tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12333165841589039952024-02-19T05:20:09.600-05:00re.web - The William & Mary Web Redesignre.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.comBlogger216125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-76525554513466079552008-07-31T12:35:00.004-04:002014-09-08T10:27:56.978-04:00There's no place like home.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDc0qCJPyKKj3si5mP1KOysx00Gn-lBhtFAFL12pYmoejcKl-0AEDm2ULZyOEbE5Tx1nzZw-PoMfHQFNkSYcXL7kr8CsWBRgUyDEkjD976Kn9qILWOH0YjeUzA6dhnmx8WBjbB51Dtby4/s1600-h/team.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDc0qCJPyKKj3si5mP1KOysx00Gn-lBhtFAFL12pYmoejcKl-0AEDm2ULZyOEbE5Tx1nzZw-PoMfHQFNkSYcXL7kr8CsWBRgUyDEkjD976Kn9qILWOH0YjeUzA6dhnmx8WBjbB51Dtby4/s200/team.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229130654747649074" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a>The re.web project is officially complete today - on time and within budget.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.wm.edu/">http://www.wm.edu</a></div>
<br />
Beginning August 1, 2008, we move from project to process. W&M's website will evolve and improve as we work to offer interesting, informative and engaging content for our visitors. To make this happen, we will continue to rely on all of you - the talented people who love the College.<br />
<br />
This is our final post on this blog - we hope you'll visit <a href="http://creativeservices.blogs.wm.edu/">our new blog</a>.<br />
<br />
Until we meet again, just close your eyes and click your heels together three times.<br />
<br />
Go Tribe,<br />
<i>re.web Team</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-19275218497728043672008-07-31T05:56:00.002-04:002008-07-31T05:57:23.863-04:00Launch Time?We expect to launch the new William & Mary website between 12:00 noon and 1:00PM <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">today</span>.<br /><br />Go Tribe.re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-40944817042405576022008-07-29T13:12:00.007-04:002008-07-29T17:14:12.439-04:0010...9...8...7...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6UGLS2jiZvkN0K0byruPUY5JNNR3FGpNYiRFaWEzAgqo43gBJE8S_XtfN9ePXzwGX-eSFPTpHFQ9_3izhUvvxIK0r5wIrLjEseijAC9xBY-8Vd9q1b6cBeoCjPSVVNgGT6BVH3CKyMU/s1600-h/rocket.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6UGLS2jiZvkN0K0byruPUY5JNNR3FGpNYiRFaWEzAgqo43gBJE8S_XtfN9ePXzwGX-eSFPTpHFQ9_3izhUvvxIK0r5wIrLjEseijAC9xBY-8Vd9q1b6cBeoCjPSVVNgGT6BVH3CKyMU/s200/rocket.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228491474154347202" border="0" /></a><br />Yes! The new W&M website is launching on Thursday. With any takeoff, there comes a bit of turbulence. Don't be alarmed if you are directed to a page you didn't expect or if you receive the ever comforting "page not found." You can expect some flakiness with links while we transition. We'll be dodging those air pockets as quickly as we can.<br /><br />Please don't evaluate the quality of the search results from the new site right away. Search engines may take until Monday to catch up.<br /><br />Send an email to <a href="http://mailto:web@wm.edu/">web@wm.edu</a> if you find errors after Thursday. We appreciate your patience through this transition.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">posted by Tina Coleman</span>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-87231108603315920832008-07-29T07:26:00.006-04:002008-07-29T07:55:54.768-04:00A letter home from "camp"Dear Family and Friends,<br /><br />We are having a great time here at W&M Operation Launch! Our camp counselor, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1364924667">Reverend Blair</a>, is making us all write to our families in case you saw the 404 page and worried. We are OK. Only 1 new page and 2 table layouts got washed away. Luckily, none of us realized because we were all arguing about web-safe colors when it happened.<br /><br />Oh yes, please call Tina's mother and tell her she is OK. She can't write because she is way too busy cleaning up HTML. I got to learn some new unix commands today. It was neat. Roger won't let me use the rm -rf * - he's so mean. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1379654452">Mr. Tyler</a> got mad at Mark for going on a Google search alone without telling anyone. Mark said he did tell him, but it was during the database failure so he probably didn't hear him.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1345185041">Norborne</a> isn't crabby like some camp directors. He didn't even get mad about the broken links. He can be demanding though. He asked Andrew to draw a new map of camp (with new driving directions) and give it to you <span style="font-style:italic;">after</span> you get here.<br /><br />We will be home on Friday if (when!) the new website launches. Lord Boutetort told Joel that with a site that old you have to expect something to look weird in IE. Do you think we could get everyone to use Firefox?