Seems straight forward enough but it is very surprising to visit websites of so many companies, agencies, and organizational groups/clubs that do not protect posted information on their website.
The Simple Solution:
Convert your information to a PDF.
What is a PDF?
PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format that captures all the elements of a printed document as an electronic image that enables a user to view, navigate, print, or forward to others.
How to Convert to a PDF?
Converting your presentations, spreadsheets, documents, etc is also FREE. Macs and users of OpenOffice have enjoyed the built-in PDF converted for quite some time now and although Microsoft just recently added this to their MS Office Suite (Office 2007) there have been numerous free versions available on the web.
Example of Posted Information that Should be a PDF
Despite the availability and ease of use, this simple step seems to be overlooked.
Below is a short sampling of information posted online that should have been converted to a PDF:
- Company/Organizational Strategic Plan
- Program/Service Eligibility Guidelines
- Enrollment Forms- with specific dates
- Spreadsheet Figures- Data Outcomes
- Company Brochures, Newsletters, Reports
You can add watermarks, encrypt data, require passwords and more as these capabilities are available but let your business procedures direct you towards which security measures are best for the company/organization.
At the basic level, a PDF is not an editable document. The appearance of a PDF may look the same as the MS Excel, Word, Publisher, etc document but it cannot be altered, revised or edited easily because it is really an 'image' of the original document.
Secured AND Accessible/Viewable by All
Aside from the security features that converting your online information, PDF documents are also self-contained.
A PDF document exists independently from the hardware, software and operating system (OS) that was used to create the original document.
Solves such issues as:
1- a document can be created using a Mac computer and software and posted on your website cannot be accessed by a person using a PC with Windows software.
2- creating a document and saved as Word 2007 and posted on your website cannot be accessed by a visitor still using Word 2003.
Converting your online documents to a PDF is easy, available to anyone, helps to secure your information, improves the ability to transmit files between computers with different applications, while preserving the look and feel of the original document.
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