Automation of Web-site maintenance

SouthernConnections Web publication tools were created, from the beginning, to make the Web cost-effective for small businesses. In fact, the first set of tools was inspired by our conclusion that a client had to have them if his Web project was to survive.

The tasks the SC StoryMaker suite performs for you are complex. Yet they are simple to summarize.

SC StoryMaker automatically embeds your new material in your Web site's design.

Using cues you give, SC StoryMaker chooses the correct section and section style.

SC StoryMaker adds the current date (unless for some reason you do not want it added), extracts and adds meta tag information, creates prospective section index and home page links and generats almost everything else the site requires when new material is added.

Very little must be done by hand. It is best to add image and multimedia files by hand, but we provide templates and training which makes those additions relatively easy.

The process is fast. SC StoryMaker is simple to use. The process of placing new materials on the site, after you have reviewed the files and are satisifed that they are ready for publication, is straightforward.

Everything follows specifications you set during the site design process. Yet those design-process specifications are readily changed to meet your changing needs.

Likewise, SC StoryMaker is readily modified, so that it generates new files that match your modified design.

This process adding new material is typically called either Web publication or site maintenance.

For our clients, it usually consumes a couple of minutes per article or other text.

A skilled editor can add a few dozen articles to his Web publication in an hour or so.

Training

We train you and/or your staff.

No specialized technical background is required to use SouthernConnections SC StoryMaker automation tools.

No complex technical material must be dealt with during training. Printed manuals and Web-based help files are provided to supplement training.

The tools can be mastered in a few hours by almost anyone who is willing to learn straightforward techniques.

Writing for the Web

Writing effectively for the Web, which we also teach, is as important as site automation.

Web site users do not typically "read" what they find on the Web.

They scan.

Web articles must be "scannable."

Web material that is not "scannable" is "skippable." Skipped material is a waste of your money.

Make no mistake about it.

Learning to write for the Web is both a necessity for small businesses and more difficult than learning to use our tools.

Support

After training, site approval and site launch, SouthernConnections provides:

• Telephone support.
• Regularly updated, online help files.
• Rapid response on-site consulting support.

Support consumes your time and resources. That is why we emphasize careful site design and careful software design at the outset. Our approach minimizes your need for support, thus reducing your overhead and increasing your potential for success.

Knowledge collection

SouthernConnections knowledge collection services grew out of a need to keep abreast of specialized knowledge without spending hours each day surfing selected Web sites and sorting through email newsletters.

Using artifiial intelligence, we replanced a hand process with an automated process.

We develope and refine custom heuristics for each task. They winnow the materials collected down to the desired list of new or updated materials.

The results are delivered digitally on whatever schedule the client prefers, using essentially any document format that is desired.

Client needs and what we deliver are both confidential. The automated process takes place on a heavily secured server. Delivery is by way of a secure, encrypted connection.

We make no use of the information that is not either authorized in advance and in writing by our clients, or required by law.

We regard our clients' requests as trade secrets, and we protect them.

We would like to develop a proposal for you.