Archive for February, 2007
After releasing its API - Application Programming Interface - in beta 6 month ago, Facebook has just announced this week the launch of FQL: Facebook Query Language. I'm sure the developers, programmers and database administrators among the readers will have noticed - with reason - the name similarity with the infamous SQL, the Structured Query Language also known as the universal language of all databases. As Ari Steinberg explains on the Facebook blog, FQL was created to make things a bit easier on the company's database while enforcing Facebook users' privacy settings in any applications developed by third parties with Facebook's...
Read MoreMy email box is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get... (yes, I stole this one from Forrest Gump ;-) As you might assume I do get a fair number of requests and questions from readers via email, but I got a special message last week. I wanted to share this with you earlier, but work has been interfering more and more with my blogging lately. What was so special about this email? It just started by "Dear Dr. Joly" I rest my case on the power of blogs. Now, back to our regular blogging.
I've been writing for a while about the need to monitor YouTube as part of a good crisis communication plan. If a problematic video about your campus, students, faculty members, etc. finds its way to the popular video sharing website, you should make sure you're not the last one to hear about it (especially if you work in the PR department). Unfortunately, YouTube didn't seem to offer any RSS feed to help with the task. Well, thanks to Fred Stutzman's tip, your life has just become easier. Instead of visiting the website from time to time to search for any videos about your...
Read MoreAfter taking some "time off" to wrap up two big typo3 upgrades, I'm back in full blogging mode. If your institution is a community college, chances are you've already heard about the League for Innovation in the Community College. [BTW, if it's not, you might be more interested in my last post about other interesting higher ed conferences in 2007] I hadn't before I received an email from Ed Leach about the conference his organization will hold in Nashville, TN from November 11 to 14, 2007. So, what is this League all about? As Ed explained in a follow-up email, it "is an international organization...
Read MoreWhat can you do when a video about one of your students' academic work goes viral and gets viewed more than 500,000 times on YouTube? Easy. Just follow Vancouver Film School's lead. Get the student in front of a camera and do an interview to address the most frequently posted comments by YouTubers (not all +1,200 of them, though ;-). You might have already watched the video created and produced by Ori Ben-Shabat, a VFS graduate: "Piece of Mind". It's smart, beautiful and full of visual effects. This video not only showcases the talent of this guy but also the expertise of the...
Read MoreFor my latest column in University Business, "PR on the Web 101," I've identified 7 must-have features for any effective online newsroom. I selected the following components after asking a few editors and reporters for their wish lists. A direct link from the home page 24/7 e-mail and phone (including the area code) contact information Mailing address (complete with town, state, and ZIP code) An academic experts online directory Searchable current and archived press releases with targeted RSS feeds or e-mail subscription (by category/by audience) Background information (fact sheets, statistics, relevant links in press releases) Downloadable, high-resolution photos (300 dpi) If you want to know why these...
Read MoreToday, I'm celebrating the second "birthday" of this blog launched on February 12, 2005 as well as its 300th post. When I started this blog, I didn't have a clue where this will lead me - if anywhere. Now with more than 150 subscribers to the email newsletter, about 250 readers via RSS and over 6,000 unique Web visitors per month, I can confirm it's been a very rewarding experience. Two years ago, I didn't spend a lot of time on the design of this blog -- which I'm sure my fellow higher Web professionals can guess easily. It wasn't...
Read MoreGeorgina Hibberd, the soul of Templatedata, is back from her blog hiatus and writes about a very interesting study done the University of Melbourne in Australia: First year students' experience with technology: are they really digital natives? This study of 2000 students was conducted in March 2006, during the first two weeks of their first semester (it's down-under, remember, my dear North-American and European readers?) The 27-page PDF report published by the Biomedical Mutlimedia Unit of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences can be downloaded for free and seems to confirm most of our assumptions about this generation: 1- Technology is...
Read MoreI wrote about Professor Wesch's video Sunday night. Today, a week after it's been posted on YouTube, the video has been viewed more than 120,000 times (vs. 8,000 Sunday night). This morning, Inside Higher Ed has the story behind this instant success in "A Lesson in Viral Video," an article by Elia Powers published this morning. So, how did Professor Wesch's video become such a big hit? He sent the link to 10 colleagues and friends. It was a second draft. He mostly wanted their feedback. And they responded positively by forwarding the link to a few of their friends. Within hours,...
Read MoreIn 4 days (including a weekend), this video created and uploaded by Kansas State University Professor Michael Wesch was viewed more than 8,000 times. And, it's probably just the beginning. While it doesn't directly promote KSU or its digital ethnography working group (although the latter is included in the video credits), I'm pretty sure it's going to draw a lot of interest on them in the next few days. In 4 minutes and 30 seconds, this video gives a brillant explanation of what's Web 2.0. Beyond the usual screenshot tour, the video shows what's really behind this evolution/revolution from paper to screen....
Read MoreMy first UB column for 2007 is now available in the February issue as well as online: “PR and the Web 101” If you are a University Business reader who has just discovered collegewebeditor.com, welcome! Don’t forget to subscribe to this blog via RSS or email. If you have any questions or feedback about the blog or the column, feel free to email me at karine@collegewebeditor.com .
Most people don't like change (I thrive on it, but I know I'm in the minority on this one ;-). In higher education, the announcement of any proposed change (be it a website or logo redesign, a new strategic plan or even worse a change in the name of the institution) will result in complaints, fights, protests and worst case scenario: status quo. That's why the communication around the decision-making process is so critical. It's very important to offer the proper communication channels to allow people to voice their concerns or their praises. Andrew Careaga, UMR communication director and a seasoned higher ed...
Read MoreCurrent students' testimonials are priceless for prospective students because they offer peers' opinions about a given institution. That's why more and more high school seniors (and their parents) check out student blogs about college life. Huntington University, a Christian college based in Indiana, offers a series of short videos titled "Insider's View" on its YouTube channel. Nicely produced, most of these videos are composed of edited bits of interviews where students are asked about their major, classes, faculty and opportunities. As a result, they are also a great way to learn about featured academic programs as you can see in the PR major...
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