We have prepared this online guide in the hope that it will help trade union webmasters make better sites to serve members (and potential members) of their unions.
New! The 5 minute HTML course -- When you only have time for the essentials
Click on any of the links below to take you to the portion of this page which interests you. Naturally, we're interested in adding to this -- please suggest additional links by sending us an email message.
Books
These are a handful of books that I'd recommend. Feel free to order them from Powells.com -- the only unionized bookshop on the web. If you order the book after clicking through from this page, LabourStart will receive a small percentage of the price and this is an excellent way for you to help support the LabourStart project.
- The Labour Movement and the Internet: The New Internationalism, by Eric Lee.
Published in late 1996, this book aimed to explain what was then beginning to happen. It's not enough to know how to code a table in HTML -- you have to understand why unions must use the net if they intend to survive in the 21st century.
- Cyberunion: Empowering Labor Through Computer Technology, by Arthur B. Shostak.
A more recent effort (1999) and with a much more US focus, but well worth the read.
- Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity, by Jakob Nielsen.
Jakob Nielsen is our website design guru; no one knows more about the subject. This book, published in late December 1999, is long awaited and according to early reviews, is not disappointing. If you maintain a trade union website, buy this book today.
- HTML 4 for the World Wide Web, Fourth Edition: Visual QuickStart Guide.
I often get asked to recommend a book to teach trade unionists HTML -- this one seems to fit the bill perfectly.
- Perl and Cgi for the World Wide Web: Visual Quickstart Guide.
This is the book I bought when I wanted to learn how to use Perl to make LabourStart a database-driven, interactive website.
Online help - resources
These are the sites I go to regularly to learn more about the craft of designing and maintaining websites.
- The World Wide Web Consortium -- this is it: the official website of the web. Use its validation checker to find out if your HTML code is correct.
- Useit Jakob Nielsen's site, with his regular column and frequent (sometimes daily) brief comments. I never miss an issue of Nielsen's column and frequently re-read his earlier ones. Essential reading for the serious webmaster.
- Chris Croome's Web Design Links A Sheffield-based designer has come up with one of the very best lists of resources.
- Builder.com CNET's "site for site builders". One of the very best.
- Webmonkey From "Wired" magazine's website -- a tremendous resource.
- ZDNet Developer -- tons of resources.
Online help - forums
There is really only one place to go to talk with other labour webmasters, ask questions, and share experience, and it's been around since September 1997 -- the Labour Webmasters Forum. Anyone can read the postings, but to post a new message, you must sign up.
Online help - tools
- HTML validator from the World Wide Web Consortium.
- Website Garage Tests your website for all kinds of things, like HTML errors, download time, broken links, even spelling errors. An essential bookmark or favorite.
- Netmechanic Tests your page for many things like Website Garage (only slower), but the coolest offering is Gifbot -- a tool to reduce the size of your bloated graphics files that are slowing down your download.
Software
There are a handful of software tools that you should have on your desktop PC today. Here are mine:
- HTML Editor I recommend NoteTab Light -- a free, award-winning editor.
- FTP client I use CuteFTP to upload files to my websites. A good free alternative is Leech FTP.
- Graphics program If you need to make the occasional graphic for your site, use PaintShop Pro.
- Browsers Basically, you need to test your site in the major browsers to make sure everyone can see it properly. These are Opera, Mozilla, Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Promoting your site
Publicizing a website is a tricky business. There are people who earn their living by publicizing other people's websites. You can spend thousands of pounds - if you have them - publicizing your site. Or, you can follow this simple list of suggestions - which will probably work better anyway:
- Publicize the site offline - meaning, make sure the site is mentioned in printed publications including newsletters, letterhead, envelopes, business cards, posters, etc. This is a never-ending job; don't think that by once mentioning the website in a newsletter you've finished.
- Get listed in other trade union directories - start here.
- To promote your site to all the main directories, indexes and search engines, visit Self Promotion. This service is free and will get your site into all the places it needs to be listed. I especially recommend that you read the site's explanation of how to get yourself listed on Yahoo; getting properly listed in Yahoo is the single most important thing you can do to promote your site.
- Add a mailing list to your site and from time to time, send out reminders and updates. This will increase traffic to your site.
- Track your progress and find out how many people are visiting your site - but don't put a counter on your page! (You don't want the employer to know that you've had 6 hits in the last year, right?).
- For UK websites only:
