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Inside Out: How Campus Portals Influence Web Strategy

Inside Out: How Campus Portals Influence Web Strategy. John Fritz, UMBC Charlie Melichar, Colgate University CASE Online Seminar February 10, 2005. In a nutshell . . . Higher ed portals grow out of user demand for more self-service functions they experience on the Web generally.

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Inside Out: How Campus Portals Influence Web Strategy

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  1. Inside Out: How Campus Portals Influence Web Strategy John Fritz, UMBC Charlie Melichar, Colgate University CASE Online Seminar February 10, 2005

  2. In a nutshell . . . • Higher ed portals grow out of user demand for more self-service functions they experience on the Web generally. • What happens when current (internal) and prospective (external) audiences meet? Do we help them do so? Should we? • Few of us have technical resources (or mandates) to meet user expectations across their life cycle with us. Collaboration is key. COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  3. Overview • How has the Web changed? • How has our strategy changed? • How do we get there from here? • Cool Stuff: Blogs, E-Newsletters, RSS • Links, Q & A, Contact Info. COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

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  11. How has the Web changed? From Presence to Experience

  12. From “Presence” to “Experience” • Past: Provide information • Content, navigation, infrequent updates • Focus is on designing a web “presence” • Present: Deliver services & functions • Online registration, pay online, online giving, etc. • Focus is on programming & technical engineering • Future: Build community & experience • Online Learning, SIGs, CMS, BLOGS • Focus is on community and the user “experience” COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  13. Evolution of a Site Community (End users connect) Interaction (self-service, functions) Information (info., facts, directions, etc.) COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  14. Markets are Conversations • “As soon as I stopped seeing journalists as a source of free advertising for my employer, I started having genuine conversations with genuinely interesting people. . . . • Then something even more amazing happened. The company started "getting ink." Lots of it. And not in the lowly trade rags it had been used to, but in places like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and Business Week. • Christopher Locke, www.cluetrain.com (1999) COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  15. Q & A How has the Web changed?

  16. Watcha doin’ over there? • The PR office is gaining ground on control of the web – but what about the portal? • Internal audience is a key constituency COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  17. Mission of the www site • A powerful, usable portal allows for focus on the external audience for the www site • More opportunities for targeted communication with internal audiences via the portal COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  18. Integrated Communications • Content should bleed through from portal to www and vice-versa • You are dealing with different audiences, but don’t re-create the wheel – syndicate your content COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  19. Portal impact on www • Customization features in a portal allow for a streamlined user experience on www • Key is seamless integration of portal functionality into the www site • Get to know your users AS they browse through your site – drill-down opportunities COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

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  24. How has our strategy changed? New Tools Collaboration

  25. New Tools • Portal Software • Web Content Management Systems (CMS) • Decision point: build or buy? • Tip: Involve a core team on both the portal and CMS strategy & implementation. COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  26. Polling Question What’s Your Portal Like? • My school operates a portal. • I actually use it. • I’m involved in running it. • What’s a portal? Pick best answer COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  27. Portal Definition • A portal provides personalized information & functions in return for a user identifying himself or herself through a login. • Value proposition: • You tell us who you are, and we'll provide information tailored to your needs, as you define them in your user profile. COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

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  33. What I Want . . . (John) • Portal content that entices a user to join • Sense of community that isn’t “scrubbed” • Hyperlinks to • Course descriptions & pre-reqs • Faculty bios (re-use media experts list) • Available seats • Progress-toward-degree check • Student AND teacher evaluations of past classes • Guest access to course Web site, if available. • Login prompt ONLY for personal info. COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

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  38. Role-based Configuration Role-based Polling and Surveys Content Management and Distribution Online Directory Access to External Applications Secure Distribution Employment Listings and Applications Training Registration Bookmarks and Web Notes Instant Messaging Alumni Mentoring Program Calendaring Student Elections News & Entertainment Desirable Portal Features COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  39. Benchmarking: Research • Articles & Sites About Portals • “The Power of Portals,” Chronicle of Higher Education • http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i48/48a03201.htm • uPortal by JA-SIG • http://mis105.mis.udel.edu/ja-sig/uportal • “Charting a Smooth Course for Portal Development,” Educause Quarterly • http://www.educause.edu/asp/doclib/abstract.asp?ID=EQM0134 COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  40. Content Management Systems

  41. Polling Question How do you manage your content? • Roll our own HTML: FrontPage, DreamWeaver, text editor. • Homegrown CMS • Commercial, Vendor CMS • What’s a CMS? Pick best answer COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  42. Definition: A CMS Analogy • CMS = similar to mail merge programs for the Web • Build a letter shell (site/page template) • Store names (content) in text (data) file • Merge (publish) the two as seamless documents (web pages) • A CMS can help (but not decide) who merges what, when, where, and why (workflow). • Good Resources: • www.cmswatch.com • www.contentmanager.eu.com/choosing.htm COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

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  44. Issues • “Sixty percent of businesses that purchase a CMS go back to doing it themselves.” • Hilary Marsh, President, Content Company, at 2003 Ragan Web Content Management Conference. • Why? COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  45. Opportunities • Integration/syndication of content. • University of Buffalo (http://www.buffalo.edu) • Hamilton College (http://www.hamilton.edu) • Colgate (http://www.colgate.edu) • CMS hunches, not suggestions: • Macromedia Contribute (http://www.macromedia.com/contribute) • Reddot.com (http://www.reddot.com) • Paperthin (http://www.commonspot.com) COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  46. Collaboration Working with IT Staff

  47. Polling Question How’s your IT & PR relationship? • IT controls our site • PR controls our site • We have a team approach • Don’t ask Pick best answer COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  48. Issues • Control of the Site is not the cause of the problem. • The Web makes strange bedfellows of IT and Advancement because of mission (internal vs. external) and focus (deep vs. broad). • How to serve both with limited resources and no precedent or mandate for collaboration? COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  49. Getting involved • Work with IT: Get involved in conversations about the portal. • Focus on design, usability: These areas aren’t always at the front of the conversation – provide some input • Cost: can’t afford to duplicate effort. COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

  50. Start a Collaborative Forum • eMedia (UMBC) • CWIC (Colgate) • Georgetown’s GUIde Committee • http://guide.georgetown.edu • University of Georgia Web Group • http://www.uga.edu/design/gwg.html • Univ. of Buffalo Web Team • http://buffalo.edu/webteam COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EDUCATION

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