• Very carefully think through the kind of information and services you want to offer, and how the pages that present it will be organized.
• Make sure that the content is relevant to your organizational and institutional goals.
• Make sure it is useful and interesting to the people you hope to attract to your site.
• Update your site regularly and post the date of each update.
• Make sure the information and links you provide are accurate and cited correctly.
• Periodically check your links to be sure they are still active.
• Use links and communication facilities, so that your users can interact with you.
• Remember that the Internet gives you access to a global audience, many of whom are on slow Internet connections without robust telecommunications lines. These users are limited to text-only browsers. Avoid graphics techniques that are inappropriate for this medium, such as providing text in a way that is so inextricably linked to graphic design that the information value will be lost. This also will disenfranchise those users who are blind and use text-to-speech devices.

Beyond these guidelines, you are limited only by your creativity and resources. Take a tour of some of the following sites to see some of the exciting things that are possible in the way of content and its presentation.

• The Library of Congress' Legislative Information Web Server - Visit for ideas on delivering useful information content in text form.
• CNN Interactive - Visit for ideas on delivering graphics, video clips, sound and other multimedia content for downloading.
• CDnow! Internet Music Store - Visit for ideas on actually selling products over the Web.
• Wells Fargo Bank - Visit for ideas on delivering customer services.
• NewsPage - Visit for ideas on membership services where some part of a site is free to all with additional charges for further subscription services.