Web Governance:

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• Web Governance
• An uncomfortable truth
• (at least for the boss)
• Some lessons from experience at IDS
• Geoff Barnard
• Web4Dev Conference November 2006

www.ids.ac.uk
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Circa 1996 the early days
Life was a lot simpler The whole thing was an
experiment Governance was not a big issue 3-4
staff, tiny budget
www.ids.ac.uk
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Ten years later
www.ids.ac.uk
60 staff, 1/3 IDS income, 180,000 visitors/mo
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How things have changed
www.ids.ac.uk
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The uncomfortable truth

• The website is becoming a crucial part of the
  organisations identity, profile and reputation
• But who is it being managed by?

A new generation of young, bright,
enthusiasts Not the men in suits
www.ids.ac.uk
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There is no alternative

• Senior managers dont know enough about how the
  web works and is evolving
• Editorial processes have to be light-touch,
  otherwise the system would grind to a halt
• The subject experts are generally not that
  interested in communicating
• Good websites require creativity, energy and
  ongoing commitment
• The work has to be delegated and decentralised,
  or it wont get done

www.ids.ac.uk
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Implications

• Organisations are being turned upside-down, and
  inside-out
• Fantastic opportunities for junior and mid-level
  staff to make difference
• Senior management may not have woken up to the
  implications of this yet
• When they do, they could get quite worried!
• There are quite a range of potential risks
  (reputation, IPR, business processes, etc.)
• So how does one make this work?

www.ids.ac.uk
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The web teams dilemma caught in the middle
The Web Team
www.ids.ac.uk
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A typology of bosses
www.ids.ac.uk
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Ingredients for a success systems and
procedures

• Clear objectives purpose, audience, role
• Clarity on branding
• Clarity on values
• Clear editorial guidelines
• Explicit disclaimers especially for interactive
  areas
• Simple but effective quality control loops
• A challenging, but supportive, advisory group
• Thoughtful monitoring evaluation
• Good user feedback channels

www.ids.ac.uk
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Ingredients for a success the people side

• Empowering the web team to get on with the job
• Careful recruitment
• Good training and back-up
• Feeling supported and valued
• Scope for personal and professional development
• Room for reflection and learning
• Strong support when things go wrong

www.ids.ac.uk
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The result

• A strong and motivated web team that is a real
  credit to the organisation, and a constant source
  of new ideas and new blood

www.ids.ac.uk