PolyBlogsPolyBlogs

Office of EnrollmentOffice of Enrollment

Communication & Middleware TechnologiesCommunication & Middleware Technologies

Office of CommunicationsOffice of Communications

2

Timeline: Concept to Implementation

• July 2004 July 2004

– discussions begin

• October 2004October 2004

– implementation plans;

– identify of students;

– compose contract/guidelines

• December 2004 December 2004

– CMT evaluates open source blogging tools;

– design created;

– developed customization and communication rules

– (i.e., did not offer templates to students; comments not activated;

– created email alias for questions/comments)

3

Timeline: Concept to Implementation

• January 2005 January 2005

– selected three (3) student ambassadors for spring semester

• February 2005February 2005

– blogging begins in earnest

• March 2005March 2005

– added more in-depth student bios for landing page

4

Timeline: Concept to Implementation

• April 2005 April 2005 – RPI Office of Communications becomes interested;

– Feature article(s) composed for publication;

– Times Union – “24/7 Student”

• May 2005May 2005– end first semester of blogging with bit of advice for incoming freshmen;

– Indenews.com – “As junior year ends, college choices loom”

• June 2005 June 2005 – new students for summer sessions;

– Chronicle of Higher Education –

“To size up colleges, students now shop online”;

– Biology student blogs from South Africa;

– Summer admissions ambassadors ???

5

Timeline: Concept to Implementation

• July/August 2005 July/August 2005 – summer blogging

continues

• September 2005September 2005– new students for fall;

– Wall Street Journal – “Colleges Turn to Student Blogs”

• December 2005 December 2005 – selected six (6) students for

spring semester

6

Timeline: Concept to Implementation

• January 2006 January 2006 – most diverse group of

bloggers;

– process management much more consistent and efficient;

– bloggers much more active

• March 2006March 2006– Times Union – “The Pursuit to

Recruit”

7

Rewards

• Students Students – stipend or digital camera as reimbursement;

– raised profile with prospective employers/graduate schools due to public nature of blogs

– student demonstrates responsibility by writing for public,revealing character and personality

• AdmissionsAdmissions– student-to-student interaction with online and on-campus

involvement

– opportunity to showcase bloggers at events

• CMTCMT– successful implementation of a new tool

– fulfillment of group mission: to enable others

8

Concerns

• Students Students

– blogging as time investment in addition to rigorous academics

– remembering that the blog is very public

• AdmissionsAdmissions

– making sure we have selected the right students

• CMTCMT

– limitations of current blogging tool

– another application to support and update

– archiving blogs after blogger rollover at end of semester

9

Future challenges

• Students Students

– their concerns remain

– reaction of peers and other campus community members

• AdmissionsAdmissions

– continue leveraging the service and promoting the bloggers

– selecting the right students

• CMTCMT

– migration to a new blogging tool

– review comments policy; allow moderated comments

– provision of templates