In Web time, sites need facelifts at least annually to remain current

Emily M. Smith
ASME NEWS

Twelve months after ASME.ORG got its first facelift, it's time for another one .

Generally speaking, facelifts are done to Web sites for a couple of reasons: to show development in the Web site and to enhance the overall experience for visitors.

"It's good to have evolution on a Web site," said Denman Wall, director of New Media at ASME. To ensure that that evolution is useful to visitors, he said, "It's good to have yearly redesigns."

The changes that are being made to ASME.ORG reflect a shift toward meeting customer needs and away from the Web site's previous internal, organizational structure, Wall said.

Other commercial Web sites, against which ASME.ORG is increasingly competing, inspired some of the changes, Wall said.

But the facelift that ASME.ORG will experience will be so extensive that it is being done in shifts, like a house being rebuilt from the foundation up.

The home page was the first to experience a change. The new look was unveiled to ASME officers early last month during the Summer Annual Meeting.

Customers visiting ASME.ORG since then have found more direct access to product information - publications, career information and options for professional development. Products can be found by going to the Topics portion on the Web site instead of to the ASME department in which the product was produced - a challenge for customers who didn't know which department was handling the product.

The Web sites for ASME's divisions are also undergoing change (see "ASME.ORG to revamp division Web pages," in this issue). And many more changes to ASME.ORG are in the works. To ensure that you don't miss any, stop by www.asme.org often.

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