Archive for the ‘More with Less’ Category

Top 3 ways for #highered to do more with Web Analytics in 2011

It’s been almost 6 months since I launched the first higher ed web analytics benchmarking survey. Since August 2010, 80 to 100 higher ed professionals have taken the time to report their web data on 12 metrics. Shelby Thayer from Penn State University and I identified this set as interesting metrics to watch across the […]

Shouldn’t your next higher ed web project be a Content Redesign?

I believe it should. What do I mean by a “Content Redesign?” Something quite simple and complex at the same time. Every 3 to 4 years, most universities and colleges (well, at least those with some budgets left) embark in major web redesign projects. After many discussions and meetings, your web committee finally gives the […]

2 tips for professional #highered video by Mike Richwalsky from JCU

Video is a lot of work. As Susan Evans, director of Creative Services at William & Mary College, noted in a blog post earlier this week, great video isn’t as easy to produce as it looks. Susan has even decided to wait to get a videographer on her team before doing another video. [CORRECTION: looks […]

2 tips for professional campus photos by Judson Copeland from Oklahoma Christian University

A photo is worth 1,000 words. I know it, you know it. Even the “girls under the tree” shots that are so often used on college homepages are definitely better than what would be a text-based generic description of your campus. Yet, when you go beyond the website main pages or the cover of print […]

The State of Print and Electronic Publications in Higher Ed – 2010 Survey Results

A total of 262 professionals (vs 198 in 2009 and 218 in 2007) working in universities and colleges completed this online survey about the state of print and electronic publications in higher education from October 7 to 22, 2010. The survey was completed by people working in marketing/communications (72%), web (9.5%) and other offices. Here […]

Let’s find out more about social media and fundraising in higher education!

Social media might have become the name of the game when it comes to student recruitment and alumni relations, but what about fundraising? According to the CASE survey conducted by mStoner and Slover Linett Strategies in June 2010, only 31% of the respondents consider that raising private funds is one of the goals of their […]

Who wants FREE professional development for the holidays?

I know, I used one of those catchy headlines to get your attention, but it looks like it worked, didn’t it? Anyway, between the egg nog, cookies and chocolates, I think the holiday season is the perfect time to regroup and slow down a bit to reflect on what you accomplished over the past year […]

Beloit College video with squirrels gets close to 6,000 YouTube views

There’s something special going on between higher ed and squirrels. If you went to the High Ed Web conference in Cincinnati last October (or just watch the backchannel over Twitter), you might have heard about THE Penn State Squirrel (front and center in this photo taken by Anne Petersen) – quite the party animal. Maybe […]

How to create and publish email newsletters with WordPress

Email newsletters and WordPress have been on my mind today for two reasons: I’m presenting a session on how to use WordPress to create the online version of your print magazine at the CASE Conference for Publications Professionals in New Orleans on Thursday. I’ll be hosting Email Newsletters 360: How to create email newsletters that […]

Higher Ed Experts Webinars: Email Newsletters, Photo, Video, Live Streaming, Web Content Strategy, WordPress and Redesign

Now that I’m almost done with conference season (4 down -EduComm, eduWeb, High Ed Web & SIM Tech- and 1 to go – CASE conference for publication professionals), it’s time to share the program I designed with my faculty team from Higher Ed Experts for folks working in institutions. As I explained last week at […]

heweb10, simtech10 and the tough job of benchmarking Web Analytics in higher ed

It’s been a couple of very busy weeks around here. As I told a couple of folks I met at the High Ed Web and the SIM Tech conferences over these past 2 weeks, busy is the new black. Aren’t we all, lately? Anyway, I wanted to share a few thoughts about the two amazing […]

Think a print magazine editor can’t shoot?

Think again, but no need to duck out, we’re talking about shooting videos. Renee Olson, the editor of Drew Magazine, shared on the CUE listserv a couple of weeks ago the first video piece she completed as a web extra for her magazine: a profile of a Guggenheim winner and faculty member Patrick Phillips. At […]

Interested in the state of print and electronic publications in higher ed? Take the survey, get the results!

In 2007 and 2009, I created a survey about the state of print and electronic publications in higher education. Each time, more than 200 institutions took the time to answer my questions. Over the past 3 years, the budget crisis seems to have accelerated the shift from print to electronic when it comes to higher […]

A great interactive campus tour on the cheap with the help of YouTube and students for Saint Michael’s College

While nothing will ever replace campus visits for prospective students, online tours have become a sought-after web feature in the early college selection process. Unfortunately most of the solutions out there don’t come cheap – and can be very, very expensive – especially if you want to embed some interactivity in your online campus tour. […]

CSU uses Twitter to power dynamic updates on a… billboard

A few institutions have used Twitter to broadcast text updates to mobile phones (I remember writing in one of my UB columns about Allegheny College distributing this way updates about orientation). However, this is the first time I’ve heard of a university marrying the old and the new by broadcasting updates from its Twiter account […]

Higher Ed TV: Not your average library video tour by Juniata College

Last week Rick Stutz, Coordinator of E-Communications at Juniata College, emailed me to share the video tour that was created for his college’s library. This funny 4-minute video piqued my interest, so I decided to find out how it had been done. Rick Stutz, Nathan Wagoner, Director of the Digital Media Studio and John Mumford, […]