In order to choose a technique for distributing a prototype OCLC website and its accompanying files to several different colleagues it is important to consider several factors. The first is the fact that the website is a prototype. Since the site is not yet completed and approved, it should not be published to the Web, freely available to the public. The second consideration is that the parties receiving the data are far-flung and may have a variety of hardware and software available to them. An appropriate solution for one group may not work for another. The third is the size of the prototype website. At 1.2 GB, many storage options will not work or will be unwieldy. Applying the three qualifiers to the wide variety of storage and delivery options, it is possible to find more than one appropriate method. In this case, saving the files to a Wide Area Network (WAN) is the most fitting.

The option of saving the files on the OCLC WAN is a good fit for a coworker at a neighboring desk, the boss upstairs, and the team overseas. Unlike a Local Area Network (LAN), the WAN can incorporate multiple channels for sharing files. In order to distribute the files to the class, a username and password can be made available for logging into the network via the University of Maryland ISP.

By using the WAN, each group will be able to access the files and send comments and suggestions back to the author or Webmaster quickly via email. Unlike a CD-Rom, which will have to be mailed and may not be rewrittable, the WAN connection will allow the boss upstairs to edit and re-save changes to the files. Users who should give suggestions but not make changes can be given read-only permission through the security settings of the server. In a WAN that uses phone lines or a communications satellite the team in Europe will have no problem accessing the files. The WAN offers a secure, versatile environment with large storage space and the flexibility necessary to distribute the files to every colleague who needs them.