The Web: A Live Scrapbook

Ideas for a New University Relations Web Site by Greg Licamele

October 22, 2001

I.) The Web: A Live Scrapbook

I think of the Web as a living scrapbook. Where else can people search for everything

from recipes to sports scores to airfares to books? People are specific in what they want, too. If

they want information about universities and their impact on a local economy, that data can be

unearthed sometimes. And the possibilities are endless as to what can be found on the Web and

its value to a corporation, or, in our case, The George Washington University.

Many factors motivated me to share my thoughts about the Web, GW, and the Office of

University Relations (UR). First, my use of the Web and what works has shaped me in to a

somewhat “savvy” browser. I have brought those skills to other places I have worked and I

helped conceptualize Web sites for the American Association of University Professors, GW

Sports Information, Broadcast Interview Source and my alma mater, St. Bonaventure University.

A second factor is the way the public, especially our constituents in the university setting, use the

Internet for so many tasks from posting course information to posting press releases. We do not

have to convince people to use the Web at a university! Third, my graduate work in the School

of Media and Public Affairs has influenced me in how I think about communicating with people,

specifically how issues are framed and presented to the public. The Web provides that tool to

frame a message in a way that is supportive and constructive for the mission of an institution.

Also from my graduate work, guest speakers such as Mark Kitchens, the first White House

director of the Internet (1997-2001), have showed me that offices with small staffs (relatively

speaking, of course!) dedicated to making sure this medium satisfies people’s thirst for

information helps connect them with their government, or, in our case, their university.

So my thoughts in this are just that – thoughts. Nothing, of course, is concrete. Perhaps

there are ideas out there right now about a new UR site and these suggestions can add to those.

These are ideas that might help to move UR ahead of the pack at GW in creating and maintaining

a strong Web presence – a living scrapbook of GW that is added to each day as the history of this

institution unfolds in text, sound and pictures.

--Greg

II.) Current Web Site

The current UR Web site is functional and a good 1990s presence, fraught with many

layout and content challenges. News releases can be found in three different areas. ByGeorge!

cannot be found in HTML, only in PDF format. GW Magazine articles are not posted. Most

publications do not reside on the site. Advertising provides some information, but not all.

Neighborhood relations, which is critical to GW, is relegated to two paragraphs. Pictures are non-

existent. Again, this current site works well for the 1990s and should be applauded for having a

consistent look and a Web presence at all.

However, the Web today is about so much more. It’s about pictures and audio. Full-text

of speeches. Online chats. The basic technology is out there and is here at GW to help UR

provide the diverse content the following constituents can use and find value in:

Students

Faculty

Staff

Alumni

Media

Parents

Prospective students, parents, faculty and staff

Government/Business

Neighbors

As a way of tying together all that GW does, UR and its Web site are the vehicles to

provide that comprehensive and cohesive medium. UR has the talent and information to produce

publications, raise media interest and soothe concerned neighbors. I think the value of the Web at

GW is becoming more evident as media relations and other interests have posted information on

the primary GW site (www.gwu.edu) about Commencement, World Bank/IMF, Sept. 11 and

Mail Policies. Right now, the entire Web site, www.gwu.edu, seems disparate and illogical at

times. What UR can do is provide that cohesive, logical news center and living scrapbook so the

office can benefit and, much more importantly, so the community can benefit. A revised UR

Web site is something that can be constantly updated. That issue plagues the current site. If a

browser clicks “News, Media and Events” from www.gwu.edu, they are brought to a site with

older news releases, a GTAA Web site that is 18 months old with no relevance to right now, and

links that seem out of place. But if a browser clicks on the “press release” link or the media

relations office, they will be brought to two different pages. The point here is that there are too

many entry points that are confusing and inconsistent. It doesn’t convey a sense of organization

or a sense of current GW events, which does not help UR’s and GW’s mission.

III.) Other Web Sites

In order to get an idea of how UR should proceed on the Web, it should do what

newspapers, radio, TV, and other mediums do – look at similar organizations and their

presentations. The best example I could find in cyberspace of a well-organized, well-conceived

university news site comes from the University of Virginia. Its “UVA Top News Daily” provides

that portal and common entry point to its press releases, newspaper, magazine, reports, speeches,

facts, sources, etc. Refer to the attachment in the back of this “report” or visit

www.virginia.edu/topnews/. According to a press release about the launching of the site, which

went live in June 2001, UVA seems to have experienced many of the challenges our office faces

right now: “The university produces scores of magazines and newsletters, and hundreds of press

releases each year. Until recently, it would have been pretty difficult to know where to find them

all. However, late last month, the Office of University Relations debuted the ‘UVA Top News

Daily’ Web site to provide a central source for all of the news and features coming out of UVA”

(see attached release for complete statement).

