Requesting a new site
What's related > Policy on training and support for web editors
Web Services will provide support to all web editors from all organisational units of LSE - academic and corporate (academic support) - who wish to produce and maintain websites using the LSE web template.
Web Services cannot provide support to web editors who wish to produce and maintain websites that do not use the LSE web template, although we may be able to host these websites on LSE's web servers.
When you approach us to discuss new content for the web, we will agree with you whether that content is most appropriate for LSE for You; for the LSE website; or for a separate web service. If one of the former, we will work with you to integrate your content into the appropriate site. If the latter, we will work with you to create a new website.
Timescales: "it depends"!
It depends on the number of pages and the type of content, and whether there are more complex back end requirements such as databases, rich media etc to support the site. It depends on how much planning and research has been undertaken before approaching Web Services or how much help you would like to go through that process. We can advise right from initial ideas based on your goals, or from a point after you have researched your target audiences needs. All the information to get started is in this Web Editor's Handbook. So creating a new website can take anything from one month to 6 months - and longer.
So, planning is everything. As soon as it obvious that a new website will be needed, or a restructure required, do not delay planning it and talking to Web Services for advice on scheduling the various stages. It is a good idea to keep up to date with web developments School wide so that you can plan around any major changes - we advise web editors of work which affects their role through the monthly Web Editors' eNewsletter.
The process for creating a new website, or section of the website, is as follows:
1. Send an email to webeditors.enquiries@lse.ac.uk with brief information about the type of website you are creating: academic or corporate (academic support). If you need a new corporate website you will be put in touch with the corporate web editor, if it is an academic site you will hear from the production manager. We will ask you to confirm what the goal of the website is and who is your target audience, and discuss your ideas and what is best practice for developing a new website.
2. If your goals are clear and you have gathered and analysed feedback from your target audience(s) you will then need to provide a list of content. We will create a site map from this to help us judge how long it will take to build the site - we can then talk about a possible schedule which will include the work you will need to do including when you will provide all the content.
NB Before the build can start, you must provide Web Services with all the content (editorial, images, PDFs, etc) that you want included on the site. Only once this is received and checked (see below) will the scheduled work begin.
3. We proofread and copy edit the content, liaising with you, to ensure it complies with the LSE style guide and online principles, and send it to you for approval / comments. At this point we can discuss the build schedule and possible launch dates.
4. Build: Once the structure and content are agreed, it is passed to the production team, who build the site to a schedule.
5. Look and feel: The LSE web template uses a standard layout (which we call Version 3 or V3) but the look and feel can be modified. You will meet with our web designer (webdesign@lse.ac.uk) to look at the options. There are currently 10 variations of look and feel to choose from. For examples of visual variations within the LSE identity, see the Department of Accounting; Graduate destinations; Academic Partnerships and the Public Lectures and Events Programme.
6. When the site is built, we send you a link to a staged version (i.e. not live) so that you can check / approve it.
7. Once you're happy with it, we agree a date for the launch of the site which will be either a Tuesday or a Thursday.
8. The site is handed over to the nominated web editor, who receives the standard 'Handover training' from Sue Wood and who will be expected to follow the rules and guidelines for maintaining the integrity of the site e.g. following the LSE style guide and the various duties that go with managing a website and maintaining good usability (see this page for a basic checklist for web editors). We have produced a Web Editors' Handbook which gives comprehensive advice to editors. See here for an explanation of Handovers and for access to the online notes.
9. Support: Any web editor can then come to a Web Surgery run by Web Services twice a week on a drop-in basis, either to solve a problem with their site, discuss development of the site or enquire about further training. No need to book. This page might also be useful as it lists all our services.
Last updated: July 2007
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