<br /><br />I have to go now. We are locking ourselves up in Blow 311 again today. Don't worry about anything. We are fine. Can you send more Fig Newtons? We ran out.<br /><br />Love, Susan<br /><br />P.S. How long has it been since we backed up our web files?re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-16431043248637529552008-07-23T12:29:00.008-04:002008-07-23T20:18:25.130-04:00At least the people love us<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32zV6dhS_pNwM8iHLWpeDrrwqrlBpTFMOklHEei5M59my2Ef0zgFokPISREkE0Kxnv25hP6turPRbjOpt5Jk4iACpwd_MDNppCOgupyDmd652HzVOI70sM05b5QfvBZVCs3zxnICSeiU/s1600-h/ribbon_sm_tilted.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32zV6dhS_pNwM8iHLWpeDrrwqrlBpTFMOklHEei5M59my2Ef0zgFokPISREkE0Kxnv25hP6turPRbjOpt5Jk4iACpwd_MDNppCOgupyDmd652HzVOI70sM05b5QfvBZVCs3zxnICSeiU/s200/ribbon_sm_tilted.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226249652811945170" /></a>Back in May, <a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/2008/05/vote-for-reweb.html">the re.web blog was nominated</a> for an <a href="http://www.edustyle.net/">eduStyle</a> Award for "Best Institutional Blog."<br /><br />Yesterday, we got the word that the re.web blog was named the <span style="font-style:italic;">People's Choice Winner</span>. Since we're busy launching a website, we weren't on hand to receive the award at the eduWEB conference. (Missed a trip to Atlantic City!)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.edustyle.net/awards/winners.php#CollegeWebEditor.com%20Best%20Institutional%20Blog">eduStyle Awards Announcement</a><br /><br />Congrats to our colleagues at <a href="http://www.mst.edu/">Missouri University of Science and Technology</a> who won the top award for their <a href="http://www.edustyle.net/site.php?site=862">Name Change Conversations Blog</a>.re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-59498905810091630102008-07-22T08:00:00.000-04:002008-07-22T08:02:04.545-04:00Be Our GuestWe officially begin the soft launch of our new website today. In fact, you can already go to <a href="http://preview.wm.edu">http://preview.wm.edu</a> to see the new site. Readers of this blog are perhaps finding out about the soft launch address early, before our provost sends a message about it to the campus.<br /><br />If you’ve been to a soft opening of a restaurant, then you probably get the idea of a soft launch. Giving W&M faculty, staff and students a chance to preview the new site is a lot like being invited to a pre-opening of a new restaurant - when the staff are still in training. You can tell it’s going to be great – but they’re still working out the kinks.<br /><br />Our new website is mostly done but during the next 10 days we’ll put on some finishing touches and fine tune some things. And, to continue the metaphor, like a restaurant, we’ll have some specials on opening day.<br /><br /><a href="http://preview.wm.edu">http://preview.wm.edu<br /></a><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-79368412546218066972008-07-20T07:37:00.012-04:002008-07-20T07:51:04.093-04:00Mark's Shiny New ToyDuring the past few weeks, we created and posted a new position for the W&M web team. Lucky for us, Mark C. Windley has accepted the position of Web Project Manager/CMS Administrator. Based on his strong technical background and project management experience, Mark was the ideal candidate for this new job.<br /><br />Here are a few other pluses about Mark that "factored into his promotion."<br /><ul><li>He's a William and Mary grad.<br />(Enough said.)</li><br /><li>He has two bachelor's degrees - one in fine arts and one in computer science.<br />(How cool is that).</li><br /><li>As predicted by the above, he's a great writer.<br />(Re-read his post about <a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/2008/05/its-like-legos.html">LEGOs</a>.)</li></ul><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-16724028846500840732008-07-15T07:55:00.003-04:002008-07-15T08:02:29.610-04:00The Soft (not Grand) Launch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvbWxufQqjsEI03y_IXsaE8l68lG6fFKjp5Cqoz9fPzdJZuIlk1N9-M7wn1Lcn23uRMa60JXQN-rf36fP89_4F6L8E2bfv8wF39XnFGO2sGiyO4dcaxcD0Cru316yk4NQMNHGv5Ew8NM/s1600-h/soon.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvbWxufQqjsEI03y_IXsaE8l68lG6fFKjp5Cqoz9fPzdJZuIlk1N9-M7wn1Lcn23uRMa60JXQN-rf36fP89_4F6L8E2bfv8wF39XnFGO2sGiyO4dcaxcD0Cru316yk4NQMNHGv5Ew8NM/s200/soon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223209971516340226" /></a><br />Ever been to the soft opening of a restaurant? Well, the soft launch of the new W&M website will be similar! The fun is you get a chance to see it before anyone else does. The reality is that you are visiting when it's not quite ready for prime time.<br /><br />We plan to provide a preview link of the new W&M site by July 23rd-ish. The preview link will give faculty, staff and students the chance to see the new site before the official launch on July 31.<br /><br />The soft launch is a preview - not a grand opening. While you're previewing the new site, we'll still be working on it, fine tuning it, and correcting errors we're counting on you to find.<br /><br />If you're a member of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=8023846788">our Facebook group</a>, you're likely to get a pre-preview ;)<br /><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-56264634372340225712008-07-14T12:23:00.002-04:002014-09-08T10:57:20.884-04:00LOL<a href="http://www.wm.edu/as/english/facultystaff/martin_j.php">Jack Martin</a>, professor in the <a href="http://www.wm.edu/english/">English department</a> and a member of the <a href="http://www.wm.edu/aboutthissite/history/reweb/organization/">re.web advisory committee</a>, sent me an email message about website photography for the new English site.<br />