By looking and examining this site, and others, GW University Relations can find a

dependable road map to a cleaner, more informative site.

IV.) A New UR Site

You will also find as the last page of this proposal a mock-up (using Quark) of a new UR

site. At the end of a Web process, it may not look like this or the “GW News Center” moniker

may not be the right wording, but it’s a start. This draft is meant to show what a new site can

provide, how UR can improve its stance in the community and how GW can enhance its

academic mission through this public relations and information tool.

I will take each section that you see here on the draft and provide some commentary

about the benefits and reasons behind its existence. Again, these are just thoughts and I am sure

there are other ways to accomplish certain aspects of a new UR site.

* THE HEADING

GW News Center or some moniker that clearly defines what the site is. “News” brands

the site as providing relevant, important content to the GW community. The school logo to the

right of that (of course, we can insert the new logo…I don’t have a file of that) stamps the site as

“officially” GW. Underneath “GW News Center” is who sponsors this site, i.e., the Office of

University Relations. Finally, the date. A date is important because it conveys the “freshness” of a

site, which is what people want when they visit a Web page. They want a reason to come back.

The date underscores that; the content highlights it.

* LEFT COLUMN

You’ll see a picture of the Tempieto, or perhaps seasonal shots, to provide an image of a

thriving campus. The current UR site is devoid of images. Images are critical for Web sites to

truly meet that multimedia role they play. Besides words in press releases, images can paint a

picture of an institution and GW has some great photos to work with. Below the picture are the

key links to each UR department. I will detail what might be considered to be on each of those

pages later. Also in the left column is a section with an “On Air” image to highlight the UR

productions: GW Forum, GW Capital Jazz, Kalb Report and GWTV (though this doesn’t fall

within UR and doesn’t need to be there). These links can provide times, guests, relevant

information and audio links to the shows and their archives. The Kalb Report does have a Web

site now (www.gwu.edu/~kalb), so it’s just a matter of linking to it. Finally, the “Ask GW a

Question” button in the left hand column is an idea from Mark Kitchens of the Clinton White

House. They posted a form where people could submit questions and, if they were good, relevant

questions, answers would be posted by an appropriate person from the administration. So if it was

a question about national security, they would ask someone on that staff to give an answer and the

response would be a.) e-mailed back to the questioner and b.) posted for everyone to see. GW

used this function in its Students First campaign and easily can become a permanent UR function

that will provide interaction and, hopefully, satisfaction, to our constituents. For example, a

parent may have question, so we submit it to Parent Services for a response. A journalist may

have a question, so media relations handles the inquiry. A prospective faculty member may have

concerns about shared governance at the University, so we could submit the question to the

VPAA’s office or the Faculty Senate. The options are endless.

*HEADLINES

Here, users will find the latest press releases from media relations. Again, these headlines

add to the living scrapbook and “freshness” ideas of a Web site. They tell what’s happening right

now at GW.

* LATEST EVENTS

As shown here, the Kalb Report with Dan Rather can be highlighted with pictures, a

story, transcript, audio feed, video, and more pictures. All of those options may not be available

to use, but this example shows how much interaction and diverse forms of information people

could potentially find on a new UR site. This is where the largest picture can be located,

providing the graphical element that is missing now. Seeing Dan Rather with a GW banner

behind him lends credibility to the site and to the University. Even as important, it provides

that “freshness” that people want from a Web site.

Also in this section can be the most recent online chat UR could sponsor. The White

House used this model to bring in different Cabinet members, almost following the same pattern I

described above with “Ask GW a Question.” The Washingtonpost.com uses this model, too,

though we could tweak it a bit. For instance, as the basketball season starts, we can have an

online chat with men’s basketball coach Karl Hobbs. What we can do in order to screen

questions, because we do need some sort of control mechanism, is to have people e-mail

questions in advance and we’ll sit down with him one day and answer the questions. Here’s a

potential schedule:

Friday: Post who the guest will be; in this case, Karl Hobbs.

