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...]
Leading Successful Editorial Meetings
August 9, 2012 by
Communication is hard. And when you think about higher ed, where we’ve got both central- and unit-level communications staff—each with their own stories, platforms, priorities, and staffing—it is really hard. The oft-invoked analogy is “herding cats,” and it certainly applies in this instance. So, we organize an editorial meeting, inviting all the top cats. Finally, we’ll bring order to the editorial chaos! But it’s not that simple. Our feline … [Read more...]
Content Rocks at HighEdWeb Arkansas
July 30, 2012 by
Last week, higher ed web professionals from the South, the Midwest and points beyond gathered in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the third annual HighEdWeb Arkansas regional conference. And the event, well, rocked. In particular, there were several sessions covering topics where content plays a vital role. We sat down with some of these speakers and asked them to share highlights from their talks. Community Engagement FTW Robin Smail, … [Read more...]
Managing Content Workflow for Faculty
July 17, 2012 by
You’ve done it! You’ve captured the intricacies and practical applications of Professor Mumblemore’s groundbreaking work on glottochronology (or electrophysiology, or perhaps paleoentomology) in crisp, engaging, easy to comprehend prose (or a minute-thirty of video, if you prefer). Good work! All that’s left is to get his A-OK and we can get this puppy published. Wait… what’s this? Professor Mumblemore returned your piece with notes—lots of … [Read more...]
Higher Ed Responsive Web Design Trail Blazers say ‘Content-First’
June 21, 2012 by
Over the past couple of years, the advent of responsive web design has changed the way we think about websites. We no longer need to feel compelled to plan around countless devices. Rather, we can plan for a single web experience that works in unpredictable contexts. More often than not, that comes down to the content. Responsive web design, within the larger school of thought around creating adaptive content, gives content folks a lot to … [Read more...]