<blockquote>
Dear Susan,<br />
<br />
The English Department has been hard at work obtaining suitable <br />
photos for the new departmental site.<br />
<br />
Jack</blockquote>
<br />
I laughed out loud when I saw the photo he had attached. If you don't get it, try looking at this page first: <a href="http://www.wm.edu/aboutthissite/history/reweb/design/">http://www.wm.edu/aboutthissite/history/reweb/design/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJszZLrLHq8-bgTnFd2vEvHK7VGIg4Du3QT7hVT5mc-00rsUC2lM7QZ_QJO_rORgwNv-Q4njkqa_AIUq8wKHFTd2jVqfnmudvkycSpORfbX3B8HTQmf5_FTt0gmVFwVAbdqjvp_Xcge6Y/s1600-h/jack.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJszZLrLHq8-bgTnFd2vEvHK7VGIg4Du3QT7hVT5mc-00rsUC2lM7QZ_QJO_rORgwNv-Q4njkqa_AIUq8wKHFTd2jVqfnmudvkycSpORfbX3B8HTQmf5_FTt0gmVFwVAbdqjvp_Xcge6Y/s400/jack.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222660784789243522" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-52198557002084115522008-07-13T19:56:00.006-04:002008-07-15T22:23:50.570-04:00Cascade on a need to know basis.The new W&M website will launch in less than three weeks. For now, learning how to use the new web CMS is on a need to know basis. <br /><br />Tomorrow, we start week three of content migration - a fancy way of saying more W&M web managers will be coming to Blow 311 to create new websites in <a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/search/label/cascade">Cascade</a>. We expect to see Kathy Larrieu this week as she finishes up some Arts & Sciences sites. And, Amy Sikes will be working with us on the new Financial Aid site. <br /><br />David Williard is continuing the build-out of the new News & Events site - the functionality for adding multimedia files to Cascade should be ready for David to use. Last week, Erin Zagursky (also from University Relations) devoted some of her Friday afternoon to learning the new system for creating web pages. <br /><br />The consensus is that Cascade is very easy to use. I'm enjoying the fact that folks are using it and we've offered no formal training and no documentation.<br /><br />Quote of the week from Blow 311 came from Renell Franklin (Development). When asked about using Cascade, Renell proclaimed, "It's easy. You'd have to be a biscuit head not to understand it."<br /><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-67606534755402997772008-07-09T18:05:00.002-04:002008-07-10T12:23:46.516-04:00Migration Location<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXl3IYkSjtl_gkMWoZh9-uhsItLKDzyZFmine_buDML56yXOBzqJoW7LD9xs3V3WlQ2WUgKPR2cSNdHaftniI-s_-q79Vn4XBiZ2uGpb8Xx0xyokNBZnQl5uRZxwrpL1IGpT8bA70Snc/s1600-h/john.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXl3IYkSjtl_gkMWoZh9-uhsItLKDzyZFmine_buDML56yXOBzqJoW7LD9xs3V3WlQ2WUgKPR2cSNdHaftniI-s_-q79Vn4XBiZ2uGpb8Xx0xyokNBZnQl5uRZxwrpL1IGpT8bA70Snc/s200/john.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221138546805587378" /></a><br />Still at it. Migration of content continues. Several W&M web managers are using the new web CMS to build new sites for the July 31 launch. How do the web managers feel about Cascade at W&M?<br /><br />Look at the big smile on John Wallace's face.<br /><br />And, what are the web managers saying about Cascade at W&M?<br /><br /><blockquote>The new product is actually much better than what we currently have. It's great being on the ground floor of this effort and having the chance to influence how Cascade will work for W&M web managers.<br /><br />-German Mendez, Registrar's Office</blockquote><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-78033938700853914962008-07-07T14:32:00.000-04:002008-07-07T14:32:00.602-04:00Faculty are our best critics.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65bZHVVTAFrHPoCnNPYEAAj2YPh-Ww5N7AI_ibtesm0XmT1YN_yZtd8XFNNVJomODhDu2U60IibZRb3h5K92QWDgMGMf06SHUzGm3kvQI-CfIqA8KUF0rSvZtxMvaf_TxVUmvC-PhWYA/s1600-h/paper_mate.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65bZHVVTAFrHPoCnNPYEAAj2YPh-Ww5N7AI_ibtesm0XmT1YN_yZtd8XFNNVJomODhDu2U60IibZRb3h5K92QWDgMGMf06SHUzGm3kvQI-CfIqA8KUF0rSvZtxMvaf_TxVUmvC-PhWYA/s200/paper_mate.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219169071995863570" /></a><br />We're lucky at W&M. Our faculty are enthusiastic participants and supporters of campus programs, initiatives, projects, and committees.