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Sorry I am late to this,
Quite a few Archivists have gone out and either tried or have indeed scheduled websites as permanent records. So if you are going to apply a short retention period to your individual websites be sure to check your governing agencies to ensure you aren't creating a larger problem for yourself. Next, why are you capturing a website to begin with? I am more concerned with the system documentation, records generated to the site, policies and procedures for managing the site, etc.
BTW these records are all permanent as well. For those of you wondering what I mean permanent; Permanent is forever. If I had a nickel-iridium disk I would put it on that. If I could provide a mathematical analysis of all of it I would do that as well. Capturing a dynamic web site as a static record has some limited value. However, I would ask again, why do it?
Chris Flynn
-----Original Message----- From: Stephen O'Grady [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2003 1:24 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Snap shots of Web sites
Just to chime in with an expansion on one of Alan's points, the capture and storage of dynamically delivered sites is unsurprisingly exponentially more difficult the more dynamic the site. Tower's web capture tools are one approach, and there are other products like Tealeaf that allow the "replay" of dynamically delivered user experiences, but as far as I'm aware these are not designed with RM in mind. Some web content management products off the ability to take these snapshots on an ongoing basis, Interwoven for example stores them as editions. Again, however, these are rarely designed with RM needs in mind.
At the risk of sounding too much like an analyst (although I am one :) - the challenge of capture here depends very heavily on the specific page components that require storage. If a snapshot of the site as a whole - replete with navigational elements, etc - is required, Alan's suggested approach is likely a very workable approach given the limitations of COTS products.
But if it's rather a couple of constituent elements of the site that require storage, online manuals and procedures, perhaps, a more basic solution might be most appropriate. I've worked with an insurance customer in the past who was able to satisfy their RM requirements by taking snapshots of a database on an event driven basis - their requirements deemed navigation and website fluff as not a priority from a storage perspective. While this was somewhat cumbersome, it was still far easier than recreating an entire dynamically driven site from scratch.
From the sounds of it, given your concerns around formatting, this may not be applicable, but as a former developer I'm always looking for the easy way out ;)
Stephen O'Grady Analyst RedMonk (w) 866.RED.MONK (c) 617.320.9757
-----Original Message----- From: Alan Pelz-Sharpe [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2003 3:43 PM To: [log in to unmask]
I am a technology industry analyst rather than RM expert so my thoughts on this are very onesided. The only vendor solution that I am aware of is that of Tower and their web capture tools. This particular product seems to do a good job of keeping a 'record' (contentious word !) of what was on a site on a particular day. One could keep that image in a Tiff format for example.
The Tiff file would not be an html/shtml/java set of files or whatever the site consisted of on the day. But there is no other way that I can think of to produce a record of a dynamic web page.
The issue I guess would be 'how dynamic' some web pages are actually very static and consist of a few word files or whatever that have been converted to html. So in theory you would keep the html file as your record. But where you have dynamic fields on a website that is a very different matter.
Hope this helps, rather than confuses.
Alan Pelz-Sharpe VP Software & Services Ovum 18 Tremont Street Suite 1001 Boston, MA 02108
Tel: 617 722 4650 Email: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message----- From: Bell, Laura Ms SAALT/IMO [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 29 May 2003 15:31 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Snap shots of Web sites
I am trying to comment on a records management policy for our Program management office which addresses procedures for taking "snap shots" of web sites. The policy is to take snap shots of the web site at the beginning of the fiscal year, at the midpoint of each fiscal year and after each significant change to the web site. Snapshots are to be stored in an electronic system for 2 years after the date taken. the snap shot will be in the format displayed on the browser of the receiving computer.
I have with held the name of the electronic system to protect our information. Just to let you know I do not believe it is in compliance with DoD 5015.2 Std. My other concerns are as follows:
1) Keeping a snap shot two years may not apply to the disposition of the subject of the web site. I believe that policy is to keep electronic records in accordance with subject matter not type of media.
2) I am also concerned about the last sentence. I am not sure that the snap shot could be recovered if the format displayed on the browser of the receiving computer is updated or if the version is changed.
I would appreciate any comments.
Laura F. Bell FOIA & RM OFFICER Assistant Secretary Army Acquisition, Logistics and Technology 703-604-7477 [log in to unmask]
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
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List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
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