CONCEPT Concept Introduction Preliminary Questions Stakeholder Input Focus Group Questions Resource Inventory Contributing Factors Considering Realities Considerations for Small Websites Considerations for Medium Websites

Concept - Website Considerations for Small Websites

A small website can be just as effective as a large website. The number of pages, the amount of content, the logistics, and the interactive technology requirements will differ considerably from a large or medium sized website. Consider the following questions in determining the ideal size for your educational website:

Resources

How are you going to use your budgetary and human resources when building your website? How much time and money is allocated to your website development?

Size

The scope of your website will determine the number of pages you need, and the size of your website will greatly affect your budget and ongoing maintenance requirements. Can you predict how many pages you will need to present your project themes and ideas? How much information do you need to share with your audience? A small website may host anywhere between one and fifteen pages. What do you think is appropriate for your museum?

Scope and Focus

What educational information is required on your website? For example, you know there is an interest in a grade three social sciences program. Are you going to host information and activities that cover the whole of the grade three social sciences curriculum on your website, or are you going to focus in on one specific unit? If you focus on one unit of the curriculum, how much background information are you going to share with teachers and students? How many activities will you host? Are you going to provide only museum based information and activities or are you going to add additional resources about the unit? Focusing the scope of your content will help determine the size of your website.

Technology

Do you have the skills and software programs required to build a website? Small-scale websites can be designed, built, and maintained using software programs built for non-professional website designers. These programs are cost effective and easy to use, they provide tools to write HTML code, and they allow a user to insert basic graphic design elements.

Without any additional server software or user plug-ins a small website is able to host text, images, and graphics. Using digital images of artefacts, you can share your museum collections online or provide still image glimpses into an exhibit hall or program space. Interactivity can be provided with low-tech alternatives such as links to downloadable activity pages and class projects. You can include communications mechanisms so that visitors can contact your museum via e-mail and provide feedback about your museum, programs, or website.

Great examples of small-scale websites:

Marion and Ed Vickar Jewish Museum of Western Canada

http://www.jhcwc.mb.ca/shanghai/index.htm
This website uses strong image and colour to present themes. There are no additional plug-ins or technology required to view this site.

Northern Life Museum and National Exhibition Centre

http://collections.ic.gc.ca/canoe/index.htm
This website combines information about three northern communities. Partnering with similarly themed museums within a region may allow you to create a tourism partnership to cross promote sites and share website development or hosting expenses.

McBride Museum

http://www.macbridemuseum.com/
This website offers clean design features while utilizing simple technology.

Umista Cultural Centre

http://www.umista.org/
This website shares a community's culture, tradition and history through the use of simple web technology. Personal histories and stories are shared in text formats. Pull down menu options offer visitors links to additional web pages.