Introducing Websmith

A while back we launched Websmith, a new users’ group for people who actively manage web content in OU Campus. For those of you who couldn’t make our first meeting, here’s a quick introduction to what we’re trying to accomplish.

Please join us at an upcoming meeting! You can sign up online to express interest.

OBJECTIVE

To connect campus users who develop, edit and maintain content in OU Campus and equip them to effectively represent Hope College online.

GOALS

  • Connect with OU Campus users in other departments and offices
  • Participate in focused learning about OU Campus and/or web content
  • Celebrate success of group members and other departments, offices and programs (e.g., showcase new websites, highlight new concepts or ideas)
  • Identify and share best practices, tips and tricks
  • Express pain points and identify solutions to common problems

ELEMENTS

1. Monthly meetings

Here’s a sample agenda:

1 p.m. — Mingle
1:10 — Announcements; celebrate success
1:15 — Featured topic
1:35 — Featured topic Q&A
1:45 — General Q&A
1:55 — Dismiss

Upcoming meetings are scheduled for the first Tuesday of the month (generally) at 2 p.m. in the DeWitt Herrick Room. Here are the dates:

  • September 6
  • October 4
  • November 1
  • December 6
  • January 3
  • January 31
  • March 7
  • April 4
  • May 2

2. Online community

For now, look for additional information right here on the Public Affairs and Marketing blog. You can find it with the new Websmith category. If you’re looking for an easy way to get updated with every new Websmith posts, please subscribe.

Eventually, we’ll put some work into developing a robust online community, including easy access to digital resources, training videos and other material.

3. Additional training

We’ll spend some time at each meeting with in-depth training. In our last meeting, we covered those pesky images — how to upload them and size them for your page and how to create and use new photo gallery assets.

Potential topics for future meetings include:

  • Using assets and snippets
  • Editing images outside of OU Campus
  • Creating video for the web
  • Grammar and style
  • Making workflow work for you

Of course, we welcome your suggestions!

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