional communication tool, but they also provide a creative and dynamic media for self-expression and self-exploration.
  • The WWW has opened up an entirely new method of publishing that is relatively cheap and almost universally available—anyone with access to a Web server can communicate. [Top]

Once understood, the ease of web site development should quickly shift the author's focus from disseminating content to composing pages that effectively communicate. "Successful" communication requires more than just identifying content.

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