Creation and Maintenance of a Horticultural Education Web Site by an Extension Specialist Without HTML Programming Skills

Abstract

Informational web sites on the World Wide Web (WWW) are another means for extension educators to transfer information to a clientele and provide access to new audiences. One of the problems inherent in the utilization of this new technology is the amount of effort required by those involved in order to become proficient enough to accomplish their goal of sharing information through a web site. Through the use of a HTML editor and the assistance from staff knowledgeable about the WWW, a web site on a main campus server was created by untrained off-campus personnel at a remote site to provide information on commercial vegetable production. Planning of the web site included targeting potential audiences, determining what information would be shared from the site, and building a team of extension and research personnel that would provide information and act as reviewers for web publications. Assistance in the form of graphics and general know how were supplied by departmental specialists. After development, the web site was maintained and refined on a regular basis through the utilization of the HTML editor and a web file transfer program.