<br /><br />The re.web project is no exception. Because we've asked them to be, faculty have been our best critics ;)<br /><br />Here is the honor roll of faculty critics - the individuals who have volunteered their time to review, edit, and comment on new <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copy_(written)">copy</a> for the relaunch of the W&M website.<br /><br />Chuck Bailey, Geology<br />Larry Evans, Government<br />Geoff Feiss, Provost<br />John Griffin, Biology/Neuroscience<br />Pam Hunt, Psychology/Neuroscience<br />Laurie Koloski, Reves Center/History<br />Heather Macdonald, Geology<br />Dennis Manos, Vice Provost<br />Jack Martin, English<br />Jen Mellor, Economics<br />Scott Nelson, History<br />Sue Peterson, A&S Undergraduate Dean<br />Kim Phillips, A&S Educational Policy Dean<br />Christy Porter, Psychology<br />Margaret Saha, Biology<br />Laurie Sanderson, A&S Graduate Dean<br />Joel Schwartz, A&S Honors/Interdisciplinary Studies Dean<br />Kate Slevin, Sociology<br />Carl Strikwerda, Dean of the Faculty<br />Gene Tracy, Physics<br />Tom Ward, Education<br /><br /><i>Thank you all,<br />Susan</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-12854991884952974372008-07-04T10:12:00.008-04:002008-07-09T08:03:33.342-04:00"This is actually going to work."<blockquote>This is actually going to work.</blockquote><br />I'm quoting an unnamed, but accurate and authoritative, source here (cough, Andrew). Cascade Server is working for W&M!<br /><br />The re.web team and several key W&M web editors were on task last week. We completed a successful four days of migrating sites from our legacy web server to Cascade. And, we were fortunate to have the patience and flexibility of Josh Henry (Admission), Luke Gill (Dean of Students), Kathy Larrieu (Arts & Sciences), and German Mendez (Registrar's Office) as we worked out the to-be-expected kinks in any new system.<br /><br />Next week, we expand the migration party, bringing David Williard and Suzanne Seurattan (University Relations), Renell Franklin (Development), and John Wallace (Development) into the mix. We anticipate great things from week two!<br /><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-66892309354312262362008-07-02T10:05:00.000-04:002008-07-02T10:07:40.515-04:00StorytellingBehind the scenes, in the still of the night, between meetings, from Aggie-land in Texas, and upon arrival in Cape Town, the W&M Bloggers are, well, blogging!<br /><br />We have talented admission interns writing about their summer work (and adventures), their life at W&M, and eels at the Williamsburg Farmers Market.<br /><br />We have exceptional graduate and undergraduate students writing about their love for the College, summer internships, Sam Sadler, and addiction to Wawa coffee.<br /><br />We have committed professors and administrators writing about how to stump an admission dean, how to empower a community through medical outreach, how to be dean on duty, and (my personal favorite) how to structure readings and assignments for a fall freshman seminar.<br /><br />Although they may not realize it, our official bloggers are storytellers. Powerful web communication comes from the personal stories of the W&M community. Less convinced? Recall <a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/2008/05/guest-blogger-its-not-about-us-anymore.html">Andrea's post on the topic</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/search/label/WMblogs">Background on W&M Bloggers</a>.<br /><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-91363020726545118442008-06-30T20:33:00.000-04:002014-09-15T14:09:55.100-04:00CascadingMigration of content officially started today!<br />
<br />
Blow 311 is regularly booked now as Cascade Command Central. W&M's Cascade web content management system is now ready to hold "standard content pages." We'll need a few more days of programming by Global Image before the less standard pages (like news articles, SPIFFs, and other widgets) are ready for content.<br />
<br />
So today, we started with the bravest web editors we know - Josh Henry from Admission, Kathy Larrieu from Arts & Sciences and Luke Gill from Dean of Students Office. Tomorrow, we expect German Mendez from the Registrar's Office.<br />
<br />
In my view, a primary goal of re.web is nearly accomplished. Because of the CMS, the technology behind the web pages is not the focus. It's all about content now; it's all about what we have to say about the College.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wm.edu/aboutthissite/history/reweb/organization/">Need a refresh on the goals of re.web?</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
To send the critical message that content is what matters most on the web</blockquote>
