The Net Untangled is a weekly column looking at the Internet side of the Radio Industry. You can read the Introductory column for a look at how to approach site design, and how to think critically about your site’s presentation.

Since then, we’ve looked at a few ways to make your site better, including last week’s look at keeping your webmaster in the loop. If you’re new to this column, check out the archives .

Use the Force – Become a Web Master

Having been a cluster webmaster, I have seen the looks on people’s faces when they ask me a question about the website. It is a mixture of fear and confusion, as if I was a high priest and they were in need of a favor from the gods.

Many people view the web as if it is something they can understand – but only if they are asked to click and read. However, if you ask them to create a web page – you might as well have asked them to make it rain. How can anyone be expected to understand all that stuff? Where do you even start?

Well, like everyone who is comfortable being a web master, I too knew nothing about web design at one time. I worked on it in my spare time, and a year later I started getting paid for it on the side. Still, people see what I do as if I have mastered a dark art, something that they could never hope to understand.