Ideas and Pipe Dreams

To illuminate some of the possibilities I see in the near future of this web department, let me elaborate on the imaginings I picture.

Current state of affairs

2 web developers, 2 web coordinators, 1 manager, 1 e-list designer. Our network administrator, Bruce, pulls double duty. He helps our department by being our sole e-list designer, which is a full time job in itself. You don’t have to take my word for it. Check out our e-lists month by month and look at the sheer volume of ads he sends and designs on a daily basis.

Pictured future

Press release, posted to the Angus.org web site on January 3, 2011.

The web department has grown so large in the last 5 years that a new addition to the Angus Association building was completed in December to house the 30-person staff. The Web Services manager has officially started serving as the Web Services President. The 2 web developers have split off into their respective interests and specialties, becoming a Creative Director and a Project Manager. The 2 web coordinators have also subsequently moved up, promoted to Web Designer and Web Marketing Specialist. Under their leadership are 25 capable staff members, reflecting the rising demand for services by the Angus Association members.

In the past few years the Web Services team has quietly released a number of new services and features to their clients, sparking an increased interest in what the web can do for the Angus Association and its members. As word of mouth spread, more requests were made for web sites and web-based services by new clients and new Association members.

The department’s growth has proven a boon to Angus Productions Inc., with API directly benefiting from the new Intranet built by Web Services. The Intranet, an internal network created for the Association and API’s employees, has created a virtual realm that allows direct communication between departments instantaneously. It has impacted many employee’s work flows as well, making their responsibilities effortless to handle.

A side impact from the use of the company’s Intranet included a dramatic decrease in internal paperwork, making paper product consumption drop to record lows. “The savings from paper use will be reallocated to employee earnings,” says Vice President of Finance, Rich Wilson, “and will hopefully continue to encourage employees to use the Intranet for their main resource of internal documents and communication.”

A few of the services that led to the explosion of demand include: web sites that members can update themselves; real-time show coverage that offers streaming video, with amazing speeds to serve it quickly to dial-up and broadband customers alike; welcome outposts, where customers can take a virtual tour of the ranch when they visit that breeder’s web site; For Sale section with a fully customized shop featuring embryos, semen and certificates available for purchase- purchase online, by phone, or in person. Most breeders have next-day shipping offered for online orders!

While many of the services offered by the Web Services team are not revolutionary (the revamped e-classifieds site, a revamped e-mailed newsletter, RSS Feeds for sale books, sale dates, and recently updated web sites), they are notable for personalizing the Internet to the needs of the average farmer, not just the commercial-level folks.

1% inspiration? check. 99% perspiration? getting there.