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<i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-11161362339205713302008-06-30T11:51:00.000-04:002008-06-30T11:51:01.460-04:00Don't try this at home.We've occasionally blogged about <a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/2008/05/are-you-talking-to-me.html">what's going live when the new website launches on July 31</a>. Until now, we've summarized it qualitatively.<br /><br />Last week, we built out the <a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/2008/06/information-architecture-family-tree-in.html">information architecture</a> for all of the go-live features, pages and sites within <a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/search/label/cascade">Cascade</a>. Despite an IA that requires 1,150 rows in an Excel spreadsheet, we finished on time. Andrew, Joel, Mark, and Tina: you always meet the goal!<br /><br />---------------------<br />**Warning: Spoiler** <br />(if you are involved in the build-out and migration of the new site, you may want to stop reading here)<br />---------------------<br /><br />So let's go quantitative this time: there will be at least <span style="font-style:italic;">808 new web pages on July 31</span>. And the vast majority of these new pages <span style="font-style:italic;">will have all new content!</span> Want to know why the number of rows in the spreadsheet exceeds the number of new pages? Because we also built folders in Cascade for images, graphics, and documents in the new sites.<br /><br />This 808 page total doesn't even count the individual blog entry pages that our brand-new student, staff and faculty bloggers are currently writing. I'm betting we hit 1,000 pages.<br /><br />And photography - do you really want to go there? Okay, latest count, there are nearly 350 photos (and we are identifying more as I write this).<br /><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-46109326894642995892008-06-28T15:18:00.004-04:002008-06-28T15:49:51.952-04:00I'd like to be a college student again . . .I've been reading drafts of some features that mStoner is writing for the <a href="http://www.wm.edu/psychology">psychology department</a>. (Sidebar: the <a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/2008/06/were-psyched.html">psychology department is a part of the initial re.web launch</a> on July 31!)<br /><br />I should have taken more psychology as an undergrad - the courses described in these special interest features (SPIFFs) drafted by mStoner are catching my attention. The subject of one SPIFF is Professor Connie Pilkington's annual "neuron firing event." In Psyc 201, Professor Pilkington takes 300 undergrads outside to explain the complex electrochemical process that makes neurons fire.<br /><br />A second SPIFF is about Psyc 422, Behavior Modification. Professor Janice Zeman offers a unique assignment and personal way for her students to apply what they've learned about behavioral theory.<br /><br />Look for these and other great features in just 33 days.<br /><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-16246996387873868462008-06-27T06:40:00.002-04:002008-06-27T06:45:04.829-04:00copyWrite - It's Academic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXIJFsmE0BnbvSeH_LjM06APnpTz9RFFZhT4y2GF6MpYZtYQQ3NEsz6rQa136k48QquFaHNLnMMorPzPhn7OqPrBQsZJMMd7ufLALOi03NSPUPI3s_-3hSFwvcVqIYROnSnyhrLkMMqQ/s1600-h/writepad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXIJFsmE0BnbvSeH_LjM06APnpTz9RFFZhT4y2GF6MpYZtYQQ3NEsz6rQa136k48QquFaHNLnMMorPzPhn7OqPrBQsZJMMd7ufLALOi03NSPUPI3s_-3hSFwvcVqIYROnSnyhrLkMMqQ/s200/writepad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175091524330803730" border="0" /></a>In this week's <span style="font-weight: bold;">copyWrite</span>, we post an entry with a bit of copy from the new Academics section of the new W&M website. <p></p><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Academics</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The best small public university in America. Period.</span><br /><br />William & Mary is an academic powerhouse. Our undergraduate and graduate students choose W&M because of its celebrated liberal arts tradition and commitment to hands-on, original research. They know they’ll work hard, but that their uncommon efforts will be personally, academically and professionally rewarding.<br /><br />Our faculty members are not only internationally recognized leaders in their fields, but passionately engaged educators. They understand that original research, meaningful community service, and a first-person global perspective have the power to turn an ordinary class into an unforgettable experience.<br /><br />Academic life at William & Mary is spread across five schools and dozens of academic departments. If we do our job right, then you’ll step foot in nearly all of them. Our students are too multi-talented and intellectually curious to be pigeonholed as a “chemistry major” or a “law student.”<br /><br />If you’re seeking to be challenged, engaged, inspired—to be educated—you belong at William & Mary.</blockquote><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-15179721089628719422008-06-21T13:20:00.004-04:002008-06-21T13:38:18.525-04:00Shiny, Slick, and There!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uaOTaruFDcWwiYEW__1TqiJ1T0KEzTxeiFH4ubGaxIec1jt78RGagUFaZKqjAZNOBFf7QboQEyDPXEjTV4s18brbUDhH6ZIz-u8-FhsNLe5Qdrr6SrvXK22gEGjCHSUYwY-cRwgEjSM/s1600-h/chocolatecake.