Product Description

Ashley Friedlein's first book, Web Project Management: Delivering Successful Commercial Web Sites, became a bestseller and an essential reference for Web professionals developing new sites. Maintaining and Evolving Successful Commercial Web Sites addresses the realities of successful sites today, namely the notion that maintaining and evolving a site is actually a bigger commitment than launching it. Management wants to maximize returns and obtain reliable performance data, customers demand better service and insist on sites that are more advanced yet easier to use, and the Web site must increasingly be integrated with the entire business even as the amount of information it handles continues to grow.

Maintaining and Evolving Successful Commercial Web Sites focuses more on process, reality, and pragmatism and less on strategic theory. It provides the reader with the knowledge, tools, approaches, and processes to manage key site maintenance and evolution projects, providing answers to the following questions:

*How can I better manage changes and updates to the Web site?
*How can I scale up to allow more contributions to the site and more content and still maintain quality and control?
*What is content management and how do I go about it?
*How do I go about personalization or community building?
*What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and how do I actually do it online?
*How do I measure and report on how well the site is doing?
*How do I avoid information overload?
*How do I maximize the value the site creates?

The book includes case studies to demonstrate candidly how the issues discussed in the book translate into reality.

*Case studies show candidly how the issues discussed translate into reality.
*Describes content management & Customer Relationship Management (CRM) how to go about implementing them.
*Teaches how to measure & report on how well the site is doing, how to avoid information overload, & how to maximize the value the site creates.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1345961 in Books
• Published on: 2002-12-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 442 pages

Review
"If you run a Web site, own a Web site, or are merely responsible for the success of a Web site, this is the book you need. Big picture philosophy and detailed practicality make Maintaining and Evolving Successful Commercial Web Sites the appropriate practicum for progressive Web professionals."
-Jim Sterne, Author, Speaker, Consultant, Target Marketing of Santa Barbara
"Ashley Friedlein takes four very complex but important subjects and boils them down for you to their essentials. With an abundance of practical examples and a strong feeling for what common sense dictates, he leads you to the heart of what it takes to keep a big site running and improving."
-Bob Boiko, Author, The Content Management Bible (Hungry Minds, Inc.) and President, Metatorial Services Inc.
"Ashley Friedlein makes a much-needed contribution to the (often neglected) area of Web site management. Using clear language and straightforward case studies, Friedlein masterfully tackles the 'post-launch' phase of Web development. This book will be sought after by all Web site managers."
-Hurol Inan, Author, Measuring the Success of Your Website (Longman) and Consultant

"This book allows you to get more from your site while spending less time working no it." Eric Pascarello, Reporter, JavaRanch.com, July 2nd, 2003

"In summary, this is a very good book indeed and one you can easily re-read, dipping into the bits you need as and when you need them. Definitely a book worth having on your bookshelf." Information Data Management Online Magazine, June 2003 -- Review

Ashley Friedlein takes four very complex but very important subjects and boils them down for you to their essentials. -- Bob Boiko, Author, The Content Management Bible & resident, Metatorial Services Inc.

Big picture philosophy and detailed practicality make this book the appropriate practicum for progressive Web professionals. -- Jim Sterne, Author, Speaker, Consultant, Target Marketing of Santa Barbara

Using clear language and straightforward case studies, Friedlein masterfully tackles the 'post-launch' phase of web development. -- Hurol Inan, Consultant and Author, Measuring the Success of Your Website

Review
"If you run a Web site, own a Web site, or are merely responsible for the success of a Web site, this is the book you need. Big picture philosophy and detailed practicality make Maintaining and Evolving Successful Commercial Web Sites the appropriate practicum for progressive Web professionals."
-Jim Sterne, Author, Speaker, Consultant, Target Marketing of Santa Barbara

"Ashley Friedlein takes four very complex but important subjects and boils them down for you to their essentials. With an abundance of practical examples and a strong feeling for what common sense dictates, he leads you to the heart of what it takes to keep a big site running and improving."
-Bob Boiko, Author, The Content Management Bible (Hungry Minds, Inc.) and President, Metatorial Services Inc.

"Ashley Friedlein makes a much-needed contribution to the (often neglected) area of Web site management. Using clear language and straightforward case studies, Friedlein masterfully tackles the 'post-launch' phase of Web development. This book will be sought after by all Web site managers."
-Hurol Inan, Author, Measuring the Success of Your Website (Longman) and Consultant

From the Publisher
Ashley Friedlein’s first book, Web Project Management: Delivering Successful Commercial Web Sites, became a bestseller and an essential reference for Web professionals developing new sites. Maintaining and Evolving Successful Commercial Web Sites addresses the realities of successful sites today, namely the notion that maintaining and evolving a site is actually a bigger commitment than launching it. Management wants to maximize returns and obtain reliable performance data, customers demand better service and insist on sites that are more advanced yet easier to use, and the Web site must increasingly be integrated with the entire business even as the amount of information it handles continues to grow.

Maintaining and Evolving Successful Commercial Web Sites focuses more on process, reality, and pragmatism and less on strategic theory. It provides the reader with the knowledge, tools, approaches, and processes to manage key site maintenance and evolution projects, providing answers to questions such as

· How can I better manage changes and updates to the Web site?

· How can I scale up to allow more contributions to the site and more content and still maintain quality and control?

· What is content management and how do I go about it?

· How do I go about personalization or community building?

· What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and how do I actually do it online?

· How do I measure and report on how well the site is doing?

· How do I avoid information overload?

· How do I maximize the value the site creates?

The book includes case studies to demonstrate candidly how the issues discussed in the book translate into reality.

Customer Reviews

Practical, real-world advice from an expert
This is the second book I've read by Mr. Friedlein that shows his extensive experience and ability to clearly impart realistic advice (his other book is "Web Project Management: Delivering Successful Commercial Web Sites", ISBN 1558606785).

What sets this book apart from others is the way he focuses on two critical aspects of web site maintenance, (1) change management, and (2) content management. Whereas there are a number of books that address content management, this is the first I've read that goes into detail about change management. Many books mix the two, and fail to emphasize the criticality of change management on site reliability and availability. These two parts of the book alone warrant reading it.

There are two additional parts of the book that provide unique insights into critical success factors of web site management and evolution, which are customer relationship management, and site measurement. Whereas the first two parts deal with behind-the-scenes maintenance, these deal with business aspects, which do need to continuously evolve if a commercial site is to provide revenue in a highly competitive environment.

The part on customer relationship management starts with a primer on CRM to assure that readers understand a much-hyped topic. It then goes into how to achieve success factors by addressing understanding your users, personalization, community building, and customer service.

Site measurement, the final part of the book, is also detailed and filled with advice. Topics include: an overview titled, "Promises and Challenges of Web Site Measurement" and chapters on evolution of E-intelligence, measurement approaches and techniques, and reporting and analysis. This part of the book wraps up with chapters on how to improve a web site and tackling a web site measurement project.

Like his first book (cited above and which I highly recommend), this one is essential reading for anyone working with commercial web sites. The author, in my opinion, is one of the most savvy experts who has unique insights in all aspects of web site project and management. This book is yet another achievement and contribution to the body of knowledge by Mr. Friedlein.

Invaluable analysis
Ashley Friedlein guide is a must-read for anybody managing a website or looking to start one up. It is a detailed exposition which explores concepts such as Change Management in a lucid and informative manner. Highly recommended.