Obtaining Content

In a very broad sense there are two scenarios for obtaining content for a web site, either do it yourself whereby you are the nominal expert and can locate and format the required information or where you are relying on somebody else or many other people to provide that content.

DIY Content

In the former DIY case, content acquisition is under your control - not that it is any easier. You have to identify and structure the content such that it is worth accessing and using on the web. This particular web site is an example.

I am in control, I think I am doing a reasonable job, however the peer review is missing, effectively until it goes live.

Other peoples words

If other people are going to provide the content there are a great many considerations:

	Does the content exist or do you have just a promise of content
	Are there many providers, each of whom will wait for the other to start the process.
	What do they have invested in the success of the site.
	Can they write? In particular, can they write in a manner suited to a tabloid newspaper - attention grabbing and informative!

The content is coming in fact this can be loosely translated as "you will have to beg for it" prepare yourself for pain and agro!

Creating a web site from existing content is by far the more sensible option, any business, organisation or individual should be using the web as an additional medium - not the sole or the first medium for providing information.

Clear examples of this are catalogue stores that transfer their product listings on to an online shop. My example is www.lenham.net, my local village web site, the first thing I did was come to an agreement with the local village magazine. Their content is now both printed and available online.

Web Limitations

The web is a means of transferring information - no more.

That information in the context of a web site is content which can take many forms.

Images, reviews, news, online shops, music, video, animation, stories, brochures, product information, sales literature, communications, .

You cannot obtain any physical thing from the web! You can exchange information such that you can purchase physical things - but its the postman or UPS or Fedex that actually delivers it, not the web!

Restricted or Pay to enter Areas

Should I create a user area where people have to pay to access my content?

In almost all cases the answer is no.

The exception is where the content is otherwise unavailable on the web in a legal way. This could be music or video downloads, copyrighted documents, privileged reports, perhaps porn?

The payment can be in the form of money or perhaps something as simple as an email address!

Generally speaking, the web aware user will regard a pay to enter area with deep suspicion. I ask the following questions:

Is it worth it

Will my email address be sold to a spammer

Do I need to pay to get the information?

Do I know / respect the provider of this pay to enter area?

Is the public part of the web site up to date?

 

That latter comment is very relevant. If you have any part of the web site that purports to be dynamic - its a web site so by definition it should be and it is showing old news or old infomration, then the entire web presence is suspect!