WebComment

Social Media and a Presidential Announcement

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:59:16 -0500

As most of you already know, Tufts University announced today that Anthony P. Monaco was chosen to serve as the thirteenth President of Tufts University. In addition to the standard (and important!) email blast, news release, feature story, and website updates, Web Communications incorporated more interactive forms of communication to help spread the word.

Intern for Web Communications!

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 18:51:33 -0500

Web Communications is looking for a social media intern and an events calendar intern to work with us in the Spring 2011 semester. For more details, please see the job listings on Tufts Life: Social Media Intern Events Calendar Intern

Social Media Hub

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:55:33 -0500

Web Communications recently finished building a Tufts-wide Social Media Hub that combines feeds and content from Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, and blogs from around the University. The page provides a clean, feature-rich way to keep tabs on Tufts' social media presence without having to visit each site individually. In addition, the page includes tweets, videos, blog entries, and other content from many departments and student groups. What do you think of the new page? Are there other social media channels you think Tufts should include? Would you like your department's social media outlets added to our lists? Let us know in the comments.

Offices and Services

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:41:04 -0500

After a University-wide survey and revisions made by a Master of Library Science, Tufts' Offices and Services page has been updated. While we had our own ideas of what needed changing, we received hundreds of responses and suggestions from the Tufts community, as well. The new page includes: - Improved sorting (“Department of Philosophy” is now under P instead of D) - Enhanced keywords to make search results more relevant - The removal of non-existent programs, individual labs, and departments without websites - The ability to list an entry under multiple names - The ability to search by partial titles (searching “communic” will return a link to “Web Communications,” rather than nothing) While we couldn’t add all the suggested improvements, such as photos for all listed departments or information on the nonexistent “Walpole Campus,” we feel this is a vast improvement over the previous version of the page.

Friday Links

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:30:43 -0500

A quick spin around the web turns up....

Making the CASE

Thu, 27 May 2010 15:12:18 -0500

We're proud to announce that the Office of Web Communications has received a CASE Bronze award in the Other Uses of Social Media category for our coverage of the Beelzebubs' appearance on NBC's "The Sing-Off." Out of 25 entries judged in the competition, two won gold and one (us!) won bronze. The great thing about a prize like this is that it is not our accomplishment alone. It also belongs to all the members of the Tufts community who made our social media outreach about the Bubs' progress through the competition -- whether it was through retweeting or live chatting -- a success. So, thanks to all!

One Big, Happy, Tweeting Community

Wed, 26 May 2010 09:55:19 -0500

The BostInnovation blog recently recognized the @TuftsUniversity Twitter account in a rundown of Boston-area university Twitter presences. Being in the Boston area, which has so many colleges and universities, it's always nice to be reminded of our neighbors who are doing the same thing we are -- trying to communicate and connect about our respective institutions on the web. BostInnovation calls it competition, but I also call it community. We all learn from each other. Congrats to all!

Four Years, Infinite Possibilities

Tue, 18 May 2010 13:07:26 -0500

Back in the summer of 2006, I had a crazy idea. What if we followed the lives of a group of Tufts students from start to finish, ending up with a cumulative portrait of the undergraduate experience? We didn't quite know what would happen when we launched Four Years, Infinite Possibilities. But last week, as the class of 2010 prepares to ascend the Hill one last time for Commencement, we launched the final installment.

Four Years, Infinite Possibilities from Tufts University on Vimeo.

Over the past four years, the students' lives changed in ways they couldn't have anticipated. You can read back through the installments of the feature to see how that happened. But Web Communications changed, too. The project itself changed owners. Our platforms shifted. Our technological capabilities and collaborations evolved (and the above video is proof positive of that). So what does this mean? It means that, for both our department and for these students, the story always goes on. All that changes is how we tell it. Congratulations to the class of 2010, and best of luck with the rest of your story.

Intern for Web Communications: Web Production Specialist

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:25:56 -0500

This summer, the Tufts Office of Web Communications is offering a paid internship for students interested in helping us update and manage web content. Interns will manage Web content (in HTML files as well as in content management systems) and do basic image production (cropping and resizing) using Adobe Photoshop. The ideal candidates will be motivated team players with an eye for detail, exceptional organizational skills and a broad-based knowledge of systems necessary for managing Web site content (e.g., secure FTP clients, HTML editors, and Web-based content management). Knowledge of Web site production and working knowledge of Web-related production tools and concepts (e.g. HTML, Cascading Style Sheets, Web content management systems, Adobe Dreamweaver [or similar], and Adobe Photoshop) is preferred. Ability to hand-code HTML (without the help of a WYSIWYG editor) is required. Experience with PHP and MySQL is highly desirable, but not required. Interested students should send their resume and the application form (you can cut and paste the information into an e-mail) to Katy Aronoff (katy dot aronoff at tufts dot edu). Web Communications Internship Application Form Thank you for your interest. Please fill in the information requested and return this form along with your resume to the Web Communications team. Name: Year: Major: Do you have a work-study grant? What is your availability? Are you also available to work during the fall? Do you plan to study abroad? If yes, when, and are you going abroad for a semester or full year? What (if any) HTML editing experience do you have? Do you have a preferred HTML editing client? Have you worked at Tufts before? Why do you want an internship with the Web Communications team? (no more than 75 words)

