These are the two most important things to remember once you have established your site. Although a gastroenterology division Website need not be updated daily, it probably should be updated at least once a month or more frequently as needed. Another aspect of the Website that must be kept current by the constant vigilance of the Webmaster is the external links. New sites are also constantly created that may be appropriate to link to yours. The Webmaster must therefore update the external links on a regular basis as outdated links are useless and frustrating to users.
Software applications exist to help identify outdated links.
The Web can be used as a one-way source of information dissemination, but its power is enhanced when utilized as a medium for communication and information exchange. As with updating the information on the pages, rapid responses to inquiries greatly improves the quality of the site and user satisfaction. This part of maintaining a Website can be time consuming. I generally spend about 20 minutes each morning reading and responding to electronic mail messages sent to our site. Responding to these messages can also be frustrating as many patients ask for medical advice that cannot be given or request information that is not readily available.