One of the biggest challenges we face in higher ed getting people to buy into the value of content strategy and build support for content across our organization. At Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., executive director of integrated communications Melanie Moran has rung up a string of successes doing just that. Whether it’s their news site, the 365@VU photo project, the alumni magazine or a recent reorganization, Moran and her team at … [Read more...]
Case in Point: Building Community at UW-Madison
October 30, 2012 by
How can we use content to develop a true sense of community—both online and off—among our audiences? Whether it’s through a revamped newsletter or new ways of using social channels, University of Wisconsin-Madison social media and internal communications manager John Lucas has made it work. Through his work on innovative projects like #UWRightNow, a 24-hour crowdsourced snapshot of life on campus, the Bucky Challenge, a social media scavenger … [Read more...]
Making Content Strategy Work with Student Staff (Part One)
September 24, 2012 by
Content strategy in higher ed can be a gnarly, complex pursuit, and more often than not, we may feel we don’t have the staff to adequately take on the challenge. This is where student workers can prove invaluable. But how can we apply the time and talent of students—some of whom may only be with us for a semester, or only for a few hours a week—toward content strategy work, which is inherently long-range, in-depth and holistic? We talked to … [Read more...]
Planning Content for Online Programs
September 5, 2012 by
For many students, campus is no longer a bucolic, tree-lined quad—it’s the nearest web browser. The face of higher education is changing, thanks to the boom of online learning programs—from traditional campuses introducing online degree programs to new, online-only institutions. As these programs and institutions have emerged, they have had to find creative ways to not only market themselves to a range of prospective students, but to … [Read more...]
A Content-First Approach to Your Events Calendar
August 16, 2012 by
Ah, the events calendar. One of the most ubiquitous components of a university website, and often one of the most confounding. From wrestling with feeds and technical configurations to simply getting people to use the darned thing, a calendar can be a headache. Time to schedule some Excedrin. With the right approach, though, that headache can become a valuable asset. An events calendar is not just a software application, after all—it’s a rich … [Read more...]