Website Logistics
In order to compete and qualify your site(s) as masterful, you need
to be knowledgeable about the following:
Legal Considerations
Internet law is still a very gray area. There are new laws being created regularly to deal with the issues that the internet is bringing to the forefront of the legal arena. Common mistakes regarding internet law are made every day by Web developers - but as any good lawyer will tell you, ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Some common legal problems and consideration include:
- Using copyrighted graphics or photos
- Placing copyrighted articles on your site
- Distributing software that doesn't belong to you
- Making statements about other people that are unfounded or untrue
- Offering prizes, sweepstakes, gaming, or gambling online
- Distibuting pornographic or adult-oriented material - Two really good sites that deal with child safety issues include:
Safe Surf: http://www.safesurf.com/
RSACi: http://www.rsac.org/
Both of these sites offer ideas and ratings system for Web sites.
While it's impossible to stay on top of all of the issues within the Net's changing legal environment, there are some important considerations for which you should be prepared.
These concerns hold true for all types of Internet sites:
- Copyright of pages - follow standard copyrighting proceedures
- Trademark protection - logos and other symbols and products that carry service marks. These should be clearly marked and any important terms and conditions should be clearly spelled out somewhere on the site
- Proper use of images and text from other sources - if you are using outside sources for art and materials that are to appear on your site, be abolutely certain that you have handled the legal issues involved with their use.
- Insurance - If you are providing a source for anything that puts you at risk for a lawsuit, it's a good idea to get plenty of insurance to cover that risk - liability and errors and omissions insurance.
Many people feel that the Web should not be regulated at all. This topic has been hotly debated since the Net has grown in popularity.
Some US based sites that explore this idea include:
ACLU Cyberliberties: http://www.aclu.org/
Citizens internet Empowerment Coalition: http://www.ciec.org/
Electronic Frontier Foundation: http://www.eff.org/
Google Canadian Cyber Liberties Query:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF
-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-11,GGLD:en&q=canadian+cyber+liberties
Experienced internet law attorney:
http://www.ishmanlaw.com/
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Frequently Asked Legal Questions
- What if I have a copyrighted image I want to use, but only want to use a portion of it. I'm going to crop it and retouch it in Photoshop so the original won't look the same. Is this legal?
- What if I want to quote from another article, book, magazine - how much can I legally quote?
- I thought if something was really old - like before 1940 or so - it's public domain and I can use it. Is this true?
***There are many questions and issues, and it's impossible to cover all but the obvious. For absolute safety - don't play around. get a skilled attorney who understands the Net, copyright, and trademark issues, and find an insurance agent who has sold similar policies and can accurately provide you with guidance on necessary insurance.
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Domain Registration
Domain names, for general purposes, are customized URLs (Web site addresses) that help identify your site.
Registering a domain is imperative for public businesses on the Net. Domains help create or extend your company brand, making you more visible and therefore, easier to find.
"Domain names have become a vital component of corporate identity, as important as trademark or brand name."
WHERE to Start domain registration & hosting ...
GOTO Canada's Domain registration centre: http://www.internic.ca
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Site Indexing (Search Engine Placement)
Site indexing is a process by which you ensure that people looking for your site are going to have the maximum chance of finding it. This is an important step in commercial Web site post-production, and is also beneficial for the personal page enthusiast.
Basically, the site owner designates an SEO ( search engine optimization & placement) specialist to register your site with a variety of online search databases. These search databases or search engines come in different forms. Some are search engines like Google, MSN, AOL, and some are directories like Yahoo & DMOZ.
"Registering with search engines is one of the first things you should do once your site is complete. Not only is this the best way to assure that you will, eventually, come up in someone's search, but search engines often take time to register a site's existence. So the earlier you file your submission, the better."
One important thing to remember is that sometimes no matter what you do to get indexed "organically" (free listings), search engines may take a long time to get you listed. It pays to be persistent and follow-up. If you want to avoid the learning curve & hassles, keep it simple and hire a professional indexing company.
Please goto: "New to Search Engine Optimization & Placement"
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Marketing your website
Marketing is an extremely important issue for public, commercial Internet sites, yet it's often overlooked in the planning stages. However, people are getting more and more savvy in regards to marketing, especially because of the immense growth of the Web. In order to get past the layers and layers of information and get your sites to potential customers, intelligent marketing strategies are going to be a strong method of ensuring long- term success.
Getting the Word Out
There are two major marketing options that should be considered when planning the future of your Web site, branding and online marketing.
As mentioned above in the section entitled "Domain Registration," branding is the familiarization of your product or service within the population. Think about Xerox or Coca Cola - any major product that has achieved such success with its presence has done a great job at branding. this is done in a variety of ways, including matching the product to a specific tag-line or jingle, color and design scheme, and trademarked logo.
Marketing done online helps get people to your site. This is done using several methods including:
Growth
Web sites that find themselves especially successful require constant updates, revisions, and expansion. Web enthusiasts do well to plan for the logistics of managing this kind of growth.
Open-ended design is a phrase to describe site design that have areas that allow for natural growth.
Planning, information management, and site logistics such as open-ended design are imperative design elements for the long term.
NewMedia Consulting can assist with all of your needs!
Keep it simple...
contact us for further information and we will guide you through it
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