British Web Editor based in West London. English Graduate. Amateur photographer and writer. DOB: 1966. Email: mail@chrislight.co.uk
Scope: Content management; copy editing; creative and business writing; image/PDF optimisation; HTML and CSS; information architecture; UX design; white hat SEO; WAI guidelines; web hosting and publishing.Corporate Web Editor on the team managing www.richmond.gov.uk. We also operate intranets and extranets for 3,000+ users.
Accessibility is at the heart of everything we do. We push for usability, WAI standards compliancy and simple and honest copy. On one hand, it's a challenge; working in an organisation still tainted by jargon, politics and silo thinking. On the other hand, we have worked brilliantly with people from across the whole council - sharing ideas and knowledge, developing the sites, delivering projects and providing training and ongoing support and advice. So besides our knowledge of our users (especially the public we serve), we have a good picture of the organisation as a whole.
We field nearly all the feedback about the sites - on content, design, architecture, navigation, links, usability and accessibility. We use our analytics software to monitor traffic volumes and user profiles (browsers, operating systems, screen resolutions and all the usual stuff). We look at referring links - who is linking to us and what people are searching for - on the web and our own search engine. And we look at 'user journeys' - to see how people are moving through the site, getting a feel of their experience. We research and study. We often discuss what we have learned.
We've met and worked with 'service users' too, from residents concerned about recycling, to people with learning disabilities in care. Sometimes we tailor content for particular demographics. Otherwise we focus on making content accessible to the widest possible audience.
I'm currently compiling our own definitive style and 'tone of voice' guides.
Systems Development Officer on a project team migrating c50 million records to a distributed database that went live in May 2004. The system was three-tiered, with a back-end database linked to an application server feeding a JVM/J-initiator applet on the client machine.
Tasks after the go-live included maintaining and developing security, user training, patch and release testing and developing output.
In September 2004 I accepted a secondment to work on the Corporate Web Team three days a week - with the triple remit of helping to maintain the current site, train web editors in MS FrontPage and help where possible with the project to develop Richmond's new, standards compliant, public website - which went live in June 2005.
Fraud Investigations Asst (again) and part-time web editor. Interviewing, reporting, surveillance and investigative work. Developed the content of the departmental web pages from scratch. Began to build websites in my spare time.
Dispatch and database administrator.
During most of this period I was studying full-time at Royal Holloway.
General admin role. Began working with Windows 3.1. Left to study at university.
Acting, admin, retail, sales, warehouse, van driving, library, post-room, technical support, car washing and valeting, seafood vending, data input, driver's mate, voluntary work, roadside potato vending, cinema front of house and other roles.
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