Other articles in this chapter refer to the content of this site as being organized as nine books or volumes with each volume containing multiple chapters. Chapters, in turn, are divided into sections that contain the actual articles themselves. Although the book analogy is fitting for describing the content’s overall organization, the entire collection of articles should not be thought of as a book. Quite simply, it is not intended to be read from cover to cover or placed on a coffee table. The contents are more appropriately thought of as a quick reference on your nightstand to refer to when you are having a sleepless night thinking about an operational situation that arose unexpectantly. Or, perhaps, as a quick reference that covers an issue that you dreamt about or thought about while in the office.
Each of the articles has been written as a short, standalone document. Most, if printed, would occupy less than two pages. Included in those two pages are an article abstract, a one-sentence summary, and a table that shows the article’s section, chapter, volume, and release dare. Most articles can be read in two or three minutes. There is no need to start with Volume One, Chapter One, Section One, Article One. Instead, the articles can be read in any order desired. Most of the articles do, however, reference other articles that are related to the article’s single focus.
As discussed in the article “Site Content and Organization,” the articles are divided into volumes that are focused on a general category. The volume titles are listed below. The articles are also classified by applicable business stages with most articles associated with more than one stage. Those stages are also listed below.
|
Volumes |
Business Stages |
|
Volume 1: Introduction and Overview |
Thinking of Starting a Business |
|
Volume 2: The Seven Business Principles |
Committed to Starting a Business |
|
Volume 3: Starting a Company |
Working Full Time in a New Business |
|
Volume 4: Managing a Company |
Have a Demo Product |
|
Volume 5: The Top Line |
Needs to Raise Money |
|
Volume 6: Support and Development |
Has Some Customers |
|
Volume 7: Governance |
Ready to Expand |
|
Volume 8: Tools and Presentations |
Having Operational Issues |
|
Volume 9: Everything Else |
Pursuing Revenue |
With the two index methods shown above, a user should be able to locate a subject of interest quickly. These two methods are supplemented with a flexible search feature.
All navigation starts on the site’s home page. There are five different navigation initiation methods displayed on the site’s home page and are described below starting with the methods shown at the top of the page.
Top Page Elements
Next to the CxO-Atlas logo which acts as the Go Home button, there are seven different tabs that the user can choose from to initiate different actions. Below is a brief description of each tab, listed left to right on the page
STAGES: Clicking on this tab results in a popup menu being displayed that lists nine different business stages. Clicking on any one of the stages results in the first article in that business stage being displayed. Articles are listed sequentially by their article number starting with the first applicable article in the first volume. Individual articles are listed by volume, chapter, section, and then the sequential article number. At the bottom of the displayed article are Previous and Next article buttons. Clicking on one of these buttons will display the next article in the selected stage.
VOLUMES: This tab works identically to the stage button except that is lists articles by the nine different volumes in the collection.
ABOUT US: This tab provides some basic information about the site author and contact information.
DONATE: This tab provides the, totally optional, ability to donate funds to help maintain the site.
PROFILE: This tab is visible if a user has registered and logged into the site. It allows a user to change their password and other information.
LOGIN/JOIN or LOGOUT: This tab changes based on if a user is logged in or out. If a user is not logged into the site, the LOGIN/JOIN tab appears allowing the user to take either action as desired. If they are logged into the site, the LOGOUT tab is shown and the user can log out of the site.
SPY GLASS icon: If the user selects the spyglass icon, an “Enter Keyword Here” message box appears. The user can enter all or part of different fields including an article title, article number, key word, volume name, or stage. Next, the user will be shown the search page which allows the user to refine the search by entering the Volume, Chapter, or Section, or selecting a Business Stage as known or desired.
Highlighted Articles
Directly below the blue banner shown at the top of the page are three columns of pictures that are labeled with the appropriate volume number and name and an article title. These articles will be changed from time to time and usually reflect favorite articles, articles of general interest, or the first article in the volume. Clicking on any of the article names results in the article being displayed for the user.
Articles by Business Stage or Business Activity (Volume)
Two tables, shown side by side, are displayed directly below the highlighted articles. Selecting any of the choices results in the first article in that series being shown. Subsequent articles can be selected through the menu choices shown on the righthand side of the display as previously described.
Lower Page Graphics
Three graphics, located side by side, are displayed below the Business Stage and Volume listings and are described below.
Left Hand Video Graphic: An animated and narrated series of pictures are sequentially shown when the play arrow is clicked. The series of pictures describe the various main stages that an entrepreneur goes through while starting and building a company.
Center Text Graphic: This static graphic provides a high-level summary of the website.
Right Hand Rolling Text Graphic: This continuous scrolling text graphic provides an overview of the challenges that entrepreneurs and managers face and describes how the website can help them. Clicking on the text stops the scrolling. Clicking on one of the small circles below the text, re-starts the scrolling with the text associated with the small circle selected.
Page Footer
A series of options are available on the home page footer as follows:
Contact Us: Takes the user to a page that shows the email address and phone number for the site content creator and site administrator.
What’s New: Shows a listing of articles with the newest articles (by date) posted in descending order (newer articles listed first). Note that all articles that were loaded onto the web site with its initial launch are dated June 1, 2017. Each article is listed with its current status which reflects the reason for the update. The statuses are: New, Grammar, Corrected, or Format.
What It’s About: Shows a short description of the site. More detailed information can be found in the first group of articles in Volume 1: Introduction and Overview
FAQ: Shows a series of Frequently Asked Questions and answers about the site and its content. Clicking on any of the questions results in the answer being shown. The questions and answers are also shown in the second article in Volume 1. That article can be downloaded (as can any other article) for future reference.
SEARCH: This tab shows a highly flexible multiple field search capability that allows user to enter one or more search criteria to locate a particular article or series of articles of interest. The articles that meet the search criteria are listed in the lower section of the page in sequential order based on their article number. Clicking on any of the fields shown for an article will result in the article being displayed.
THANK YOU: This tab acknowledges the individuals and organizations that had a direct influence on the content and creation of this site. The short descriptions do not do justice to the impacts that they have had.
Displayed Article Formats and Downloading
Independent of the navigation method used, all articles are displayed using the same format. The article title is shown at the top in large font. It is followed by a one sentence quick summary. Next, is an abstract of the article. In many cases, enough detail is provided in the abstract that the reader may decide that it is not necessary to read the article itself. Finally, the article is shown.
A small download label and icon will appear directly next to the article title. Clicking on the icon will result in the article along with the summary, abstract, and reference table being downloaded to the registered user’s email address in PDF form. If a user is not registered and the Download Article button is pressed, a popup message asking the user to log in is displayed.
Navigation Widgets
A series of widgets are shown on the right-hand side of each article page. These widgets allow the user to pinpoint where they are in the overall article listing (top widget).
If the article was accessed by selecting a volume, the widgets show what other articles are in the current article’s section, how many articles there are in each section of the current chapter, and what other chapters are in the selected article’s volume. Clicking on any of the listed articles, sections, or chapter will take the user to the first or next article in that category. The bottom widget allows a user to select a different volume.
If the article was accessed by selecting a business stage, the widgets show what other articles are in the current article’s stage in the current chapter. The widgets also show which chapters and volumes have articles in the selected stage. The number of articles in the selected stage are shown next to the chapter and volume listings. The bottom widget allows a user to select a different stage.
