STC’s Web Site: 
The Next Generation

The following article was taken from the January 2004 issue of STC Tieline
The Society Leaders' Newsletter

STC’s Web site is undergoing a complete redesign using CSS (cascading style sheet) layout techniques, which allow Web designers to update content without changing a site’s formatting. STC’s webmaster will be able to control the entire redesigned site with a single style sheet, resulting in timelier updates, greater readability, enhanced navigation, and reduced page size. Work on the new site should be completed early in the new year.

Due to the redesign, many URLs on the STC site will change. In late December, the STC office e-mailed to chapter webmasters a list of the most heavily visited pages whose URLs will change.

The new site will be 100 percent compliant with the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) standards for CSS. (Please visit the W3C Web site for more information about the organization.) Because screen readers can more easily interpret standards-compliant sites, users with disabilities will enjoy greater access to information on STC’s new site.

The new site will also feature a multilevel drop-down navigation system, which will make searching for information easier than ever. The new navigation system is text-based rather than image-based (a setup that reduces page size) and completely cross-browser compatible.

Over the years, the STC office has collected many user suggestions on improving www.stc.org. Many of these suggestions have been incorporated into the new design. The office will conduct an ongoing usability study of the new site, and users will be able to submit feedback through a form on the site.

The office constantly analyzes site traffic statistics and keeps up-to-date with current Web development trends. Approximately 98 percent of visitors to www.stc.org use standards-compliant Web browsers. Although the new design is geared toward these users, the 2 percent of visitors using noncompliant browsers (such as Netscape 4x) will still be able to navigate the site—the only difference will be in how the information is displayed on the screen.

We hope you enjoy the new design and look forward to your feedback.