Friday through Tuesday: Accept questions and start prioritizing the ones to ask.

Wednesday: Sit down with Hobbs and ask him the questions, then post the

responses.

Again, the options of people are nearly endless. Think of this as a talk show. We bring in

a guest every week and have the community talk basketball with Hobbs, discuss a professor’s

new book, or review security on campus with Dolores Stafford, etc. This concept is being used all

over the Internet and is very successful to help people feel like they belong to a community and

to provide content on sites. UR can sponsor these and raise awareness of issues unlike ways press

releases, which have facts, or radio shows or WRC, of which there is no archive. With online

chats, they can be archived forever – think “living scrapbook.”

*BOX 1 – ONLINE MEDIA GUIDE

The Online Media Guide needs prominent placement so journalists can find what they are

looking for easily. It also gives UR the chance to showcase the plethora of professors who are

experts in their fields. Here, we have a link to the Web address that is easy to remember,

www.onlinemediaguide.org. It’s helpful for journalists and they can bookmark it. On the current

site, media relations constantly updates the topics, so it can be done here, too. If a user clicks on

one of the topics, such as “airline industry,” they will be taken to the database page with professor

information (i.e. Darryl Jenkins). At the bottom of this box, if a journalist needs to search the

database, they can click on the black box and be taken to the search box that already exists.

*BOX 2 – BYGEORGE!

ByGeorge! can present its feature stories and signature sections in a convenient, visible

place. People may click on the ByGeorge! masthead and be brought to the ByGeorge! site. They

may click on one of the story links and be taken to that story within ByGeorge! At the bottom of

this box can be a small picture, such as CNN’s Crossfire, which can lead to the series of stories

on the event.

*BOX 3 – GW MAGAZINE

GW Magazine can be placed prominently so alumni and other constituents can read the

great stories that are written. The covers of the current magazines can provide the graphical

images for the box. Either clicking the cover or “more features” will bring users to the magazine

home page. It’s much like window-shopping. This box provides a peak as to what’s inside. If

people are interested, which many are, they’ll go in.

*OTHER FRONT PAGE ITEMS

Of course, as events warrant or ideas change, information can be added to this front page.

For instance, a box leading to the “America on Alert” page that has been created can be

prominently displayed on this page. With the Web, these changes are possible, necessary and are

important to UR’s mission.

V.) UR Offices

As mentioned above, there are 12 categories in the left hand column. These are the

gateways to the Web sites some offices now have. In each case, either the current sites can remain

or new sites can be created. Potential structures and maintaining sites will be addressed later and

of course, it’s up to each office as to what they want. But here are some general and specific ideas

for each section:

Media Relations

-- press releases (sorted by date, but also sorted by school/admin/dept)

-- experts by topics

-- experts database

-- GW in the News (with links to stories)

-- Kalb Report

-- GW Forum (show time, station, upcoming guests and transcripts)

-- GW Jazz

-- GW Fact sheets (updated)

-- contact information (names, phone numbers, etc.)

The basic structure of this site already exist. Adding some of the productions and other

elements that the Web can allow for will only enhance this site.

ByGeorge!

-- stories/features (with links to relevant sites in stories and pics included where possible)

-- calendar of events, with links to other entertainment/educational opportunities

-- Kudos! and Kudos! submission form

-- photo gallery by Thom

-- archives

This site needs to be built, but if a template were to be created for each story, then it

would make for a seamless transfer of text in Quark to the Web. Embedding pictures and links, as

well as transcripts and any audio would only enhance the value of ByGeorge! content by using

the full Web toolbox.

GW Magazine

-- stories from alumni and law magazines (with links and other relevant information)

-- alumni notes

-- archives

-- subscription form

In similar fashion to the newspaper, the GW Magazine could create a template page for

its stories, complete with links and photos. Since these magazine pieces are longer and more in-

depth, perhaps a comment section or message board could be created for the stories so people can

share their thoughts. Again, the Internet is about interactivity and if users have the option to

participate, it will add value and enrich their GW experiences.

Publications

-- Community Commitments

-- Guide to GW

-- President’s Report

-- list of other books (SJT), etc.

