>I need to do some "just in time training" on how to create websites that
>clients can update and present material on their websites in real-time. If
>at all possible, not using PageMaker.
>
>Any URL references, keywords, "experts for hire" would be much appreciated.
ouch..
i see two basic options, based on my experience with similar experiences in
the past:
1. you can try the standard customer-service thing, looking for tools
that update pages with scripts and forms, all the while keeping the user
from having to know FTP or HTML. this involves a lot of setup on your
part, and also a lot of maintenance, because a client's desires tend to
grow over time.
2. you can try to convice the client they need to know some basic HTML
and how to FTP thgeir page updates to the server. this involves work on
the client's part, and can be a tough sell.
hands down, i prefer option 2.
protecting a client's ignorance is a never-ending battle, because they keep
wanting you to protect larger and larger forms of ignorance. eventually,
assuming you're talented enough, you can have clients bitching at you
because the virtual server setup package and Oracle-driven dynamic HTML
system you set up is "just too hard to use".. and btw, they want to change
the site structure completely by wednesday.
the biggest impediment to a basic HTML training session, by contrast, is
little more than a gumption trap. you need to sit down at the keyboard
yourself, asking them what they want changed, and showing them how quickly
those changes can be made, until they get some enthusiasm going.
the make-or-break point in the session comes when you put them behind the
wheel, to do the typing for themselves. if they refuse to enter HTML
manually, even if you're the one telling them what to type, cut the session
short and don't expect future business from them. excuses like, "i'm not
a programmer" or "i need WYSIWYG because i'm a visual thinker" have nothing
to do with logic, and everything to do with avoiding work. trying to talk
them over to your position is futile.
if you have a good client, though.. and thankfully, there are a lot of
them.. they'll be hooked as soon as they see their first change appear when
the reload the page. from then on, your job is a piece of cake. all you
have to do is answer questions like, "okay, so how do i put it in italics?"
and "what if i want to use an image for a link?" for a pro, handing out
correct answers is just about as difficult as breathing.
by the time you've walked the client through basic page structure, italics,
boldface, lists, images, and links, you'll be ready to stop for the day.
schedule another session later, after they've had time to play with the
basics, to go over tables, and another to deal with setting up a form that
goes to a mail handler.
the hidden goal of the sessions is to show the client that making a single
page is simple, but that keeping a collection of pages linked, synched, and
functional takes work. what you sell as a web consultant is the ability
to do more than the one-page-wonder website, and that really is the most
stable line in this business.
PageMill can legitimately replace the "i know HTML" consultant, but doesn't
do squat for keeping a site organized. the organization side isn't so
much difficult as it is time consuming, and requires a lot of attention to
detail. that's exactly the kind of thing a client will want to offload,
so they can spend time making money.
for software, use whatever word processor and FTP client are simplest, and
most likely to be on the client's machine already. on the Mac, i suggest
SimpleText and Fetch. the fact that you *can* build an entire website
with SimpleText (and fairly quickly, too) raises the question of "why pay
$49.95 for PageMill, if this is all it does?" for Winboxen, try Notepad,
and avoid like the plague any word processor that automatically decides
what file extensions you *will* use.
mike stone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 'net geek..
been there, done that, have network, will travel.
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