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uaOTaruFDcWwiYEW__1TqiJ1T0KEzTxeiFH4ubGaxIec1jt78RGagUFaZKqjAZNOBFf7QboQEyDPXEjTV4s18brbUDhH6ZIz-u8-FhsNLe5Qdrr6SrvXK22gEGjCHSUYwY-cRwgEjSM/s200/chocolatecake.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214390327901134082" /></a><br />The new hardware and software needed to launch the "production Cascade" at W&M is shiny, slick, and there. Not a day behind schedule, our technical and engineering teams are unquestionably reliable.<br /><br />I love it when I get an email message filled with acronyms, technical terminology, engineering references, and server names. It usually means things are going well. Roger Clark's Friday afternoon message didn't disappoint - the bottom line, we have the web server and software environment we need (and deserve!) to re-launch www.wm.edu.<br /><br />Many thanks to Andrew Bauserman, Roger Clark, Clarke Morledge, Eric Myers, Chris Peck, and Mark Windley. I know you were just doing what you do - but chocolate cake will arrive on Monday or Tuesday.<br /><br />Other readers of this message: your chocolate cake is virtual.<br /><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-28723958132589443822008-06-20T07:23:00.005-04:002014-09-15T14:11:45.597-04:00copyWrite - W&M Impact<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXIJFsmE0BnbvSeH_LjM06APnpTz9RFFZhT4y2GF6MpYZtYQQ3NEsz6rQa136k48QquFaHNLnMMorPzPhn7OqPrBQsZJMMd7ufLALOi03NSPUPI3s_-3hSFwvcVqIYROnSnyhrLkMMqQ/s1600-h/writepad.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXIJFsmE0BnbvSeH_LjM06APnpTz9RFFZhT4y2GF6MpYZtYQQ3NEsz6rQa136k48QquFaHNLnMMorPzPhn7OqPrBQsZJMMd7ufLALOi03NSPUPI3s_-3hSFwvcVqIYROnSnyhrLkMMqQ/s200/writepad.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175091524330803730" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a>In this week's <span style="font-weight: bold;">copyWrite</span>, you'll find a sample entry for a special interest feature (SPIFF) that will be called W&M Impact. This spiffilicious example, written by Erin Zagursky in W&M University Relations, will be one of many profiles and stories showcasing the many ways W&M makes Williamsburg, Virginia, and the world a better place to live.<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">W&M Impact</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Service: W&M's Hottest Ticket<br />At W&M, service trips are worth sleeping on the floor.</span><br />
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At William and Mary, students aren't lining up in sleeping bags to wait for concert tickets. They're camping out and sleeping on floors in hopes of getting the trip of a lifetime. Service trips are the hot ticket at William and Mary.<br />
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Helping others is infectious here. At last count, students spend more than 323,000 hours doing community service each year - across the globe and locally. In the 'burg, they tutor or read to "adopted" grandparents, and in Uganda, they build schools for orphans.<br />
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"Service is in the best tradition of William and Mary," Interim William and Mary President W. Taylor Reveley III told students during a spring dinner. "I'm very proud of you."<br />
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This year, the <a href="http://www.wm.edu/offices/oce/">Office of Community Engagement</a> offered more international service trips than ever. The 16 trips - to locations like Honduras and Tanzania - had students setting up medical clinics, providing educational programs, doing research and building relationships. Along with the international trips, students served in the good ol' U.S. of A. with seven spring break service trips. Spring break trips are so popular among students that they have camped out the night before sign-ups. This year, the students were entered in a lottery where hitting the jackpot meant spending their spring break in places like New Orleans, helping with disaster relief.<br />
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"I've been doing community service for a long time and I don't have anything planned over Spring Break, so what better to do than to help some people out while I'm on break," said student Lamar Shambley.</blockquote>
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<i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-32210138009958223762008-06-17T07:06:00.003-04:002014-09-15T14:14:50.351-04:00With a careful eyeJoel Pattison put together a photo bank of 11 shots that might work as banner images for <a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/2008/06/were-psyched.html">the Psychology Department's new website</a>. Faculty and staff in Psychology are reviewing this set of images with a plan to settle on 6 - 8 of them for the rotating banner on their site.<br />
