Website design resources

Download the website resources document [.doc 39KB] [.pdf 28KB].

1 Resources for website design and good web practice

Sustainable Development Communications Network: SD Webworks

http://www.sdcn.org/webworks/

Covers all aspects of web projects for NGOs. Metadata is covered under menu 'Creating Web Style Guides and Product Specifications'. Also see under the 'Managing Content and Workflow' menu for outsourcing and newsletters, and the useful 'Managing Web Site Redesigns'.

Illustrated Handbook for Web Management Teams

(http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-government/resources/handbook/html/htmlindex.asp)

British Government web development guidelines. Slightly technical in places, but does cover all the issues.

iTrainOnline - Web Development Resources

(http://www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/english/web_development.shtml)

Excellent online learning resource centre, providing some courses on the site and lots of reviewed links on a range of topics.

Web Style Guide, 2nd Edition

(http://www.webstyleguide.com/)

Very comprehensive guide to the complete web design process. This is an electronic version of the published book.

Webmonkey

(http://www.webmonkey.com)

An all-round resource, mainly for technical users and programmers but includes some very useful documents in the ‘Design’ section of the ‘How-to’ library.

Google Analytics

(http://www.google.com/analytics)

An online service to monitor traffic and visitors to your website. Powerful, flexible, and free. Do read the help pages, especially regarding monitoring what documents have been downloaded, as these are handled differently from normal web pages.

2 Resources for online communities

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC)

(http://www.apc.org)

APC is an international network of civil society organisations dedicated to empowering and supporting groups and individuals working for peace, human rights, development and protection of the environment, through the strategic use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), including the internet.

Building Online Communities, Transforming Assumptions into Success

(www.benton.org/publibrary/Practice/Community/assumptions.html)

Before you start planning your own virtual community, read this article by community builder Victoria Bernal to learn about what an online community can and can't do for your organization. See also Victoria's list of additional community building resources (www.benton.org/publibrary/Practice/Community/communitytips.html)

Resources for Facilitators and Moderators of Online Discussion

(www.emoderators.com/moderators.shtml)

An annotated list of articles and other materials to help you set up, maintain, and have a successful experience with online dialogue.

Online Community Report

(www.onlinecommunityreport.com)

A twice-monthly email report on current events and trends in online community building. The report includes information on jobs, events, software, and legal issues related to online communities.

Sound Partners for Community Health Toolkit

(www.soundpartners.org/topics1983/topics.htm)

Benton's Sound Partners Program supports partnerships between public radio stations and local organizations that are working together to educate and stimulate discussion about health issues in their communities. The Web site's toolkit includes checklists, worksheets and partnership assessments.

Full Circle Associates

(www.fullcirc.com/community/communitymanual.htm)

Maintains a rich collection of resources aimed at helping online community builders stay informed on current trends, and obtain technical assistance and advice.

Flawless Consulting, by Peter Block, Josse-Bass/Pfeiffer, second edition, 2000.

While this book, initially published in 1981, is aimed at helping consultants be more effective with their clients, the strong advice provided throughout can help any client/vendor partnership set clear expectations and handle “relationship” obstacles that may be encountered during especially the early phases of a technology initiative.

Community Building on the Web: Secret Strategies for Successful Online Communities, by Amy Jo Kim, Peachpit Press, 2000.

Introduces nine essential strategies for creating true community online.