It has been a while since I last blogged, but we've been very busy working with departments, configuring sites and training. I encourage you all to keep creating content - don't get hung up on the structure or navigation, we can help you sort that out. Content is the critical piece to your site's success; not the quantity, but the quality. Those of you in my last training session may recall a report I reference done by Forrester Research about the "Seven C's of WCM." I encourage everyone to take a look at that report and think very carefully about your content, the message, context, accuracy, audience, etc. Here's a link: http://goo.gl/M8kZr.
Many of you have asked me about "new media" including mobile sites and apps, and social media. I don't think we can call it new media any longer. A colleague shared this video with me about the growth of social media: http://goo.gl/UmE5q. If you've been wondering whether or not that should be part of MSU's marketing plan, I think this video will answer that question. We are heavily utilizing Facebook for recruitment and to answer questions from current students, families, alumni, etc. We also have a very active Twitter presence, with several service areas and organizations on campus tweeting helpful tips, deadlines and other important information.
What about mobile? In CMS8, our entire site will be more or less mobile-friendly. That's pretty cool, but I also recommend you think about mobile as you are creating content for your site - keep it simple. Most people want to find the information they need quickly and not have to read a tome to find it - that is especially true if you're reading on a mobile device or tablet. Last week we participated in a webinar with Ektron about creating not just mobile-friendly sites, but thinking about mobile design first. You can watch the webinar at http://goo.gl/Cl1YC and follow #mobilerevolution on Twitter.
Keep building on your content and we'll be meeting with your over the summer to help with structure and navigation.