Site Builder - web development tool
Site Builder is a web-based tool that allows departments, faculties and other organizations at Memorial to produce web pages that are consistent with the design of the university’s official web site.
Site Builder makes it quick and easy for departments to post and update their web pages, without requiring special software, knowledge of HTML or experience in transferring files to a web server.
This content management system allows your department to focus on creating good content instead of dealing with technical details.
How does it work?
The Site Builder system is located on a Unix-based system run by ccwebworks at Computing and Communications. You simply log into this system using your MUN login information (the same information used for accessing the Portal). Once you make changes to the web site, all data is saved within a database, and then published to the main MUN web server.
The Site Builder system offers Memorial users the following features:
- The default template, which defines the layout and appearance of the site, will be consistent with the top level Memorial pages. This is automatically handled by Site Builder which means you don’t have to do anything further to produce a site that follows the Memorial standard.
- This system gives users the ability to create and edit web page content using a web-based editing program that is similar to word processing programs like WordPerfect or MS Word. The program allows you to add and edit text, links, images and tables. You will not need any other programs such as FTP/Telnet clients or HTML editing packages.
- This system also allows you to create and maintain the menus that control navigation. Site Builder is built around the idea that a web site is divided into sections (main subject area) and then in each sub section you will have pages pertaining to that subject or a further breakdown into subsections for that subject.
- Your department can use Site Builder to assign specific people to maintain certain content areas of your website. For a smaller department, one person is likely to maintain all pages within a site. But for a larger group, we can set up the system to specify that a particular user is responsible for specific pages. The system also ensures that your material stays current by notifying users when it’s time to review and update each page.
How do I get access to Site Builder?
If you’d like to use the Site Builder system, contact Memorial’s Web Manager. The Web Manager will review your department’s needs, advise you with organizing your content and take you through the process of accessing and operating the Site Builder system.
Is there a cost for using Site Builder?
No, currently there is no cost to your department. The fees for Site Builder are covered by a centralized fund in order to streamline costs and provide an easy-to-use tool for departments to keep their content up to date.
ccwebworks sets up the site for your department, while the Web Content Services team trains your staff, and helps to move existing web content to the new system. In the following years, it is anticipated that this centralized fund will cover the costs of maintenance and technical support, including any system updates, backups, security patches, or incident response that may be required.
Creating good web content is crucial to the development of an effective web site. The Web Manager and Web Editor can assist you initally in creating logical groupings for the content of your site, writing material that works well on the web, and adding photos, lists of links and other elements to your site.
In some cases, where additional services in terms of writing or other content work is required, a charge wil be made, varying on the volume of material and complexity of the writing and editing. Consult the Web Manager, Paul Whittle, for an estimate and a consultation. You can reach Paul at 737-3517 or by email.
Additional features
The basic Site Builder system will address the major needs of most departments when it comes to their websites. In future, we plan to offer additional services to help departments communicate more effectively with their audiences.
We have recently added a tool that allows departmentment to create a photo gallery on their site. We expect to add several new features to the Site Builder system, including:
- variations on the main design that gives individual units a more distinctive look,
- a tool for posting news and announcements
- a tool for creating an events calendar