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Once Psychology makes some choices, Joel's work begins (again) - he'll do some magic, enhancing and optimizing the final photo choices.<br />
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<i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-6921109478736941492008-06-13T06:20:00.001-04:002014-09-15T14:15:26.693-04:00copyWrite - VIMS Featured Research<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXIJFsmE0BnbvSeH_LjM06APnpTz9RFFZhT4y2GF6MpYZtYQQ3NEsz6rQa136k48QquFaHNLnMMorPzPhn7OqPrBQsZJMMd7ufLALOi03NSPUPI3s_-3hSFwvcVqIYROnSnyhrLkMMqQ/s1600-h/writepad.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXIJFsmE0BnbvSeH_LjM06APnpTz9RFFZhT4y2GF6MpYZtYQQ3NEsz6rQa136k48QquFaHNLnMMorPzPhn7OqPrBQsZJMMd7ufLALOi03NSPUPI3s_-3hSFwvcVqIYROnSnyhrLkMMqQ/s200/writepad.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175091524330803730" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/search/label/copyWrite">copyWrite</a> is a feature of the re.web blog. Often on Fridays, we'll show you a snippet of some of the new web copy. In this week's <span style="font-weight: bold;">copyWrite</span>, we highlight a new special interest feature that will be available on the new website for <a href="http://www.vims.edu/">VIMS</a>. Dave Malmquist wrote this sample for Featured Research - the new VIMS site will also have Featured People and Featured Programs.<br />
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerrDt__agsCxeUOslp6n5nwmsSxjGWHEoYON7ywW5YY-hv7upvSdWCWi4ule_QVGd3HnK7EEeaCs4CBY1Y6Nhr42ipnw-mxtC_dMEPxE5R9Ad8ay3D9KCq3OkPjwqjrsAHWHNOjMkYOQ/s1600-h/Picture+1.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerrDt__agsCxeUOslp6n5nwmsSxjGWHEoYON7ywW5YY-hv7upvSdWCWi4ule_QVGd3HnK7EEeaCs4CBY1Y6Nhr42ipnw-mxtC_dMEPxE5R9Ad8ay3D9KCq3OkPjwqjrsAHWHNOjMkYOQ/s200/Picture+1.png" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210586459150391586" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Featured Research</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Seagrass? Me neither</span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">A study led by Dr. Robert Orth reveals a troubling decline in seagrasses around the world. He’s now striving to inform the public about why these grasses are so important, and how their loss affects humans and marine ecosystems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Seagrass crisis global</span><br />
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Dr. Robert Orth has studied Chesapeake Bay seagrasses for more than 30 years. He knows that this vital resource is in serious trouble—with excess nutrients, turbid water, and a warming climate as the main culprits.<br />
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Now, a study by Orth and a dozen international colleagues reveals what may be the most troublesome finding of all: seagrass loss is global, but the public remains largely unaware of both the problem and its consequences. Seagrasses provide a home for many important fish and shellfish species, limit erosion, soak up nutrients, and help improve water clarity.<br />
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The study was conducted by Orth and other members of the Global Seagrass Trajectories Working Group, part of a national effort to promote the analysis and synthesis of ecological information.<br />
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Orth's team found that reported cases of seagrass loss haven risen by nearly a factor of 10 during the last 40 years. Says Orth, "We compiled reports of seagrass loss from as far north as Denmark, as far south as Australia, and from the Chesapeake Bay to the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, and Japan."<br />
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The scientists argue that these losses, caused mostly by human activities in the coastal zone, constitute a global crisis for seagrasses.<br />
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Despite the magnitude and rapidity of these losses, the team found that seagrasses receive from 3- to 100-times less media attention than coral reefs, salt marshes, and mangroves—even though seagrasses deliver "ecosystem services" that are at least twice as high as these other imperiled habitats.<br />
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Orth attributes the public's lack of knowledge to the "invisibility of seagrasses." "These plants grow underwater," he notes, "and in very shallow areas that most boaters avoid. Also, the animals that seagrasses harbor are often small and hidden, in contrast to the large and dazzling organisms that attract the general public to coral reefs."<br />
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Orth's team recommends a two-pronged effort—increased conservation efforts and education for the public and resource managers.<br />
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"One of our goals," says Orth, "is to educate people about the value that seagrasses provide and how important they are compared to coral reefs, mangroves, and other coastal ecosystems. Right now we're the 'ugly duckling' of these charismatic habitats, but hopefully we're going to change that."<br />
