IWMW 2004: Socrates Building an intranet for the UK Research Councils
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Slides for plenary talk on "Socrates Building an intranet for the UK Research Councils" given at the IWMW 2004 event held at the University of Birmingham on 27-29 July 2004. See http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2004/talks/brown/
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IWMW 2004: Socrates Building an intranet for the UK Research Councils
- 1. SOCRATES An Intranet for the Research Councils Tony Brown & Matt Thrower
- 2. Transforming the Organisation • Many ways to transform an organisation • Organisational, technical, social • ERMS, CMS • Relocate to Swindon, Milton Keynes • Web people are good at transformation due to the power of the browser • We’re going to hector you, be repetitive and teach you how to suck eggs
- 3. Introduction to the RC’s • The RC’s distribute government research funding. • “Bean Counters” of British Science • RC’s asked to work more closely • Lots of big cross-council plans put in place as part of admin strategy • A good first step seemed to be a cross- council telephone directory • Management liked the idea – obvious business interest
- 4. Carpe Diem • Where does one put an internal, but cross-council telephone directory? • We need a new intranet! • Limited formal structure • Feel the need, and do it anyway – Transform away! • Our intranet has had immediate impact on cross-council working • But there’s lots of things getting in the way
- 5. Blocks to transformation • What stood in our way, and stands in yours?: • Process • People • Zeitgeist and Perception • Resources • Technology • How did we approach these…
- 6. Blocks to transformation: Process • The four horsemen of the beauroc-alipse: • Committees • Analysis • Documentation • Politics • What are we doing: transforming or recording? • If not Rocket Science: don’t need Saturn V manual • So we largely ignored it!
- 7. Blocks to transformation: People • Who stood in our way?: • Line Manager • Key players • Content holders • The Great British Public (users) • Win them around… • We wheedled, cajoled, simplified, second- guessed
- 8. Blocks to transformation: Zeitgeist/Perception • Many sites – we wanted to be first visited • Business sites are dull • Informal sites are fun • Informal content attracts • Business content justifies • Balance the two • Don’t rock the boat
- 9. Blocks to transformation: Resources • What did we need?: • Our own time • Other peoples time • Technology • Content • If you don’t have it, find it • If you can’t find it, scrounge it
- 10. Blocks to transformation: Technology • General rules we applied: • Avoid over ambition: Don’t stick your neck out – not big, clever or deliverable • Avoid unknown quantities: Don’t stick your neck out – not big, clever or deliverable • Don’t be overly technical: Technology is not what it’s about • Technology is the engine not the driver
- 11. Overcoming technology • We used Windows 2000, ASP and SQL 2000 • Reused and recycle existing applications • Advanced where appropriate • Adopted W3C standards, and validated • Adopt FrontPage – Bargepole approach • Now to get stuck into Socrates….
- 12. Name is Everything • Branding is everything these days • A good name helps people remember the service and the URL • Decide the name yourself, not by committee! • Avoid conflicting names! • We chose someone who could represent scientific thought across all the disciplines • SOCRATES is born!
- 13. Visual Design • None of us are graphic designers • Usability is King – simple and obvious interface • Nice theme – informal style to connect with users • Remember the requirements for mixed environments and accessibility
- 15. Finding Content • Exploit the fame factor • Identify key players and involve them early – Big Cheeses – Social Clubs – Service Providers • Links – so you can say you’re a portal • Boxes = Portlets
- 16. Dealing with content • Content is King – but content can kill! • Use dynamic techniques • Intranet does work not you • Site changes with content • RSS from the BBC is easy! • Stick metadata in a database • Use ASP, SQL, FSO, Web Services… • CMS!
- 17. Publishing content • Rules for the CMS • Keep it simple – don’t do too much • Make it easy to do – don’t ask for too much • Make it distributable • Don’t force formats on to people • Make it useful – key metadata • Content drives the whole thing, so you do less • The Skink….
