The Net Untangled is a weekly column looking at the Internet side of the Radio Industry. You can read the Introductory column for a look at how to approach site design, and how to think critically about your site’s presentation.

Since then, we’ve looked at a few ways to make your site better, including last week’s look at keeping your webmaster in the loop. If you’re new to this column, check out the archives .

The Net Untangled is a weekly column looking at the Internet side of the Radio Industry. You can read the Introductory column for a look at how to approach site design, and how to think critically about your site’s presentation.

Since then, we’ve looked at email addresses, domain names and some quick fixes to handle easy to solve problems with big returns. This week we’re going to start a new process to keep the site up to date.

On the Outside Looking In

Unfortunately for many webmasters, “On the outside, looking in” is the position in which they often find themselves. At major market clusters, they are often given a desk in a corner and either not invited to promotional and jock meetings or forced into the wrong ones. In smaller markets, the webmasters either have multiple hats as on air talent or engineers – or they work off-site as part-time contractors. They don’t have the time or the access to stay in constant touch.

Either way, communication is often the first part of the break down that keeps sites behind the on-air product in terms of being up-to-date.

The Net Untangled is a weekly column looking at the Internet side of the Radio Industry. You can read the Introductory column for a look at how to approach site design, and how to think critically about your site’s presentation.

Since then, we’ve looked at domain names and some quick fixes to handle easy to solve problems with big returns. This week we’re going to look at keeping your listeners in touch with you.

Listener Feedback

Listener email is one of the best things to happen to feedback intensive radio shows. Now listeners can send messages and feedback to jocks and shows when they’re not on the air, and can do so from work at their desk – when a call to a radio station might arouse suspicion that they are not entirely focused on their job. Radio station websites should and do encourage email from listeners. Here are a few tips to help bring in more missives.

The Net Untangled is a weekly column looking at the Internet side of the Radio Industry. You can read the Introductory column for a look at how to approach site design, and how to think critically about your site’s presentation.

Last week had some quick fixes to handle easy to solve problems with big returns. The next few weeks will be more of that, but first a look at the single most visible part of your website – the domain name.

The Net Untangled is a weekly column looking at the Internet side of the Radio Industry. Please read last week’s column for an introduction.

Before you answer the question of whether or not your website is a good radio website, you first need to know whether or not it serves “The 3 Needs” every website should serve. Always build the foundation before you start on the house.

For any type of website, people want:

1. Current, frequently updated content and links.
2. Easy to navigate and understand websites.
3. They want it quickly.

Like I said last week, if you have lots of money to throw at the problem, then you should build up a Content Management System, hire a full-time webmaster and graphic designer, etc. However, most of us don’t have that luxury in front of us right now, so the best thing to do is try to pick some of the Low-Hanging Fruit.