Create Your Own

This page details the processes involved in creating the DAAHP website. We created DAAHP with the concept in mind that this site could be a model for similar projects. Detailed below is the making of DAAHP, along with advice and tips. If you or your company would like a DAAHP representative to consult with your project, please contact us.


Getting started

Creating a site of this magnitude requires a great deal of patience and planning. There are two requirements that must be met.

The first requirement is finding an organization or group of people that will sponsor the project. Wayne State University sponsored the startup costs. The second requirement is building a staff that can do the work. The DAAHP site was built around two individuals with expertise in multimedia/video production and archival research. Co-Director Darryl G. Shreve oversees the design team, which covers all matters related to the site's design, components, elements and construction. His team prepares all interviews, virtual tours and multimedia files for upload to website. Co-Director Louis Jones oversees all research. His team proofs all print material for accuracy and relevance. His team also gathers all photographs, secures permission for them, conducts most interviews, conducts site-related research and scans images into usable files for design team.

Our first brainstorming meeting consisted of developing the types of elements that we wanted to include in this site. This meeting included archivists, video technicians, web designers, web engineers and business managers. Duties were assigned and a rough timeline of project milestones was established.

The second requirement is creating a visual plan of the website. A project treatment was created that detailed what we were attempting and a detailed flowchart of the proposed site was created. The first DAAHP flowchart is the basis for the DAAHP website and design.


Fundraising

After the flowchart is approved, there are two things that need to happen. First, additional funding sources must be identified and pursued. Grant proposals should be completed and submitted at this time. The second is the creation of each page's content and design. This involves researching existing sites with similar themes and then discovering the best ways to improve upon them. These are processes that can last for several months.

Fundraising is a fulltime job. It is best to assign and/or hire someone to write the proposals and pursue potential leads to funding sources. Ford Motor Company was instrumental in providing additional revenues for DAAHP start-up costs.

Our grant writing process is a team effort. It is passed back and forth between host departments before a final draft is selected for submission.

This website http://fdncenter.org/ is a good place to look for grant opportunities. There are also grant-writing books available at your local library and bookstore.


Information Gathering

This was and is the most time consuming part of the project. There are several components to this project. Acquiring the text data for bios, photographs, historical presentations and then double-checking the sources for accuracy is a major undertaking. Shooting the interviews, which have to be edited down and then streamed for the Internet is another. These interviews are also transcribed in their entirety. Identification and research has to be done on each interview prior to taping.

Historic landmarks and sites have to be identified, researched and then photographed. A contact has to be found within each site to secure permission for photographing interiors for the virtual tours. A researcher has to write an overview of the event that describes the relevance of this site.

At the six month mark for DAAHP we had a rough website put together with a time-line and a simple search engine. We also conducted a focus group with leaders in the community and noted historians. Their remarks were used to refine the direction of the site.

We employ researchers to generate data for the site. This information is then reviewed by archivists and historians before placing onto the website. Given more funding, we would like to hire a researcher fulltime to generate additional resources.

Information gathering, when done accurately, is a long-term process. We have gathered data since 2000 and plan to have a substantial amount of data on the site by 2005.

Here is an example of our processes for gathering information:


Evaluation

We use several different focus groups to evaluate the site. We have an advisors group of community leaders and noted historians that evaluate the site as a whole. We have an academic focus group comprised of college professors that evaluate the site from an instructional standpoint. And finally, a designers focus group to evaluate it artistically and examine its functionality. The DAAHP site is re-evaluated peridically

Expert evaluation is essential for several reasons. It provides the project's concepts with a measure of validity. A project can be improved drastically with the advice and suggestions from individuals who may not be as close to the project's concepts as the originators.

Phase Three of the project will include random sampling with questionnaires and online surveys. As presentations and demonstrations are made at local schools and community centers, questionnaires will be handed out for instant feedback.

**It is absolutely essential to have content experts oversee the content**


Project Promotion

Some of the resources garnered from grants and sponsors are allocated to promotion. A DAAHP press kit has been designed to include brochures, a CD-Rom, press clippings and give away items.

We had enough data to post the site by year two, March 19, 2002. This marked the official launch of the DAAHP website. We arranged a gathering to demonstrate the site and thank all of the people that helped put it together. Thanking the sponsors, donors and volunteers is a must for new projects and promotional events are a good way of doing that.

A strategic plan, set with graphics and photos, was created to highlight the project's strategies, goals and purposes. Strategic plans can serve two purposes: first, as a way to focus the project team, and secondly as a promotional document to send to potential sponsors.

DAAHP marketing representatives composed a list of the local print, radio and television media. Press releases are sent out periodically announcing DAAHP events and major changes to the website.


Events Planning

It is best to use a separate team to handle the planning of related promotional events that are in alignment with the project director's overall vision.

The planning for a typical DAAHP event involves: