I'm going to use my own class Web site as an example, only because there just aren't very many class sites specific to Internet Marketing to reference yet.  I hope as you find clever ways to use your Web site you will let me know so that I can reference them here for others to see.  I have not updated the Hickory website since leaving there in the Spring of 2000, so it may seem a bit dated (because it is).  However, you'll understand the points that I am trying to make.

Let's begin to what has to go there.  Yes, you're going to need the basics.  You should post your school calendar, school information, contact information, lesson information, blah, blah, blah.  You know the drill.  You might even post a picture of your administrators, guidance, etc.  Although no one will ever look at it, they'll like it!  But let's go beyond this repository stage.  How can your site become an interactive tool that you can use in your classroom?  Here are some of the possibilities.  If you don't know "how" to do this yet, don't sweat it.  You will by the end of the next lesson.

Course Outline - On the surface this sounds like a "no-brainer."  But this can play a very important role in where your students visit.  I doubt very seriously that many of my students ever sat around and reviewed the course outline in their spare time.  However, they did visit it every day we sat in front of the computer in school.  Why?  Because they had to.  I had hyperlinks peppered in with each and every lesson (sometimes I would build a simple, separate page just for the day).  The rules were simple.  If a site is not listed on the course outline, you don't go there from this lab!  The only exception to this is when I was teaching searches and provided the students with a scavenger hunt.  Everything else in the course was tied to my page.  There were times when I would write a URL on the chalkboard, but I still provided them with the URL.  While we were building organizational Web sites, I posted all of the pictures for them.  Over 40 images for the Broad Bay example of logos, sailing pics, etc.  I even had a page of links for Web site construction tools.

Hotlinks - This ties directly to the note above.  If your students are going to build a Web site in your class, there are plenty of online tools that they can use.  Post each and every one of them on your site.  If my student had a fabulous site that they just couldn't live without, it had to go through me first.  If it passed muster, then I would post it here and credit them for the link.  (They seem to thoroughly enjoy getting credit anyway.)  The reason for this is simple - control over what they visit from school computers.  For example, I had one student that swore by a site called Webmasters Only.  It was indeed a viable site to use while building a Web site.  The problem?  While this problem no longer exists, at the time it included a section called "Computer and Internet Pranks."  I don't think so.  While some of them were pretty darned clever, I wasn't about to turn my kids loose at THAT site.  It also turns out that my former students visit this section of the site regularly, and have directed many of their friends to this page, as well.  Who knows what it can eventually do for recruiting?

Current Events - Current events are a terrific way to stay abreast of trends and generate meaningful discussion within your classroom.  How you do them is up to you.  I had my way and I'm sure that you'll have yours.  However, you can provide them with lots of content to choose from!  I subscribed to a couple of "free" magazines (The Industry Standard is an EXCELLENT free magazine), but what they seemed to find most useful and simple to use was an online news source.  There are many of these to choose from, and they are content specific.  I happened to use the one built into the Geocities system, but there are many more.  This particular service would list the top 5 Internet oriented stories of the day.  Take a look.  Be careful, however.  News services provided the top stories of the day.  However, some of our best class discussions came from "fringe" stories that probably would never make the top 5 list.  Use it, but don't permit them to be solely dependent on it.

Student Projects - Do students like to see their name in lights?  You bet.  Be careful here, and always follow your city or county guidelines, but use this.  Chesapeake did not permit us to post students' names online, so each student created a "handle" in the first week or two of school.  They all knew each other by their handles, and it was still effective.  We not only posted other's work to see, but we also had awards posted, too.  I have always felt that, if permitted, naming a student of the week would be a great idea.  Put their mug shot up there, a brief bio, and what they did to earn the award that week.  Don't tell them who the winner is.  Let them get in the habit of checking.  Each week as the various students win, do you think they'd tell a friend to go take a peek?  More recruiting, in addition to providing students with sample work.

Chat Rooms and Message Boards - We could never get past the filters with a chat room, even after requesting that it be unblocked.  But we did use a message board, and we did use it regularly.  Unfortunately the service I was using has since shut down, and along with it went my working sample!  There are plenty for you to choose from, as you'll see in the next lesson.  Do NOT, however, make the mistake of creating a message board and then expecting your students to use it.  You will have to make them use it, at first, anyway.  There will be a few "wise crackers" who will want to post unsightly messages, but to use it en masse will take strategy.  First have them post their answers to a very basic lesson or two to get comfortable with it.  Early in the semester I would give my students a list of questions describing their familiarity with the Internet.  They would have to post their responses to the message board.  The benefits of this are obvious.  After two lessons like this, I would begin to direct student questions to the message board instead of answering them, and I would remind the students at the beginning of the class to go and check the message board for new questions.  They soon reached a point where they liked this form of communication, and found it useful.  I also found that former students would continue to check the board and reply to existing students.  Just make sure and help them to form the right habits.  Don't wait for it it happen!

I know what you're thinking, and yes, you can control what is "filtered out" of your board (look for a "moderated" board).  I personally took total control of our board.  I had to approve what was posted before it ever got posted.  An unmoderated board would not be wise!  You may wish to assign that task to one of your most trustworthy students.  Your call.

Jobs - I had a pretty extensive set of job links and resources on my site that was directed toward the high school students and recent graduates.  You can now find them on the Virginia DECA Web site.

Parental Interactivity - My dear friend Vernon has done some good things with his class E-Commerce site.  He has included a quote of the day for his students to view.   At one point Vernon was using his site to communicate with his parents, even including students' grades!  Of course, this page was password protected, and each parent was assigned their own password.  He cleverly kept parents abreast of what assignments and projects were due, and unless the family didn't have home access to the Internet, they always knew how to check.  Kudos, Vernon, you are the bomb-diggity-bomb!  Take a quick peek at his class site.

Promotional Activity - Certainly your DECA chapter is going to have promotions and fundraisers.  Use the Web to enhance your projects, or maybe even create one!  My students wanted to create a CD flea market on the Web as a class fundraiser.  Another year and I would've tried it.  I think with some nurturing and heavy local promotion, it would've worked!  I also think the press would've been willing to run a story for us on that one.  An administrator's project!

Get Creative - We have certainly not exhausted all of the possibilities!  Let's hear some of your ideas  I would love to continue to add to this list with things that you are doing.  Find ways to involve your class, your school, and your community, or beyond.  I've already mentioned two ways to get your entire community involved and get some press for it.  Now it's your turn.