Update as of November 1, 2009 of the original version published in 'New Times: Making a Professional Newspaper in an Emerging Democracy' by Tatiana Repkova in 2001. Pdf of the 'New Times' book available at: mediamanagersclub.org/book

1. Job descriptions of a news website
Supplement to the updated Exhibit 41.0 The New Times Weekly of 16 Pages
Published in the book New Times: Making a Professional Newspaper in an Emerging Democracy
by Tatiana Repkova
Webmaster
Function: Provides for technical administration of web servers and software to ensure that
the web site is operating efficiently and meets performance requirements for availability.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
1. Develops monthly activity reports on activity in the online community and on organization’s
professional site.
2. Maintains network and data security, including controlling user access, insuring operating systems
security patches are tested and applied promptly, data backups, Internet firewall configuration and
virus and worm prevention and elimination.
3. Answers questions about or troubleshoot problems with the web sites.
4. Monitors web site performance and makes necessary adjustments to insure maximum availability
and performance, including web site capacity planning. Is ultimately responsible for ensuring that
the web sites are easy to navigate and that they address the needs of the publishing company and
its customers.
5. Performs a variety of technical tasks to make sure that a web site works properly and can be
accessed quickly by as many people as possible. Makes sure the server and browsers (the different
programs used to access the web site) can properly handle e-mail, transmit news, and download
files.
6. Performs technology needs assessments, evaluates new technology to determine whether it could
be beneficial for the organization web sites, and installs, configures, and tests hardware and
software.
7. Maintains synchronization of production and development web servers.
8. Maintains the web sites so that they remain a valuable resource for the publishing company and its
customers.
9. Monitors, improves, and updates the performance of existing web sites.
10. Updates information contained on the web site or in databases linked to the site and checks the
links on the site regularly to make sure that they are still working and that the information they
provide is still current.
11. Surfs the web to become acquainted with new developments and ideas and to discover new pages
to link to the publishing company’s web site. Updates links to other web sites.
12. Monitors how many people visit the web sites to determine if they need to be upgraded to handle
increased use. By monitoring traffic on a web site, he/she also tracks how often various pages,
features, and links are used. This information is used to update the web site to make it more
appealing and functional.
13. Must learn about publishing company’s marketing policies and sales objectives.
14. Must have a college degree in computer science, mathematics, engineering, or design-related
fields.*
15. Required technical skills involve experience in programming languages such as C++ and Java.
Knowledge of the Unix operating system is also important, as is familiarity with Internet
applications and changing technical standards in areas such as HTML (hypertext markup
language), HTTP (hyper-text transfer protocol), and XML (extensible markup language) that
affect the workings of the web site. Must keep abreast of new technology, understand how to
implement it, and know which technologies will enhance the publishing company’s web site.
* However, it is common for webmasters to be self-trained, learning their skills by working with the World Wide web and its
related computer applications.

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Based on:
http://www.highcontext.com/resources/web-job-descriptions/
http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/143/webmaster.html
© 2009 Tatiana Repkova