These reports and projects are publications that tell so much about the life and times of

GW. With the ability to add them to the Web, our constituents would have more information

available at their fingertips. Looking for a fact about GW? Visit the “Guide to GW” pages. What

does President Trachtenberg have to say about the last academic/fiscal year? The “President’s

Report” will tell you. Looking for some history of GW in Foggy Bottom? Then the “90 Years in

Foggy Bottom” insert being created can be placed here, as well as on the GW Magazine Web

page and the “Community” Web page. For projects that crossover to more than one UR

department, it’s important to place the information on the relevant sites as a form of cross-

promotion.

At least converting the publications to PDF format, like the 1999 President’s Report, will

put the information in cyberspace. Also, there can be a link on the front page of the UR site

leading to a publication if it is just released. The publications section of the UR Web site could

also include a form for people to submit their community commitments.

Advertising

-- services

-- rates

-- portfolio of examples

-- print v. broadcast v. Web advertising

The current advertising page presents very limited information about what this

department does. We have heard the advertising department is looking for ways to make its

services known to the GW community, and an updated Web site can include the information

listed above and more. Enhancing this site will help the GW community and the specific

advertisers get their messages out to the DC metropolitan area. Here’s another example of

“crossover” potential: ByGeorge! is writing an article about GW Advertising in an upcoming

issue. A link to that story can be placed on this page, too.

Graphics

Simply linking to the current site (www.gwu.edu/~graphics) works well.

Special Events

-- calendar of events

-- available venues

-- contact information

Though this is not an official UR department, UR works closely with special events and

the information they have is relevant to UR’s mission. If an organization is looking for a venue

for an event, they can visit this site and look at GW’s cadre of facilities. The “News, Media and

Events” link from the www.gwu.edu site lists two facilities to use and these two listings do not

represent all that GW offers. Adding all venues, along with a “virtual” calendar of booked dates,

will help the GW community better plan their functions.

Community

-- latest news in community relations (perhaps exclusively written for this page, perhaps a

link from a ByGeorge! story)

-- calendar of upcoming meetings

-- “90 Years in Foggy Bottom” information

-- information about Jane

-- link to Campus Plan information, including ByGeorge! supplement

Currently, this page is essentially a biography of one person. With tensions rising and the

stakes seemingly getting higher with the neighborhood, this page can act as a catalyst for calming

fears, strengthening GW’s reputation/credibility, and getting GW’s story out there, versus the

neighborhood version. UR can post the annual economic impact studies to show how much GW

helps the District. GW is in the middle of it all and we have neighbors who watch our every

move. It is important for the University to get its message out there, unfiltered, besides an

occasional article in ByGeorge! Developing this page more fully will get GW’s message out

there.

Sights & Sounds

-- photo gallery

-- audio library

-- transcript library

-- video library

With this link, UR can create libraries of events, images and sounds. Pictures of big

events such as Commencement can be published here in an easy-to-use gallery. Audio from a

public lecture can be posted here, such as a link to listen to Jerrold Post talk about Osama bin

Laden. Perhaps a transcript can be provided, too. This section and its components are what

differentiate the Web from the traditional mediums. Again, look at UVA’s site, specifically the

“UVA Newsmakers” page included at in this proposal, for an example of how they are using

audio, pictures and transcripts to add to their virtual scrapbook. Another example for GW is a

photo gallery. All sorts of pictures are taken of GW; showcasing them would add another

dimension to UR’s communications strategy.

Online Chats

As described above with the Coach Karl Hobbs example, this section provides the

interactivity people want from a Web site/their community. Washingtonpost.com users are

familiar with this interaction with newsmakers. GW users are no different and with ample

promotion and visibility, this could become a staple of UR and provide a new way for the

community to interact. It’s often said GW is a big place with many people that often go

unnoticed. One way to give them the attention is to give people, who otherwise would not have

an opportunity to talk to Person X, the chance to ask and learn about what they do. Does UR need

six full-time “hosts” like the Washingtonpost.com has for its online chat section? No, of course

not. As I described above, this process of one guest a week will not require an extensive time

commitment. Think of all of the GW offices, departments, services, etc. The options are endless

for “guests.” As for hosts, there could be one person or a group of people in UR who alternate

weeks. If universities are about discourse, then UR has a golden opportunity to provide that

discussion to the community in a semi-controlled way, which is necessary.

UR Services

This section leads to the photo archive information UR has available for use and how

people can access the photos. Also, in another example of cross-promotion, we can have a link to

ByGeorge! and GW Magazine and their supplement information. Also, this section can contain an

entire roster of UR employees and any appropriate contact information. That is something not

available now and could be a helpful directory for the University to consult.

