Creating and Maintaining a Web Site with Manila

Types of Web Editing Software

HTML editors Notepad, Simple Text, HomeSite

What You See Is What You Get (WYSYWYG) editors FrontPage, Dreamweaver, GoLive

Form or Wizard based site creation tools like Manila

Types of MCC Manila Sites

Faculty/Class sites http://web.monroecc.edu/rwalter http://web.monroecc.edu/emarino

Clubs and Organizations http://web.monroecc.edu/FA

Special Projects/Working Groups http://web.monroecc.edu/MCCBanner http:/web.monroecc.edu/MCCMiddleStates http://web.monroecc.edu/WINS

The structure of a Uniform Resource Locator for a Manila site at MCC

http://web.monroecc.edu/yoursitename

Protocol

Server address/domain name

site name

Planning your Web site

What is the purpose of the site?Who is your audience?What do you want to say to them?Do you want them to talk back?

Design for the web is visual information management

Documents to be read online must be concise and easy to navigate.

No one reads anything anymore. Divide your message into digestible chunks.

When creating a menu structure, remember the “Seven Plus/Minus Two Rule.”

Planning Your Site

Planning Your Site Navigation

Manila puts main navigation links in one place consistently throughout the site

Planning Your Site Navigation

Place links to top level pages in this area.

Planning Your Site Navigation

Links to secondary level content can be placed on individual pages.

Three content components of a Manila Web site

1. Text

2. Images3. Gems

(pdf and MS Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, sound files, video files, etc.)

Text Content

Much of the text content of your Web site probably already exists: Course information sheets Syllabi Class exercise sheets Lesson overview documents All kinds of current class hand out material

Creating a story/page

Adding text to a story is done by typing directly, or copying and pasting text into the editing form.

Gems

Text can be part of a story (page) of a Manila site, or

Text can be part of a document that is served up as a gem

Gems can be thought of as the attachments to a Manila Web site

Creating a gem

To create a Gem, just browse for the file on a local drive or any accessible resource, such as the M drive.

Membership and RolesManila includes a built-in membership system that lets you maintain a database of members to send out email bulletins, restrict posting access to the discussion group and to allow selected members to become editors of the site.

Membership and RolesEditorial Roles

There are three editorial roles on a Manila site: Managing Editor, Contributing Editor and Content Editor. If you run the site, you're probably the Managing Editor. In that role, you can

•Change the Home Page•Create Stories, Pictures and Discussion Group messages•Use Preferences to change the way the site looks and operates •Maintain the site using the Administration features•Send Bulletins•Decide what role others will play on the site

As Managing Editor you can also edit any Story, Picture or Message on the site, no matter who created it.

Membership and Roles

Editorial Roles

The Managing Editor can name other Managing Editors, who then gain the same level of control over the site.

Any Member can be selected as a Contributing Editor or Content Editor. This lets them create Stories, Pictures and Discussion Group Messages, but doesn't allow them to change the Home Page, or access the Prefs, Admin and Bulletins features.

Contributing Editors can edit the Stories, Pictures or Messages they created.

Content Editors can create and work with all stories, pictures and Discussion Group messages.

Membership and Roles

The Managing Editor can turn

Membership on or off.

Membership is normally turned on for

a new Manila site and the Home Page

will have a Members box with links for

joining and logging in.

Once someone joins, site

Membership Preferences determine

what kind of access they have.

Membership and Roles

Visitors

Your Home Page is usually open to all visitors, although there are site preference settings to block everyone but members, or even editors. Otherwise, visitors can look at what you have on the Home Page and follow links to the Stories you have posted. Only members, can receive bulletins or participate in the Discussion Group. Visitors can become Members by following the Join Now link in the Members Box and filling out a simple form, if membership is enabled.

The Language of Manila

The common elements that make up most Manila sites are: Messages (items in the Discussion Group) Stories (pages) Pictures (images – gif and jpeg) Gems (site attachment files)

The Language of Manila In Manila the message is the basic unit of content. Every time

you upload a picture, write a story or post in a discussion group, a message is created. Some messages are selected to be stories, some are pictures and one is chosen to be the current home page story.

The diagram below shows a very simple Manila site.

Manila Site Components Messages

Stories, pictures and the home page all begin as messages in the discussion listing. All messages have a number.

Stories Stories can be thought of as the Web

pages of a Manila site. They make up the “content” of the site.

Manila Site Components Pictures

Pictures are the gif and jpeg graphic files that are added to the site and then included within stories.

Gems Gems do not start out as messages. They

are resources such as PowerPoint presentations, PDF documents, Excel spreadsheets that you offer for downloading from your Manila site.

The Manila Home Page Site Name Tag Line Navigation Links (shortcuts) Page Title Body Members Box (can be hidden) Link to Discussion Group (can be hidden) Calendar (can be hidden, home page only)

Home Page Overview

Although the Home Page may look like an ordinary Manila Story, it's really a container for Stories or News Items. The way you set up your Home Page depends on the kind of site you want to run. There are three main modes:

Single Story One Story at a time appears on the Home Page

Multiple Stories A configurable number of Stories (one per day) appear on the Home Page

Other Manila PagesPages other than the Home or Discussion pages of a Manila site are stories. Each page will display:Page TitleGraphicsBody

Discussion Page Topics Messages Calendar

Logging InFollow these steps to login. Enter your email address into the Email

address field. If you know your password, enter it into the

Password field (otherwise leave it blank). Click Login. If you provided the right email

address and password, you'll be returned to the Home Page. If you left the password blank, check your email until you receive the password and then repeat the steps above.

Changing Passwords

Members can change their Manila password by logging into the site as usual, then calling up the Sign Up page http://web.monroecc.edu/sitename/member/signup,

entering a different password and submitting the form.

Other Manila Site URLshttp://web.monroecc.edu/sitename/member/login/, This will allow you to log in to your site if the login link is not visible on your pages.http://web.monroecc.edu/sitename/member/signOutConfirm/This will allow you to log off your site if the log off link is not visible on your pages.http://web.monroecc.edu/sitename/profiles/This will allow you to view the profiles of all your site members.http://web.monroecc.edu/sitename/prefs/This will take you directly to your own site preferences page.http://web.monroecc.edu/sitename/stats/This allows you to view certain statistics about your site.http://web.monroecc.edu/sitename/member/changepassword/, This will allow members to change their password, once they have logged in to the site.

Graphics can be added to a Manila site and then included in stories/pages, as long as they are properly formatted and optimized for Web display

Images/Graphics

Choose graphics wisely. Be sure they are relevant to your message.

Make sure the size (physical and file size) will not interfere with your design or slow the download time of the page

Maximum width – 300 pixels Maximum file size – 10-20 kilobytes, depending on what else

is on the page Save graphics with blocked color areas and definite

lines as gif .GIF files Save continuous tone images (such as photographs)

as jpeg .JPG files

Web Graphics

Graphic Format Comparisons

GIF – Graphic Image Format Images that display properly using the

8 bit, 256 web color model Images with one color displayed as

transparent (gif 89a filter) Images that can be saved as

animations – animated gifs

Graphic Format Comparisons

JPEG – Joint Photographic Expert Group Images that display a representation of the

24 bit true color model – millions of colors, such as photographs

JPEG files can be saved across a wide compression range: (0 – 100)

Graphic Format Comparisons

Overview of Web graphic basics at efuse.com

http://www.efuse.com/Design/web_graphics_basics.html

Designing with the limitations of the screen in mind

350 pixels

600 pixels

13-15 inch screen (640x480) resolutionbrowser safe area