- 19. Recycling applications • The bazaar • Fuelled by self-interest • Dynamic • Vicarious insight into other peoples lives… • Horse manure for your garden: Big pile available • Silver/diamante bridal tiara. Brand new, bought in error. • An older table on wheels, with an undershelf.
- 20. The Canteen Menu • Always have >1 Killer Application – not a one-trick pony! • Sex and drugs are out, obviously • Rock n’ Roll unlikely to get management buy-in • The way to a users’ heart is through their stomach • Great front page draw to get people in • Make it editable by the appropriate parties
- 21. The Opinion Poll • Something “fun” that can have a serious application • Gets people to come back week after week • Users can buy in by suggesting their own poll topics • But make sure you’ve got a good editorial policy!
- 22. Letting People In • Avoid logons if you can – but if you must, use cookies • Have strict and clear security rules • Tell people what the risks are • We used IP address to control access • Don’t link from external sites • Give people a means of begging to get in
- 23. Spread the Word • Your site should sell itself • But either way, you’ll have to do some selling yourself • Tell people • Target important and influential staff • Tell some more people • Tell the first set of people again
- 24. Easy Like Sunday Morning • You’ll have other things to be getting on with in the future • Automate wherever possible • Devolve publishing as much content as possible • Plan ahead – don’t plan on being your own editor
- 25. Conclusion • For Socrates: • …it’s there, not the best but… • …it has transformed the organisation – a bit • …it’s a Coconut Shy • …it’s fulfilled its purpose • …must have done something right because… • …we’re getting resources to develop it further
- 26. Conclusion • For all of us: • …web uniquely placed help transformation • …easy to make things happen • ..we have the overview • …we have the mighty ubiquitous browser • …a well placed prototype cuts through months of waffle
Editor's Notes
- We wanted to call it: “A funny thing happened on the way to the cross councils forum” Or possibly: “How to build an intranet by accident” But our manager didn’t let us – she did let us build the intranet though, so we’ll forgive her Essentially, this is a story about how we built an intranet and what we learned from it .. We hope it’s helpful
- Can cost lots of money and be technological and be useful Can cost lots of money and be geographical and be pointless Can be cost effective and very useful – because everyone uses the web and everyone has a browser through which we can deliver content and dynamic apps Sorry for the egg-sucking and hectoring etc but hopefully we’ll put some old lessons in a new light
- RC’s have love/hate relationship with universities: based on money! Mention the other research councils Mention admin strategy – viewed with suspicion by many staff Aiming for 25% cross-council working by 2007 Lots of grand plans put in place at very senior level – so we wondered what we might be able to do to help Need for telephone directory was obvious, easy to do …. So why hadn’t it been done before?
- We saw that there was a gap in the range of cross-councils services - wasn’t there more information waiting to be shared? Put the proposition to JCWG … “illustrious group” of managers to which we mere techies are allowed The new intranet, given time, might change the way the councils relate to each other – it might even transform the organisations involved! If so see a need, then seize the initiative Don’t wait for approval, or for some formal structure to be put in place Our intranet is up and running and making a difference, while 18 months later, the big plans put in place by the admin strategy are only just starting to deliver New project! Very Exciting … jump up and down with joy! There’s lots of blocking agents – time for a reality check
- Sorry but whoa there young Matt Time for cynicism/realism There are blocks to progress: we’re all web sorts, so we’ll all address the same sort of problems – these are what we faced; these are what you’ll face but remember that as threats are opportunities, so can blocks become stepping stones NB: Some projects require a heavier hand than others We’re talking contextually - about the short sharp shock approach: we are code commandos (ouch)
- Process – it’s a scale thing eg eBusiness handling £nM requires a lot of process, we know that! Committees – contrary to opinion in some quarters not essential! ..and neither are tiger teams, champions, tsars, , workshops (cf Alexi Sayle) Avoid Committee creep; keep any structures lean and keen God so loved world sent son not a committee Analysis: avoid paralysis ….don’t necessarily need piles of case studies, etc etc. Anal disappearing act… Documentation: avoid sedimentation …keep it in perspective, in context – some of us do, some of us document Politics …keep out of it, that’s what senior management is for (!) What are we doing: transforming or recording how we’re going to/did transform it? If not Rocket Science: don’t need Saturn V manual, so keep it in perspective What we did: we largely ignored….and it still worked!
