A Closer Look at Shorthand Visual Communications

Let's put ourselves in the shoes of one of our students. A graduating student, let's say. Perhaps their feelings are best represented like this: Or like this: (•_•) <)   )╯College /     \ \(•_•) (    (> is finally /    \ (•_•) <)    )> over. /   \ Or perhaps they would feel more like this: Why are we talking about GIFs, emoji, and ASCII art in a space where we typically discuss CMS workflows and … [Read more...]

Power to the Humans: HighEdWeb 2014

The dream of higher ed is alive in Portland. That’s what we learned at the 2014 HighEdWeb conference, which made its first stop in the Pacific Northwest. As always, the conference was a great opportunity to learn, reflect, connect, and refresh our perspective for the challenges waiting back at home. A theme that pervaded many of the sessions at HighEdWeb was the idea of being human. The work we do as web content professionals is not about … [Read more...]

Creating a Student Social Media Army at Ithaca College

The following guest post was written by Rob Engelsman, multimedia content specialist at Ithaca College. For me, one of the best parts of higher ed is getting to work with students. Involving them in your social media efforts to create authentic content is a huge advantage — just ask Amy Grace Wells from Texas A&M AgriLife Communication. Good authentic content can increase engagement and build community, which is why I try to create as much … [Read more...]

‘Snow Fall’ and Storytelling in Higher Ed

On Dec. 20, The New York Times wowed readers and industry peers alike with the publication of an interactive feature called “Snow Fall,” which told the story of a fatal avalanche in Washington’s Cascade Mountains this past February. It was not your ordinary multimedia feature. It brought words, pictures, video and interactive graphics together in a whole new way that had many hailing the project as a harbinger of the future of journalism. That … [Read more...]

Happy Days for Content at HighEdWeb 2012

Another HighEdWeb conference is in the books. This year’s event, hosted in beautiful Milwaukee, Wisc., featured cheese curds, beer, the Bronze Fonz, bratwursts—and of course, tons of incredible insights into making our university’s online experiences awesome. As for content, there were two compelling themes that ran through the various sessions, and I’m going to get to my recap faster than you can say “Laverne and Shirley. Creating a … [Read more...]