Links

Another key aspect to a site is linking (creating the “Web”) to relevant pages. In this case,

we could have links to the news sites of the GW schools (ESIA, SBPM, SMPA, etc.), Medical

Center Communications, GW Sports Information, and other GW sites. This section could also

provide links to higher education resources. Examine UVA and what its office decided to link to

for more ideas.

VI.) Ideas for Implementing

Of course, a proposal like this has challenges and questions, among them staffing, office

resources and other interested parties:

1.) Will a new person be hired for the job of “Web editor” or can this be implemented in

a collaborative effort by committee?

2.) Does UR have enough resources, in terms of hardware, software and knowledge?

How much room do we have on our current server? How much money will it cost to buy a

sufficient amount of space? Can this “purchasing” of Web space be waived since this is such a

critical part of the University’s mission we are talking about in this case. Do we use a PC

platform or a MAC platform to build a new UR site?

3.) What is IMAG’s role?

4.) What about Concept Foundry? From what I know, it has proposed to redesign the

www.gwu.edu page. How far “down” will they design a site?

5.) Who has the final say in updating the site? For instance, is the “Headlines” section

approved by Media Relations? What about “Latest Events?” Who edits that section? Who decides

on guests for chats?

6.) What role can work-study students play in making this site a success? Can they enter

text? Create PDF’s?

These questions and countless others arise from taking steps to improve any office and its

communications plan. Here are some potential answers:

1.) At first, perhaps a Web committee is the best way to proceed to understand each

other’s needs and evaluate the resources that are currently available. Also, since we are trying to

help build a better community for GW, we can build an even stronger UR community.

Sometimes, committees are not the best answers to challenges, but with so many parts of UR

having a stake in the Web, it may be best. Of course, the responsibilities of editing publications,

writing press releases, composing stories and dealing with the neighborhood must go on. So

perhaps a core group of committee members meet, which then extends to a somewhat larger

group. At some point in the future, maybe a full-time Web editor will be a necessity, and, frankly,

it probably will. Maybe the appropriate planning can begin/continue for such a position.

2.) Resources are always a question, and there are some basic issues to be resolved in

creating a new Web site. A lot of these questions are ones that must be considered and I am sure

the technical aspects can be worked out if we work with ISS and the other relevant GW offices.

In terms of software, ByGeorge! just purchased a copy of the Web-publishing program,

“Dreamweaver,” which is by far the easiest one to use. Maybe this is the program UR should use

if we build this site.

3.) IMAG could build templates for us and create the sections, leaving UR the

responsibility to update the pages, as is the case right now for the current site IMAG created. Cost

plays a role here, too. Maybe a UR webmaster can be lured away from IMAG.

4.) In order to do Web work, UR will need to know Concept Foundry’s timetable for a

Web site if they are planning on integrating the new identity and a new www.gwu.edu site. Once

we secure a timetable from them and their goals, UR will know how to proceed. Maybe Concept

Foundry will not reach “down” to UR and create our page. Maybe they will just build two levels

of a new site.

5.) In terms of “approval,” it might be best to leave it to each office to update the Web as

it is done now. In terms of what is posted on the front page, in this model, there’s not much for an

individual pseudo-Web editor to decide on. The “Latest Events” section appears to be the most

significant part, as does the “Sights & Sounds” section. But if a user “asks GW a question,” then

some sort of approval process, albeit minimal, should be implemented. Who approves questions

for a chat is another area of concern. So one model to follow might be for the “host” to gather the

questions, choose the best ones, and review them ahead of time with someone such as the

executive director of UR or director of media relations.

6.) Work-study students can provide some invaluable help with a new UR site and can

essentially be a “staff” for the Web site. They can transcribe events, enter text, create PDF's, do

research, etc.

All in all, I firmly believe a new UR site, with some of the ideas listed here and others not

written or even thought of, will:

-- enhance our stature on campus

-- allow us to expand our presence and get our messages out about GW instead of letting

other sources such as the neighbors, the Hatchet, etc. doing it in a filtered, sometimes

inaccurate way

-- give UR the ability to create a online GW community and enhance discourse on

campus

-- provide information in a more timely manner

-- showcase the talents that work for UR and let the world see the great products UR

creates

-- meet the needs of our various constituents

-- build a living scrapbook of GW – its times, faces, sounds and words – for generations

to come