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Tips and tricks on the
use of Internet
for diplomats in Geneva
by Stefano Baldi | | |
 Basic Principles to provide useful information
1. Observe what has already been done by others.
Before starting making pages some time should be spent should be spent navigating to see what is
already available and how other pages by similar organisations have been made. If an interesting page
is found in terms of solutions to problems a look at the corresponding HTML code, which could be
readapted if necessary, is useful.
2. Reuse existing links and images.
In the course of the search you might spot some pages to which compatible links may be made to
the service it is intended to provide. It is possible to save the images (gif or jpg) and use them on
site
pages. It is important to pay attention to possible restrictions or copyright on what you want to
recycle.
3. Plan the content of the site.
Before carrying out the actual making of the site it is a good idea to somewhat schematise the
contents. Even the use of symbols and images should be carefully thought out beforehand in order to
be used in the most efficient way.
4. Carefully consider the sustainability of the site.
While it is relatively easy to make the first pages, it is more difficult to organise the resources
for
updating the information. Before expanding the pages of a site, the ideal dimension which will allow
for continuous updating of the most important contents of the site must be carefully considered. There
is nothing worse than a well constructed site which has been left to its own devices. Therefore start
with essentials such as country information on institutional, economic and touristic topics, visa
regulations and contact information.
5. Insert a disclaimer.
Many of the sites visitors may be inexperienced and prone to thinking that the content of what can
be found in the pages (and in the links) may be directly referable to the site itself. Therefore it
is
advisable to specify what are the limits of the contents of the pages and of the correspondent links
as
far as responsibility and officiality is concerned.
6. Do not make excessive use of graphics and frames.
One should not forget that the principal aim of site of an embassy (or any organisation dealing with
international politics) is principally informative. Therefore it is of no use to overload the pages
with
images or frames. By doing so one runs the risk of fading the contents into the background together
with prolonging the loading time (and thus the access time). In particular, it is not advisable to make
use of animated images (animated gif).
7. Always leave a reference for pages which are moved.
When certain pages of the site are moved or eliminated it is better to leave an indication of the new
address where the information previously contained in the pages can be found. In this way possible
links that could have been made to the pages may be modified from the relative webmaster.
Before constructing WEB pages to be put online you must face and solve two problems:
a) Learn the rudiments of the HTML language in which the pages must be written.
b) Always have space available on a server connected to Internet to be able to put the pages online.
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Please send your comments to Stefano Baldi.
This document was updated 31/01/99. 
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