If you are reading the mStoner blog, you know that Chris Sherrill has written a couple of posts about the importance of strategy. In particular, I benefited from his What is Strategy? entry. His definition of a strategic plan as ". . . a combination of destination and compass" was of timely help to me as I prepared for a recent presentation to the Communications Committee of the W&M Foundation Board.
I'm even more encouraged by his subsequent post called Applied Strategy. And not because of the shout out to W&M's re.web project ... because managing a plan (compass) applied to a great W&M web project (destination) is near and dear to my heart.
posted by Susan Evans
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
mStoner got some Education
Patrick and Voltaire from mStoner spent Thursday, November 8 in Jones Hall meeting with about 20 faculty, staff and students in the School of Education. Through detailed, face-to-face discussions, the mStoner team gathered what they need to know about mission, programs, and all that is special about this W&M school. The data will make for a great new web presence.
Thanks go to Dot Osborne for her skill with logistics and her work to put together an assortment of recent publications and materials for mStoner review. It was a long day, but Patrick and Voltaire were impressed by the vibrant and interesting nature of the School of Education. Thanks also to Sue Thompson for keeping the mStoner team supplied with candy during the post-lunch slump.
posted by Susan Evans
Thanks go to Dot Osborne for her skill with logistics and her work to put together an assortment of recent publications and materials for mStoner review. It was a long day, but Patrick and Voltaire were impressed by the vibrant and interesting nature of the School of Education. Thanks also to Sue Thompson for keeping the mStoner team supplied with candy during the post-lunch slump.
posted by Susan Evans
Friday, November 9, 2007
Do we need a CMS?
What is a CMS and why does the W&M web site need one?
As Susan Evans (chair of re.web) discussed in her recent podcast, we've been looking at products, talking to vendors and staring at spreadsheets in windowless conference rooms. Why? We're trying to get our heads around what CMS products are available, what features they offer, and which of those features provide us the greatest impact for a dynamic and sustainable web environment. With the help of our friends at mStoner, we've been making progress.
In an attempt to broaden the discussion, and to establish a consistent vocabulary within the College community, let's discuss some of the features we're finding in these products, and how they might make things "better" within the W&M web.
Some Key CMS Features:
In this and subsequent posts, I will discuss specific features (or categories of features) offered by most of the CMS products we are vetting. Again, our goal is to explain the feature and how it is intended to improve our web site.
To get things started, today's post will cover a general definition of a CMS, as well as two important feature sets we've identified:
posted by Andrew Bauserman
As Susan Evans (chair of re.web) discussed in her recent podcast, we've been looking at products, talking to vendors and staring at spreadsheets in windowless conference rooms. Why? We're trying to get our heads around what CMS products are available, what features they offer, and which of those features provide us the greatest impact for a dynamic and sustainable web environment. With the help of our friends at mStoner, we've been making progress.
In an attempt to broaden the discussion, and to establish a consistent vocabulary within the College community, let's discuss some of the features we're finding in these products, and how they might make things "better" within the W&M web.
Some Key CMS Features:
In this and subsequent posts, I will discuss specific features (or categories of features) offered by most of the CMS products we are vetting. Again, our goal is to explain the feature and how it is intended to improve our web site.
To get things started, today's post will cover a general definition of a CMS, as well as two important feature sets we've identified:
- The Processing Engine and Data Repository
- Users and Permissions
posted by Andrew Bauserman
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Student Affairs Jumping on the Technology Bandwagon
I had the pleasure this morning of presenting to the Student Affairs division at the College about re.web. The theme for this month's meeting was all about technology.
I am encouraged by the fact that they realized some time last year that they needed to keep up with the technologies of William and Mary students. This led them to create a Student Affairs Technology Committee. With each admitted class comes new ways to communicate both before they are here and after they arrive. And, one of the most important ways to communicate with them is through our web site.
The presentation went well and there were no doubts as to why we are doing this project. But, the highlight comes from the first question I asked when I began. The question was: "Is there anyone here who has not heard of re.web?" In the room with 60+ people from about 10 different departments, not one hand was raised.
posted by Tina Coleman
I am encouraged by the fact that they realized some time last year that they needed to keep up with the technologies of William and Mary students. This led them to create a Student Affairs Technology Committee. With each admitted class comes new ways to communicate both before they are here and after they arrive. And, one of the most important ways to communicate with them is through our web site.
The presentation went well and there were no doubts as to why we are doing this project. But, the highlight comes from the first question I asked when I began. The question was: "Is there anyone here who has not heard of re.web?" In the room with 60+ people from about 10 different departments, not one hand was raised.
posted by Tina Coleman
Weekly re.web Podcast: Good News or Bad News?
Episode three of our weekly podcast about re.web is called "Do You Want the Good News or the Bad News?" Anyone tuning in on these?
Links to the re.web content within the W&M on iTunes U site:
posted by Susan Evans
Links to the re.web content within the W&M on iTunes U site:
- subscribe to podcast (does not require iTunes)
- download episode three (does not require iTunes)
- download the transcript for episode three (PDF, does not require iTunes)
posted by Susan Evans
Friday, November 2, 2007
mStoner and the School of Education
mStoner will be back in Williamsburg next week. One of their tasks: complete strategic discovery sessions for the W&M School of Education.
For those of you who may have missed our earlier posts, strategic discovery is one of the ways mStoner learns about our institution. Members of the mStoner team (in this case, Patrick DiMichele and Voltaire Santos Miran) spend a day meeting with small groups of students, faculty and staff.
We want our new web presence to be both cohesive and flexible. To that end, the School of Education (along with the School of Law and VIMS) will have a visual design and site layout that makes sense for them. In short, they will maintain a resemblance to www.wm.edu while developing their own content and character.
Next week's strategic discovery will lay the foundation for a successful redesign of the School of Education web site.
posted by Joel Pattison
For those of you who may have missed our earlier posts, strategic discovery is one of the ways mStoner learns about our institution. Members of the mStoner team (in this case, Patrick DiMichele and Voltaire Santos Miran) spend a day meeting with small groups of students, faculty and staff.
We want our new web presence to be both cohesive and flexible. To that end, the School of Education (along with the School of Law and VIMS) will have a visual design and site layout that makes sense for them. In short, they will maintain a resemblance to www.wm.edu while developing their own content and character.
Next week's strategic discovery will lay the foundation for a successful redesign of the School of Education web site.
posted by Joel Pattison
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Weekly re.web Podcast: Go Ask Alice
Episode two of our weekly podcast about re.web is called "If You Don't Know Where You're Going, Any Road Will Take You There." Enjoy!
Links to the re.web content within the W&M on iTunes U site:
posted by Susan Evans
Links to the re.web content within the W&M on iTunes U site:
- subscribe to podcast (does not require iTunes)
- download episode two (does not require iTunes)
- download the transcript for episode two (PDF, does not require iTunes)
posted by Susan Evans
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