Discover Life in America

John Pickering - 5 April, 1999

Re: Web Page Templates

Date: Mon, 5 Apr 1999 15:58:47 -0400
To: bmclucas@bios.biosci.uga.edu, richard_schultz@nps.gov, Dana_Soehn@nps.gov
From: pick@pick.uga.edu (John Pickering)
Subject: Re: Web Page Templates
Cc: dl@pick.uga.edu, jody@discoverlife.org, Keith_Langdon@nps.gov

Bryan, Dana, & Richard,

Well done.  I'm glad that you're team is making such good progress on the
web page templates.

Several immediate reactions -- some minor, some major, some technical, not
in any particular order:

1) Who are <twigs@discoverlife.org>?  It is not clear to whom you sent your
document.  Do you need to seek input from a wider audience?

2) Bryan, I'd recommend putting the templates under nh/tx/templates rather
than off the top level.  Once everyone has commented and you agree to a
format, you should link them to the "Flora & Fauna" section.  Ultimately, I
imagine that our pages will distributed over numerous machines as part of
BRD's NBII-2 information systems.

3) Who approved your format?  Did the Web Team or was it Bryan, Dana,
Richard,...?  Are you seeking general comments?  While I very much like the
informational content, it is fairly technical and may not appeal to the
masses.  I thought we were going to have a more gradual approach -- basic
info with photo that links to the  more detailed scientific info.

4) Great maps and photos.  I love them.  Much better than I've seen elsewhere.

5) Many of the navigational links on the page do not work.  Bryan, Heather
can help fix them if you are too busy.

6) All the text goes bold toward the end.  I presume a </b> is missing
somewhere.

7) I disapprove of the super small font in places.  It's artistically
pleasing, but it's almost impossible to read (even with my glasses on).

8) I raise the issue of logos, links to outside sites, credits, etc.
Clearly this is what the Park wants and NPS should be credited for building
such a wonderful page.  Hence, it's appropriate to include NPS logo in
headers, as is the case on some of your headers.  However, what about pages
that are not developed by NPS employees?  Surely, everyone cannot include
an NPS logo.  Where does Discover Life in America and its
yet-to-be-developed logo enter the pages?  Is "ATBI home" the GSMNP's
website, Discover Life's "Flora & Fauna" section, or both?  Who sanctions
informational content before we add an official seal of approval (logo) on
each pages?  NPS, the TWIGS, Discover Life's Board of Directors?

9) URL: www.nps.gov/grsm/atbi/index.htm -- does not exist.

10) I like the glossary.  Maybe adding more links to it would make the page
seem less intimidating to the general public.  <Nasolabial grooves> could
be linked to ...

Anyway, bottom line, a giant well done to you and everyone else who is
responsible.  Thank you.  I'm delighted that you are making such headway.

One down, 99,999 to go!

Cheers,
Pick


>Hello all,
>
>Have the TWIGS broken yet?  If you recall from the December meeting, we
>planned
>for each TWIG member to construct a "flagship" species page for their taxon
>group. The templates for these pages are finally ready for distribution, so
>now it's your turn to have a crack at it.  The URL is:
>
>http://www.discoverlife.org/templates/
>
>- The first example (simple_atbi.html) is a single-page template illustrating
>  the minimum topics the National Park Service would like to see on each
>  species web page/site see reqirements.html for a complete list.
>
>- simple page layouts were used to make the HTML code easier to follow
>
>- layout was designed for use on VGA (640x480) or higher resolution screens
>
>NOTE:  There is a second template available if you feel you have so much
>       information that you need to break it up into several pages.  It
>       is more complicated and doesn't fit all of the NPS requirements,
>       so please use the first example if possible.  The URL is:
>
>       http://www.discoverlife.org/templates/extensive/
>
>We've set June 1st as the deadline for these pages.  We will contact you again
>closer to that date with instructions on how to submit your pages.  If you
>have any questions concerning these requirements, contact Richard Schulz
>(richard_schulz@nps.gov) or Bryan McLucas (bryan@discoverlife.org).
>
>Thank you for your hard work. It's beginning to look like 1999 is going to
>be a banner year for the ATBI project!
>
>                                        <Bryan>





Discover Life in America | Science | Web Plan | John Pickering - 5 April, 1999