Lab 9 --- Audio Demonstration / Content Management in Dreamweaver / Project Management Tools in General

PART 1 --- Demonstration of fun with sound.

1. Rob will create a sound file using the free-ware program Audacity. He will then show some of the ways you can edit the file and then save it, and create a short web-page that links the sound.

2. You can deliver audio over the Internet in multiple ways, not just by loading an audio clip. An important way to do this is via streaming. Read about streaming here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_radio. Aslo see http://www.shoutcast.com/download/serve.phtml and read about Shoutcast. Don't install, just assimilate. SHOUTCAST server is a FREE server that you can set up so that you can broadcast streaming audio. Streaming audio allows you to listen to audio while the file is being loaded.

3. Finally, please read about PODCASTING here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting .Podcasting is basically blogging in audio. Good or bad? You decide.

PART 2--- Content and Project management

Storing and tracking your people and object assets for a web project is essential. The following is meant to help you learn how to deal with two separate issues: Content management and Project Management. Content is anything that is delivered on the webpage include the page itself. Project management is more about how people, milestones and goals are organized to get a finished project.

A - Content Management. One of Dreamweaver's greatest strengths is helping you manage your website. As you all begin to develop material for your potential web-sites (for those doing web-site design), you should be progressing past "save the file on my Desktop" to developing a content management system for yourself. There are two different issues to address today regarding Content Management - the first is the use of templates that allows you to replicate designs across all the pages on your site. This is less "content management" and more design management and style sheets, but it is important. Please watch the video (below) to learn about templates:

http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/?id=vid0157

This tutorial is quite helpful in walking you through how to set up a site, and manage content. Please work through this tutorial as well:

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/dreamweaver/articles/first_website_pt1.html

B - Project Management. Although the projects are small enough in terms of people involvement to not worry deeply about Project Management, professional web design is often driven through Project Managers and Producers. Project Managers handle budgets while Producers do not. Both are supposed to make sure that the product is delivered within the timeframe established by the client. For a long time, most project managers relied on Microsoft Project to help them manage products. Project is good in that it provides a simple way to establish milestones and goals. It produces the dreaded Gantt chart (see more about this chart here: http://www.ganttchart.com/). A better solution for a world that is connected via the Internet but not often in the same physical space is an online Project Management system. Check out Basecamp (http://www.basecamphq.com/) as an exemplar solution. Basecamp is a project management site that stores collaborative data on a remote server that any collaborator can access. Another example that blends content and project management goals is Drupal (http://drupal.org).

You’re done! Work on your projects if there is time.