Legally parked INTERNET PROTOCOL
THE WEB A
Without giving them (the customer) the right to opt out of marketing material, you could be in breach of data protection legislation
SHOWCASE OR LAW SUIT?
This month, Claudia Gerrard offers an in-depth look at internet protocol and highlights the many issues involved in running a website
s technology has developed, it is now the norm for organisations to set up a website. And the parking
industry is no different. A good website acts as a showcase for your products and services. It can often be a cost effective means of marketing and, if you get enough “hits”, could result in significant business wins. Yet finalising the look and feel of a website is only one part of the process. Setting up and using a website can be quite a complicated process. Websites, as with most internet usage, can give rise to a host of unforeseen problems.
The process usually begins with design and development of the website. Most organisations will need professional support and guidance with this. And that is where issues can arise. A good contract between you and the website designer is essential. This should cover basic principles such as
Top10tips
Website design and development ■Scope out the agreement and agree timetable for the work
Ensure that you have agreed what is to be developed. This includes the functional and performance specification you require, the purpose of the website and any specific issues affecting your business. Delays in completing the work may have a knock-on effect on your organisation. Also ensure that the development company agrees project milestones and dates for completion of work.
■Include detailed acceptance testing procedures It is important to state precisely how you want the website to look, feel and perform and allow yourself time to make sure the
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the scope of the work being carried out and the timescales, not to mention payment and key milestones to be achieved. A functional specification is always useful, so that you can outline what is required, in layman’s terms.
Governing the site
Once the website is up and running, though some organisations might overlook how the website is accessed and used by visitors. Key considerations are protection of your information and ensuring that a visitor to your website does not cause you to fall foul of any laws. In that respect, there are a number of legal considerations when operating a website. Initially, there are a variety of laws that govern websites. These include the Electronic Commerce Regulations, Computer Misuse Act, Data Protection Act and the Distance Selling Regulations, to name but a few. Most organisations will have some awareness of those acts. But there are other less well known laws affecting websites, such as the Trading Disclosure Regulations and the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act. These all
website does meet your requirements. Allow adequate time for testing and re-development. Also, consider linking payment to satisfactory completion of acceptance testing and achievement of milestones.
■ Protect your intellectual property rights (IPRs)
Make sure that the IPRs in the website will belong to your organisation. Consider whether the development company will be able to use your design with other organisations. Your website might lose some of its impact if it looks like a lot of other websites.
Terms of website use and acceptable use policies ■ Regulate the way in which your website is accessed Comprehensive policies should be included on your website, governing how people can access it. This should cover matters such as
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