Best Practices for LTER Site Websites Working Group Best Practices for LTER Site Websites - was changed to: - Designing LTER Site Websites

Web Site Prompts can’t find the data lack of consistency lack of network feel research nuggets

Web Site Elements for Usability Page Design (look, how) Content Design (what, terms) Site Design (organization) Intranet Design (multiple audiences) Innovation (condition, state)

Example from web survey: Headings used for general information: About, general information, welcome, what is .., environments, intranet, overview, project, site, staff and contacts, three letter site abbreviation, places, project overview Content found under these headings: site description, facilities, affiliations, climate data, proposal, workshop documents, site review, Web site map, Addresses, Contact, faq, pictures, general LTER info, information management, personnel, highlights, milestones, calendar, info and regulations for doing research,

Site Description Directory Site DB: Description History Research topics Contact Images Links*** site locations climate db data bibliography Data: including GIS? Personnel Bibliography: including posters, presentations, abstracts? Education Information management News feed Newsletter Site Description Directory Baker, Burnt and Blankman, 2002. Organizational Informatics: A Research Network Site Description Directory Design. SCI2002, Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics Proceedings. “A site description directory can enhance Organizational identity by making Common basic information about From localmember sites available without detracting from local site autonomy.”

LTER Site Websites 1- How make finding the data easier?

LTER Site Websites 2 - How create more web consistency?

LTER Site Websites 3 - How create a network feel?

In Practice: 2004 Survey of Site Websites

Most frequently on first page: General information Personnel Data Bibliography Research Education/outreach News Opportunities Links

Subjects of greatest diversity in location: Climate data Proposal Posters, abstracts, presentations, reports Calendar of events Images Instructions/issues for doing research at the site Data management (general, policies, procedures, etc) GIS data are separately not under data

Subjects of most varying contents and subject headings: General information Research Subjects difficult to find: Nuggets (e.g. highlights of interesting new research/findings etc.)

Headings on first pages: General information: About, general information, welcome, what is .., environments, intranet, overview, project, site, staff and contacts, three letter site abbreviation, places, project overview, site description, facilities, affiliations, climate data, proposal, workshop documents, site review, Web site map, Addresses, Contact, faq, pictures, general LTER info, information management, personnel, highlights, milestones, calendar, info and regulations for doing research, Data Data, under products, online data, research data, data products, Data catalogs – list of datasets, sometimes searchable, sometime downloadable, categorized, GIS data, datamanagement, photos Maps Maps, GIS data, Display maps, Image archive Photos, Web Galleries Posters, presentations, pictures Publications: Publications, bibliography, library, under products, peer reviewed publications, proposal, annual symposia, abstracts, one pagers,

Education and outreach Education, education and outreach, schoolyard LTER, professional and educational opportunities, research opportunities, Env. Ed. Program, REU program, Graduate, undergraduate, K-12, and faculty People Personnel, participants, people, staff and contacts, researchers, investigators, under ‘about us’, Link to network office personnel directory, list of web pages for people, affiliations, collaborators, Research Research, research projects, activities, ongoing research projects, areas of research, Core questions, goals, theory, LTER core areas, ongoing research projects, cross site activity, proposal, major findings, special projects, Intranet Additional information for researchers mostly restricted access , Manage your information, proposal, reports, abstracts, personnel, addresses,

Management Products Data, protocols, abstracts, publications, presentations Resources Non-LTER literature, data management, protocols, links to other websites, facilities, News News, what’s new, news & events, of current interest, research highlights, New literature, nuggets, calendar, job opportunities, workshop announcements, general announcements, Opportunities Opportunities, professional and educational opportunities, current opportunities, research/employment opportunities jobs Documentation Protocols, procedures, software tools, Links Links to related sites, links, links to other lter sites etc.

Meetings Conferences/meetings, Calendar Site map and search Find, site map and search, site map, Instructions/issues for doing research at the site Visiting scientist info, environmental issues, Application, addresses, environmental impact assessments for research work, Collaborators Collaborators, Institutional affiliations Collaborating institutions Climate Site Events Presentations, calendar, meeting minutes, Reports Annual reports

There are multiple design requirements for very different audiences: Results: There are multiple design requirements for very different audiences: Outside all LTER Outside local Researchers

Sites profiled in SiteDB, personnel, data, bibliography, research news Results: Short Term Consider the website developed by the LNO as the LTER portal lternet.edu Sites profiled in SiteDB, personnel, data, bibliography, research news Design mechanisms for gathering feedback for ‘best practices’ on this website Design ways to improve/automate information updates to this website

Guidelines for content Results: Long Term Guidelines for content Guidelines for using terms in keywords for datasets as well as on the website Follow-up on understandings of the original web site prompts Arrange workshop on general web design practices