As I continue to write my web content, I am reflecting more not only on what I am writing and how, but also the actual process for writing. While I have experience in developing web content through the Wooster Digital History Project, I was usually working with other people to research, write and build.
However, in this instance, I am now following multiple timelines to make progress on different sections of my site. For example, I am in the late editing process of my first section on the myths that are present within local historical texts. The entire section is now published, and I am now going back with my advisor’s comments and a fresh pair of eyes to edit my work.
In developing a website, I would advise anyone to have a specified order of stages that their website goes through, especially if their website has multiple sections and is heavy on information. Usually, my website production process follows these stages:
- Outlining topics/main ideas
- Conducting background research
- Writing content in a word document, with notations for headings, links, images (meanwhile, my advisor reads my content and makes comments)
- Transferring this content to webpages (with comments from my advisor about my design choices)
- Adding additional elements, such as footnotes, images, alt text, content blocks
- Publishing each page
- Linking pages together to create a cohesive section (which requires that these pages are published)
- Reading through the section to get an idea of the user experience
- Adding final touches as needed
When summarizing the process of building my website, the idea of an iterative process comes to mind. While it would be convenient to spend all of my time writing one section, the most productive way to build my site has been to develop multiple sections at different rates, as each section connects to the others.