Operation Manual

76 Previewing, Publishing, and Maintaining the Site
In the window, you can use standard Windows Explorer conventions to
perform maintenance tasks. Click on the column headers to change the
current sort, or drag to change the column width. The top row of
buttons lets you view up one level, create a new folder, delete a
selected item, or choose the view setting. To rename a file or folder,
click its name twice and then type, or right-click it and choose
Rename. You can Ctrl-click to select multiple files or Shift-click to
select a range of files. Click the top-row Delete button or right-click an
item and choose Delete. To move one or more selected files, drag them
into the destination folder.
When you’re done, click the window’s Close button to terminate the
FTP connection and return to WebPlus.
Design Tips
The question of how frequently to update gets to the heart of “site
maintenance.” Having spent days or weeks designing and then
publishing an attractive site with intuitive navigation and palatable
content, you’ve only just begun. The cycle is completed when visitors
start arriving, and their feedback is critical. Be direct about asking for
comments, and make sure you’ve included an e-mail return link.
Challenge your users to respond! Give them some specific choices to
make (“Would you rather see A, B, or C on this page?”). Let them feel
they’re contributing. For you, there will be an enormous difference
between operating in a void and receiving even one or two responses.
Think of your site as a newsletter with publication deadlines. As a rule
of thumb, don’t let more than two weeks go by without making visible
changes. The changes don’t have to be dramatic; the main thing is to
reinforce the perception that your site is dynamic, not static. The Home
page should change most often: add new links, or replace old graphics
with new ones. Add a new page or two, expanding the original sections.
(Be sure to post notice of the NEW! features on the Home page.)
Revise the design of any pages that aren’t working the way you
expected.
As a rule, keep the background and section organization intact so as not
to confuse repeat visitors. Sections that began as a single page will
require a section menu as soon as a few new pages have been added. If
you’ve got a navigation bar with a button already linked to the original
page, turn that target page into the menu page to keep the link intact.
It’s usually easier to migrate content to a new page than to rewire
existing links. (You can see the content, but you can’t easily see the
links.)