Help Students with the Click of a Mouse

Help Students With The Click Of A Mouse

Potential of Websites

 Port-au-prince Map

According to a TED talk from Tim Berners Lee, Port-au-Prince was not well mapped before the earthquake in 2009.

Immediately after the earthquake, professional mappers from all over the world with data about the area and people flying over the area collaborated online on an open source mapping website to create a map that included blocked roads, damaged buildings and refugee camp locations.

The map became the most reliable map used for relief aid.

> You can find more stories like this by searching for TED talks from Tim Berners Lee.

I could go on all day with stories of:  Doctors connecting online across nations to share research and find cures/diagnoses  Ma & Pop shop in nowhere MT that suddenly has a world clientele when the local economy threatens closure  Non profits able to inexpensively increase outreach and collect online donations

But, I tell you this story purely to narrate the amazing potential of the web.

 So, how can we target this potential to Student Affairs? o Some departments have the goal of getting students to come here o Some aide students to hang in there, enrich their experience and graduate o And some focus on preparing students for the real world after they graduate  All of us can use the web to aide in meeting these goals.  I am working with some departments to use their website as a tool for user interaction through video tutorials, blogs, social media inclusion, online forms, interactive maps and more.  BUT – we cannot move forward with any interactive tools or website redesigns if our websites are not already properly maintained.  Your department website is a living breathing part of your department. It is 24/7 access to how you can benefit students. It can answer student questions, offer upcoming events, and provide resources so students can help themselves online.  One of my students who graduated told me that she put a FAQ on her company’s website based on many repeat phone calls she was getting and it immediately cut her normal phone traffic in half, allowing her to focus more of her time on other projects.

Why Maintain Your Website  Many of our students do not recall a life without the Internet.  Just because you do not use the web much, do not make the mistake of thinking your students are not trying to use your website.  Students are going to your website to look for information. – I can see it in your department stats. If there is not updated information there to assist them, they will leave and most likely not return.  Having updated content creates a trust with students who knows that you have a branch where they “exist” and if they can continue to return to your website for updated events and other pertinent information, that creates loyalty.  It takes the average person 7 times of seeing something before they take action.  If you want students to attend an event get that event on your website with more information than when and where – include why, photos/video, and how (call to action – what do they need to do to attend the event)  THEN, hang posters with the same graphic design that have a call to action to go to your website for more info  Get your event on the WSU home page, and or the Union home page, post it on your (and/or WSU’s) social media, get the WSU radio to announce it, send out a text … all of which tell the user to visit your website for more information.  Another reason to maintain your website: Search engines love frequently updated information. Without doing a redesign and just focusing on website maintenance and some organic SEO tactics, Daniel and I were able to get the Outdoor Program website to increase 50% in pageviews this year and last month they had the highest revenue they have ever had, times 2! Union Stats  The redesign of the Union website in August of 2011 has included continuous maintenance of upcoming events in the Union. Because of this, we have seen a 78% increase in pageviews as of January 2013.  I can see in the stats that visitors increase every weekend because students are looking for what to do on campus on the weekend.  The Women’s Center is up 45% from last year – increase in event attendance as well  Fitness is up 30% from last year  The Center for Diversity and Unity increases in pageviews every month  The CIC is up  If you are religiously posting your events and opportunities for students, your pageviews will increase and most likely carry over to increased participation.

Student Involvement Survey  87% say they are more likely to attend an event on campus if they see it posted in multiple places, including the web.  77% say accompanying photos of previous events increase the likelihood they will partake in the posted event.  51% say peer recommendation is useful when deciding to partake in an event.  Helpful quotes from survey: o "Please include date, time, types of activities, truthful comments by peers, and advanced notice." (Our high nontrade population need to discuss attendance with spouse and find baby sitter) o "I like to know what exactly is expected as a time commitment." o "I just like to know what is going on. The more things I hear about the more likely I am to get involved and the more involved you are the more fun you have." (And as we all know, more likely to stay in school) o "Please include times and dates, overview of the activity, and why it is fun/beneficial/relevant" (How does it benefit me, campus, community) What You Need To Know (Take Away)  Obviously MAINTAIN YOUR WEBSITE!  Every department is in charge of maintaining their own website o I do not know your events/hour changes/staff turnover/etc. – I will gladly do your updates for you if you let me know what they are. o You have all received a handout checklist to follow before posting content yourself or sending it to me to be posted. I very rarely have time to review your content for spelling/grammar/relivance before posting – so I need your help to have finalized copy. o Some departments have designated staff/students to do basic updates and then those employees contact me for anything major. Contact me if you do not know if your department has a designated employee for updates. o Keep in mind that I am helping maintain all Student Affairs websites, so I will not always remember that your event has past – so remind me to take it down.  I need at least 2 work days advance on MINOR updates o I can usually get to basic updates (hours change/staff update/new event) in 2 days or less. o Any crisis communication will get my immediate attention. o For anything larger such as new pages, graphic work, or forms, I need at least 2 weeks advance (sometimes more depending on the project). o For new websites, I need a few months – but contact me to discuss the new project because my time frames are dependent on the needs of the project. o I have a 7 year plan for SA redesigns – I have already gone through and fixed any “red flag” issues on all SA websites – so every department website is fine as long as you continue to maintain them. o I know everyone wants a redesign and I promise we will get to everyone in time, but the most important part about your website is your content – content is king! o You do not need a redesign to have a wonderful website – you need maintained and relevant content that focuses on your users. o When we do a redesign I will focus on a more usable layout, more inviting design, and make sure the website contains the user focused content that your target audience will be looking for – but until then, there is much you can do on your own to increase your pageviews. o Those of you have had had redesigns know that it is a lot of work for not just me – but for you as well! – and it means nothing if the website does not stay maintained after.  SAT Web Standards (weber.edu/sat) o I have created a set of standards for all Student Affairs websites. o These standards focus on formatting copy for ease of scanning (users are task-oriented and scan through content looking for desired content) and increasing accessibility (so users who use assistive devices still access your website) and SEO. o Please read these standards and follow them when posting your own content or providing me with content. You will find a copy of these standards on the SAT website under “Instructions and Resources” – and the handout checklist covers the big ones. o Contact me if you need to be trained to use Site Manager and standards or need a refresher.  WSU Style Guide (Associated Press) o All copy that represents WSU needs to follow the WSU Style Guide for consistency and unified brand o Allison will be going over some style guide basics next  TechTrivia o Follow SAT on Facebok to get reminders on everything we talked about today and more  This presentation will be posted on the student affairs staff development page by tomorrow for your reference.