Do hippies dictate your online presence?

Not so long ago the web was marketed as a very complicated and mysterious technology. Technology-minded hippies filled the heads of corporate executives with the nonsense of HTML, cgi and asp. And most companies bought the mystery – lock, stock and barrel – letting the IT department develop web sites and Intranets.

But corporations are beginning to know better these days. The tools and technology are in the hands of mere mortals, much to the chagrin of IT specialists. Now, that's not to say that high-end complex programming doesn't have its place in today's web sites because it does. But the place isn't on the front lines anymore: the web isn't about whiz-bang bells and whistles, it's about publishing and communication.

Every page is made up of words, photo and art. Some programming and graphic features such as navigation bars guide visitors through the subject matter on a site. It helps establish a consistent pattern for moving through a site's content. But the object of any site is to communicate something to someone in a clear, concise and informative manner. So much for mysterious hyperbole.

And yet, many organizations continue to allow their IT departments or webmasters with programming backgrounds to run their web sites. These individuals have wrapped their control of web content by speaking in strange programming tongues and freaking managers out about firewalls, security, server load balancing and bandwidth.

Don't get us wrong. We work with some very good programmers and designerse. They are whizzes at making the magic work on networks, Intranets and web sites and creating beautiful interfaces. But none of them are communication experts. They have no formal education or training in formulating messages, creating effective communication tools or understanding how informal and formal communications occur in an organization.

The simple truth is, the web is no longer experimental. Techies and graphic designers still have an important support role in development but it needs to redefined. They shouldn't be running your Internet presence or Intranet. These key communication tools should be managed by writers, editors and trained professionals with degrees in public relations, journalism, marketing and communications. These individuals understand the organization's big picture and know how to present vital corporate information in a compelling, useful and consistent manner. True, these people could care less about HTML and Java. The care about something far more important: the message.

Freedom of Internet innovation and technology is a real '90s idea. What matters now is maintaining profits, increasing productivity and keeping everyone focused on the same goals and objectives. Even IBM, the innovation giant, scrapped its more than 7,000 different Intranets and put up just one. One site, one message, controlled by communication professionals.

If techies are still managing your web presence, it's probably time to ask why. Take a good look at your content. Is it still brochureware or does it actually provide useful information to your target audiences? Does it provide you with efficiencies in operations, a return on your investment or is it simply money going down the drain? Are the messages consistent with your traditional print and broadcast pieces in tone, form, design and function? Is the design clear and intuitive or is it a jumble of text links, Flash, Windows-like cascading menus and blinking icons?

These are hard questions to ask. And if you feel lost in figuring all this out, call on someone who understands internal and external communications and how your organization can maximize the effectiveness of its resources, time and money.

You may just be pleasantly surprised by the results.