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<i>posted by Dave Malmquist, VIMS Director of Communications</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-8689360629912628572008-06-11T19:17:00.013-04:002014-09-15T15:37:33.995-04:00Do You Want the Good News or the Bad News?When the new W&M website launches on July 31, it'll all be good news because News at W&M will be displayed in a robust and carefully planned <a href="http://reweb.blogspot.com/2008/03/hows-it-looking.html">News & Events site</a>.<br />
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Mike Connolly, Brian Whitson, David Williard, and Joe McClain spent two hours in our favorite windowless conference room on Tuesday afternoon. Ben & Jerry joined us - we also consumed Dove Bars and Reese's PB cups!<br />
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Andrew, Mark and I walked through the technical implementation of the design mock ups that we'd finalized back in March. The news for News is good because we'll have a site that can showcase the audio, video, features, galleries and micro-sites that are the hallmarks of the current News site. The work of University Relations offers compelling profiles of faculty research, and great coverage and stories of the activities and goings on of W&M faculty, students, and staff. This is going to be a great new site; I'd like to think there's another CASE award in store for University Relations . . .<br />
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We covered a lot of ground between frozen treats and we have a plan. They were okay with the bad news too. When it comes down to it, building a new website is just a lot of hard work. The reality is that individual news stories and press releases from 2008 will need to be migrated. (Migrate: a fancy word that when you're lucky implies automation; but in this case means someone has to copy and paste content from the legacy web server to Cascade.) Let's not even talk about the photos that need to be cropped and optimized for the web.<br />
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In early July, we start pouring content into Cascade. This will require more Dove Bars and plenty of pizza. Wonder if our colleagues in University Relations like pepperoni, anchovy, or sausage? Maybe they'll post a comment letting me know ;-)<br />
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<i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-80909505339353298612008-06-08T09:12:00.001-04:002014-09-15T14:13:23.750-04:00We're PsychedThe <a href="http://www.wm.edu/psychology">Psychology Department</a> is working on transitioning their website, with an eye toward launching it with the rest of the College's new site on July 31. Steve Otto and Connie Pilkington met last week to plan and talk about options.<br />
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Using the <a href="http://media.wm.edu/content/wm/creativeservices/reweb/as_dept.png">new layouts for Arts & Sciences departments</a>, we're glad to report that the new website for Psychology will also have a special interest feature bank. This SPIFF bank will offer short features about Psychology students, faculty, research, and more. The mStoner writers will use suggestions from the Psychology to whip up some features to unveil at launch. In fact, we already have a list of faculty who have agreed to be contacted by the mStoner writers. Thanks all!<br />
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We'll also find some new photography for the Psychology site - the new rotating banner image on their site will include eight or so different images. With some direction from the Psychology Department, Joel will be on the hunt to propose photos that work.<br />
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<i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1233316584158903995.post-29912965314440152852008-06-07T15:40:00.001-04:002008-07-02T10:01:37.603-04:00They're Great and So Are YouOfficial W&M Bloggers are already writing. We are fortunate to have the Summer Interns in the Admission Office churning out some great stuff. <br /><br />You'll have to wait to see the Admission Blogs ;) but here's a note I sent to Henry Broaddus, Wendy Livingston, and Randy Tripp:<br /><br /><blockquote>Henry, Wendy, and Randy,<br /><br />I'm writing to let you know that I've been following the Admission Intern Bloggers with sheer delight. Their posts are entertaining, fun, and honest. I don't view myself as someone who needs convincing that blogs are a powerful communication tool. Yet, your bloggers' genuine and thoughtful posts did just that.<br /><br />On behalf of the aspirant W&M web presence, thank you, thank you. W&M Admission (no "s") is amazing!<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Susan</blockquote><br /><i>posted by Susan Evans</i>re.webhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00188047991807962096noreply@blogger.com1