- Offer people what they want … or more cynically, make them want what you can give them … be devious – even Julie Andrews advocated a spoonful of sugar Line management.. … Learning experience, You can do it your (own) way, Kudos, Positioning >> we were lucky Key players … Exposure, tell them their input is central to success >> we nobbled RCUK (explain), JBOS (Explain), Canteen Content holders – the people who will do the work after all … tell them their content is essential … make it easy, and if you can, a pleasure(!) >> we made it easy; it was surprising how many people were keen End users … give them what they want, within reason … they’re what it’s all about after all >> we gave them what they wanted, within what we wanted! A combination of weedling, cajoling, simplification, second-guessing did the trick for us
- People have many motives for doing things, as do developers Various realities of human existence – dull/exciting Remember the zeitgeist – enthuse, evangelise, but don’t ram down throats!
- Time – you can make this: Other peoples time - enthuse (within zeitgeist), persuade, bribe, threaten Technology – scrounge, make do, recycle, steal Content – if no apparent content, what are you doing; otherwise go out and shake it from the trees
- Tecchies by their nature are agents of transformation, as they are driven by the changes in the technology they use Unfortunately, this can cloud the issue We’re bursting with ambition – but reign this in (as a general point) So.. Avoid over ambition Avoid unknown quantities (emphasise repeat of not big…)
- So this is what we did We used W2000, etc Doesn’t matter what you use – UNIX, etc, etc… For the record we’d use W2003, .NET now Advance where appropriate – don’t take risk aversion too far – remember you’re meant to be using this as a learning experience … if you adopt W3C standards you have the high ground … and can tell Netscape 4 users where to go!! Note the FrontPage – we’ve sold our souls but not our heads and hearts Right, now for some specifics of how we did it!!
- - We didn’t follow our own advice on the URL, because we followed research-councils conventions Think about people chatting round the water cooler We had a poll to decide a new name for ERMS … took weeks and came up with a very silly answer (NEMO) Tony to tell ISIS story (Information System, spallation neutron source) easily confused Only takes one person, senior staff, to muck the whole thing up Socrates, we later found, wasn’t all that scientific, more moralistic and spiritual Monty Pythons said He was in fact, “permanently pissed” - sort of intranet we were after Choose acronym to fit name!
- We just did it on the fly! And following simple rules you can get a good result - What do people do when they come to a website: they “want” something Greek theme but modern colours – a bit cheesy but effective Who are your users and what are they using? IE? Netscape? Screen readers? Even Netscape 4!!! Versions of Mozilla they all customised themselves and are now expecting you to support? – Joys of open source!
