Get the site out there: Sitemaps

Once the site is moved on to a free site or is in effect a sub-domain on another site how do we get the message out that here it is?


One of the ways is the Sitemap a list of the locations on the site as an example:

<url>
  <loc>http://www.web-sustainablity.net/emkn/services/networking_and_good_practice/index.html</loc>
  <lastmod>2011-06-27T09:26:41+00:00</lastmod>
</url>

The easiest way I have come across is http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/ a XML sitemap generating tool with a limit though of 500 items. A XML file is produced which you add to your site. 

An interesting feature about this site,as well as being free, it has some extra tools (http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/validate-xml-sitemap.html)  for sending your sitemap to the Google, Bing, Ask and Yahoo and a submit your site (http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/se-submit-tool.html) which sends it to a number of sites. How effective these are I will wait and see.

Another good tool is WonderWebWare SiteMap Generator (http://wonderwebware.com/sitemap-generator/download.html) to use it it you will need to download it, but the limit on number of items is much higher.


With a Google Webmaster account it is even easier you register the new site and and then click site configurations on the left of the screen, sitemaps and then add the new sitemap. 




This work has been supported by funding from JISC. The site can be viewed at http://www.web-sustainablity.net/emkn/

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Mobile version

The site has been copied to www.web-sustainablity.net  a site specifically for hosting 'at risk' but relatively small web-sites that have valuable information for a wider community. This version of the EMKN site can be found at:http://www.web-sustainablity.net/emkn/

There is also a mobile version available at: mobile.web-sustainablity.net 

This work has been supported by funding from JISC. The site can be viewed at  http://www.web-sustainablity.net/emkn/

Survey about this material can be found at: http://www.eSurveysPro.com/Survey.aspx?id=67775a0a-336f-45a5-a222-2f1a6615752c please feel free to fill it in or http://www.eSurveysPro.com/Survey.aspx?id=cec22f0a-e467-4c15-a319-74d96bb8ed9d

Mapping the site

The biggest problem with using Google Sites to save an at risk site is the size of the site. Google Sites is great for relatively simple sites with a smaller number of pages. This site is much larger around 900 individual pages and has been built up over time.


To get a sense of the problem and to find out whether there are multiple copies of the same pages and what needs to be replicated and what does. A graphical mapping tool has been used  the 30day trial version of Powermapper (http://www.powermapper.com/download/mapper/download.htm).

It has revealed the site complexity of the site and the sites structure.

This work has been supported by funding from JISC. The site can be viewed at https://sites.google.com/site/emknorg/ or http://www.web-sustainablity.net/emkn/

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Interesting route

The project all along has set out to move the website in a sustainable way across to a google site that at the very least provides a doorway to the EMUA's East Midlands Knowledge Network site. The approach has been to build Google Sites (Google) version of the site leading to either pages on the google site or  pages on a dropbox site until the google site version is ready.


The aim at the start of the project was to have the site independent of the partner institutions so no-one partner has more control than another over the site. But, is there another way that both increases the sites sustainability?


One possible way is for the site to be independently hosted (via Google Sites) but the partner institutions/universities  to have ownership (and possibly to host their own) content. No one institution would have overall control but manage their own resources/presence on the site. This idea has been floated and has the potential to improve the sustainability by the institution's maintaining their own information.


All through the project a goal has been to give to give the universities access to their own material and enabling them to update it. What has been floated though is them hosting the material on their own servers and just linking to the sites.


Could this lead to enhanced sustainability or even room for expansion?


This worked has been support by funding from JISC. The site can be viewed at https://sites.google.com/site/emknorg/


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State of the Project

The website under-development is currently completely separate from the www.emkn.org site and is hosted on a Google sites site with connections to a Dropbox site (used as at temporary measure)

Main page: sites.google.com/site/emknorg/home


Three examples of other pages are shown below:

Example 1: Networking and Good Practice : sites.google.com/site/emknorg/services/networking-good-practise

Example 2: Technological Services: sites.google.com/site/emknorg/services/technological-services

Example 3: Enterprise Development: sites.google.com/site/emknorg/services/enterprise-development

The flash based Tube image has been converted into a more search engine friendly image map and HTML links and ALT tag describing the link aiding accessibility.

Click here for the image map

Content is being migrated from the dropbox to Google Sites

Google analytics has been added to the site both Google sites and Dropbox to capture that information. Analytics is also add to this blog.

The site is out for consultation, co-ordinated by EMUA, with stakeholders on the way it looks, features needed

This work has been supported by funding from JISC. The site can be viewed at https://sites.google.com/site/emknorg/

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Sustainability and legacy

Sites like The East Midlands Knowledge Network (EMKN) site are worth saving for many reasons (including but certainly not exclusively: return on the investment both in terms of money and time; and as an information source). The site "The Universities of the East Midlands contain an enormous wealth of knowledge and expertise but it’s not always easy to navigate to the sources of support that could make a real difference to your business. The East Midlands Knowledge Network (EMKN) website will help guide you to the broad range of services that are available to help grow and develop your company." EMKN (2011)


The 'rescued' sites can also be later be taken over by others at a future date or taken as a starting for similar site.


Perhaps one that is not immediately clear is their value in their own right as a record. Even if these sites are never added to, maintaining them means potentially a snapshot of the activities of partnerships, issues, the kind of activities carried out is available for future use. Websites when combined with blogs, social networking, and comments often provide a rich source of archive information - if you like providing a digital legacy. A recent article by Sumit Paul Choudhury (New Scientist, 23rd April 2011) discussed this digital legacy from a point of view of personal websites, blogs and social networking. I think though it also applies to the legacy of organisations and projects, providing more than just the content that is explicitly on the site but perhaps details of how particular subjects were viewed or geographical areas of expertise. 

Potential applications: Archaeology for the future? or an addition that could provide a richer detail for a family tree?


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Search Engine Optimisation for sustainability: Images

One of the hope for goals of the project is to make it easier for search engines to find the site, especially one of the key features of the site - the nicknamed 'Tube Map' which can found at sites.google.com/site/emknorg/home/map.


This map provides a route through the services the partner universities provide. 

"The services are divided into eight categories, or tube lines. You can navigate these by clicking on the menu of services above, or by looking around the map, and clicking on the tube stops. This will reveal the services that our universities offer, along with contact details and case studies." EMKN website




So one of the elements that has been consideration to improve the chances of picking this important feature of the site,  is using image maps instead of Flash from Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) point of view.


Two key reasons for moving over to an image map instead of an interactive flash version:
1. Searchbots  such as Google searchbot can't see the contents of flash which the original maps.
2. Every link in the image map is HTML and can also have a description relevant to the link included which also can be seen be the searchbots.


So the Flash version has been replaced with an imagemap.


If you would like to see the Tube map click here.


An interesting blog on this area can be found at: http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/3265-5-seo-techniques-for-website-images




The site can be found at: sites.google.com/site/emknorg/


Survey about this material can be found at: http://www.eSurveysPro.com/Survey.aspx?id=67775a0a-336f-45a5-a222-2f1a6615752c please feel free to fill it in or http://www.eSurveysPro.com/Survey.aspx?id=cec22f0a-e467-4c15-a319-74d96bb8ed9d