It's Alive!.... Live-Tweeting, That Is

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:04:09 -0500

April is arguably the most exciting month of the year on campus. The academic year is building to its momentous close, and the calendar explodes with amazing events happening almost every day. Since part of our charge is to tell the Tufts story, and these events are a critical component of that, we considered how to better convey it. Sure, we have made strides streamlining our events promotion via the Featured Events on the University Events Calendar (which also feeds to our News & Calendars page, select pages on the upper level of Tufts.edu, as well as the university-wide Infoscreens), but what about covering said events? After all, it's all about the experience. Enter live-tweeting. We have experimented with this in the past for Commencement, Matriculation and the Beelzebubs' finale on "The Sing-Off," but the concerns is always that it floods our main channel. Enter @TuftsLive, a Twitter channel dedicated to live, real-time event coverage. So far, we've covered two events, and initial feedback is positive. We have a few more coming up, with one potential surprise in the works, and we're excited about the promise of integrating more real-time coverage into our regular communications efforts. What do you think? We'd love to hear your feedback.

Now Available: Social Media Overview and Guidelines

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 08:53:34 -0500

Tufts has a thriving community of social media contributors and managers. But since it is such a new landscape, sometimes we all need a bit of guidance to help steer our efforts. With the help of many members of that community, we have published a social media overview, including advice for groups on campus curious about social media, some best practices and guidelines for managing social media channels, and tips about specific channels such as Twitter and Facebook. One of the most important things we wanted to include in these guidelines was some basic information for people who feel compelled to stake their flag in the social media turf, but are unsure how to proceed -- or if it is even right for them. Our Considering Social Media section, combined with our Social Media Planning Worksheet [PDF] (adapted from a similar document by Rachel Reuben at SUNY-New Paltz -- thanks, Rachel!), aims to help people walk through the implications of managing a social media outlet. Do you have any feedback? Let us know! And check out how our colleagues around the university are making the most of social media.

Intern for Web Communications this summer!

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 08:34:25 -0500

This summer, the Tufts Office of Web Communications is offering a paid content internship for Tufts undergraduates interested in creating content for the Tufts website and supporting the Web Communications staff. Interns will have an opportunity to write feature stories and website copy, shoot video and help develop innovative web features. Other responsibilities include but are not limited to audio transcription, photo cropping and making web content updates. The ideal candidates will be motivated team players with an eye for detail, exceptional organizational skills and a solid ability to write, edit, report and research, as well as an interest in web communications technologies (e.g. Google Maps, YouTube, content management). Students must demonstrate a commitment to producing consistent, quality work. We are looking for someone who can not only take our ideas and run with them, but who will also feel comfortable bringing his or her own ideas to the table. At least two clips and/or content samples--including at least one unedited piece--are requested. We will provide training on content management and in-house style. No technical skills required. Interested in students should send their resume and the application form at the bottom of this post (you can cut and paste the information into an e-mail) to Kaitlin Provencher AND Georgiana Cohen. (Do NOT apply by leaving a comment on this blog! Applications left via comment will not be considered.) -------- Web Communications Internship Application Form Thank you for your interest. Please fill in the information requested and return this form along with your resume to the Web Communications team. Name: Year: Major: Do you have a work-study grant? What are your availabilities? Are you also available to work during the spring? Do you plan to study abroad? If yes, when, and are you going abroad for a semester or full year? What (if any) communications/writing classes have you taken? Have you worked at Tufts before? Why do you want an internship with the Web Communications team? (no more than 75 words)

The Buzz on Buzz

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:16:21 -0500

There has been a lot written about Google Buzz, Google's big foray into the social networking sphere. Some say it's noise, some say it's genius. Some are turning it off, some are turning everything else off and living on Buzz alone. Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure what to make of it yet, either. But in the meantime, Tufts is there. If you follow us on Google Buzz, you'll see some of our social media streams, with more to come as Buzz continues to grow. It's still a new, experimental space, but stay tuned. What are your thoughts on Buzz?

Tufts is number one!

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:11:21 -0500

The website CollegeSurfing.com has published a ranking of the top 50 social media innovators in higher education, and Tufts gets top gold medal billing. What I liked about this ranking is the fact that it acknowledges not just one effort, like the @TuftsUniversity Twitter account, but multiple efforts from different groups, ranging from us to Tufts Dining to Academic Technology. If we only had one social media initiative running at this university, even if we had a full-time staffer dedicated to it, it would not be as successful as the efforts of multiple people from different departments across the school. That's because the value in social media comes from community. And our success in social media is derived in a large part from the sharing, communication and connections we form, both publicly and behind-the-scenes. Go Jumbos!

Stick This in Your Google Reader and Read It

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 09:45:47 -0500

Google Reader -- my personal preference in RSS readers -- now allows you to place the URL of any webpage, RSS be damned, into its "Add a subscription" box and track updates made on that page. Mashable says this might be particularly helpful for keeping track of updates to a homepage. The Google Operating System blog also offers a neat trick for generating a URL of the page feed created by Google. This comes on the heels of Sidewiki, Google's Toolbar plugin that socially enables any webpage. (I blogged about it earlier.) It seems like Google is trying to break out of the RSS/social media boxes and give the web legs, which is really intriguing. I wonder if people will use this functionality to "spy" on webpages that aren't designed as publications. How subtle a degree of update can it detect? Will any spoilers be found via Google Reader custom feeds? Like maybe about a certain tablet? :-)