- Greek theme with marble and porticos Bright colours to look attractive and draw the eye in Socrates quote randomly generated – venerable wisdom such as “be excellent to each other” Lots of useful stuff on the front page – news, quick links, more on this later “Ask” in Greek was our one concession to amusement over usability
- Surprising how many people want their name on a website! – don’t be scared to ask for content People like to get their ideas across and like to be seen to be doing something Management, people you want to influence Nursery, sports clubs, social groups (christian union) JBOS, canteen “Portal” is a buzzword that seems to impress people If you want to make sure people know you’re a portal, put boxes round some of the content and call it “portlets”
- We’ve girded our loins and now have a burgeoning lunchbox of content…what to do with it?? Content is King! Content can kill …build page of links, update it, re-update it, add same link to different page, and so on…. BUT the web has moved on from static HTML, so no reason not to use dynamic techniques, and after all dynamicism drives transformation (pronunciation!)! The Intranet does the work – not you, changes with content Many ways to get dynamic content – RSS (explain) from the BBC is cheap n cheerful ..not all that simple, so we decided to stick metadata into a database… … and then use these dynamic techniques to retrieve and present data: indexes, lists, news listing, what’s new, etc…. The old IWM favourite: Helps if you have a CMS – we wrote our own (reused with a slight re-write)
- How did we scope our CMS…. Keep it simple internally – don’t make it do too much Simple to use – people will actually use it (perhaps…) Distributable ie browser-based – shame on you for distributing .exes! God help thin clients! Make it useful – capture key metadata – title, description err that’s it Keywords – what are they good for?? How many long dark teatimes of the soul spent devising keyword lists, making them easy to use, etc …ever used them? I haven’t …does Google use them – who can tell? So, unless you know what you’re doing don’t bother But use key phrases and automatically assign – pattern matching Great for index lists Not enough time now, but a pint will buy more information! Again, the more you enable your content the less you have to And here’s the Skink…
- And here it is…. …recycled from the Wombat Light, itself recycled from the Wombat, …Owl, …Goat Note limited information captured – but useful information Uses ASP, writes metadata to a SQL database, uses SAFileUP (cheap component) to upload Note: ‘Where’ built from a structure table, although could easily be FSO or if you must XML (there, I finally mentioned it!) ..and talking of recycling….
- Talking of recycling, here’s the bazaar….
- For all the content you get from others, developers have to be involved in making dynamic content – killer apps and make sure you have lots Focus on things that REALLY matter to people, don’t pretend that the real draw on a site is going to be some business document Putting it on the front page gives users a reason to visit the site Don’t try and control content that isn’t yours, you’ll end up regretting it
- The best content (possibly) is one that has the widest appeal: can amuse people and have a serious purpose (fun example: Is there any point?, serious example: homepage set to?) Positive won out over negativity but only just! (1%) The poll gives people a reason to return to the site Suggestions from users allows them to take ownership (examples Buffy, Europe, “greatest”) Created a “community” of 60-70 regular users Editorial policy … rudest word (moist, erect, firm, damp) .. MOIST was the winner
- What does logging on really achieve? It scares people … plus too many passwords to remember You need strict rules, because otherwise someone will try and argue with you and the whole thing will quickly fall apart, so NO EXCEPTIONS Don’t link from external sources if you can help it (i.e. your website) … it only attracts hackers We had an email form which secretly posted the users IP address to us along with a message from them We know that IP addresses can be spoofed, but we assessed the risks and made users aware: see above
- First rule is that content needs to be good enough to attract people on it’s own, but sadly, even if you follow this you can’t expect it happen Hard launch/soft launch : Didn’t do a major launch, and as it turns out, we didn’t need one We told other people we knew in the organisation, plus, of course, the “key players” (JBOS etc) already knew So we just made sure we distributed the knowledge amongst some cross-council management groups (JCWG) If you tell people, and they like what they see, they’ll spread the word for you And it wont do any harm to “casually” remind users just how great your site is And you’ll still get people asking you why you didn’t tell them about it 6 months down the line
- You can’t assume you’ll always be happy doing “occasional updates” for people “automate, automate, automate” are the priorities of this web team If you automate things, then no-one has to do it Failing that, if you devolve things, then it’s no you who has to do it Editing (and writing and publishing) is best left to people who know the area better than you do
- It’s there – mix advertising metaphors, possibly not the best intranet in the world but it does what it says on the tin Has transformed the organisation – not much – no lycra , hover packs or walkways in the sky, but it is a forum and it is being used Coconut shy It’s demonstrated the need for an intranet, that people will use it and that it can be done – with minimum messing The proof – it’s now being resourced properly
- Web uniquely placed to help transformation – why? we’re dynamic people in an ever-changing job The web’s easy to do things with Web people, having fingers in many pies/systems have a unique overview of any organisation The mighty browser is a simple way to deliver things everywhere without hassle (NS4 notwithstanding) A well placed prototype… So, go back to your desks and prepare to transform for government!!