developing the sept website john howe. developing the sept website at the sept meeting in argentina...

Developing the SEPT website

John Howe


At the SEPT meeting in Argentina it was agreed to engage Hodsons to produce a new website:

• Completed May 2011

• Hosted in the UK by Hodsons

• Cost £5,940 (with 1 year hosting)


Primary aims of the new website are:

• Search engine optimisation (SEO)

• Portal to increase traffic to national associations

• Promote the Conferences and inform attendees

• Definitive international information resource via Papers


Main sections comprise of:• Introductory Home page - optimising SEO• SEPT and its Members – with web and email

links• National Associations – with interactive map• Conferences – reviewing recent past and

promoting forthcoming (need full list)• Technical Papers – with choices of search facility

With rolling images and News headlines on each page.


Using the Technical Paper resource

Search facility options:

1. Author’s Name – from drop-down list

2. Subject(s) – from drop-down list

3. Word-search – typed in by user


Options 1 and 2 use specific ‘tags’ allocated by DS and can be used together or in isolation.

Option 3 is a ‘Google like’ search engine looking at all text in all the papers.

Live web demo


Current limitations and potential improvements to the Technical Paper resource:

• Option 3 takes a wide, coarse approach and is best used after Options 1 & 2

• Options 1 and 2 are restricted by the specific tags allocated. They use various name forms and localised terminology


Current limitations and potential improvements to the Technical Paper resource:

• Duplication and some errors in the Author’s Name listing have already been resolved

• The current Subject list can be expanded with international terminology provided by JH with Hodsons – and applied to future papers

• Expanded tagging will not cover existing papers


Standardisation of information for tags will be the key to simple and effective addition of future papers – applied by Conference organisers:

• A single author’s name as Family Name, initial 1, initial 2, initial 3 (if any) – e.g. Brown, H. K.

• No multiple author names, titles or ‘et al.’• Up to 3(?) subject key-words selected from a

prescribed SEPT list• No bespoke subject descriptions


Standardisation of information for tags will be the key to simple and effective addition of future papers – applied by Conference organisers:

• We need to work closely with the Chinese Conference organisers to test implementation.


Suggested next steps – promoting and informing about the Chinese Conference as a phased process during 2011/12:

• Launch News items – link to dedicated organisers’ website

• Expand Conference page and add PDF downloads (programme, brochure, etc.) from organisers

• Updates and reminder items• Need to agree budget


Suggested next steps – after the Chinese Conference:

• Upload all new papers with allocated Author Name and Subject(s) tags for each

• Consider possible new subject categories based on Conference topics

• Add post-Conference review text and images • Announcement and early promotion of next

Conference• Need to agree budget.

developing the sept website john howe. developing the sept website at the sept meeting in argentina...

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