Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Welcome to USI News
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News and Information Services’ redesigned Web site, now called USI News, “went live” in October. The site will serve as a central news center for information about USI. Web Services and NIS have collaborated on the project for several months. The new site is designed to direct information to USI’s multiple Web audiences more efficiently, with pages designed for Campus News (with information of general interest), Student News, Faculty and Staff News, and links to Athletics and arts news and information. “Because News and Information reports on so many areas of the University, the challenge was to tailor the site in such a way that users could easily find stories that pertained directly to them,” said Ed Scharf, web developer in Web Services. “This was achieved by creating three different main headline pages – Campus News, which will serve as the main news page, Student News, and Faculty and Staff News. Now, the News and Information staff can program their stories to be posted where they’re most likely to be read.” The site still includes contact information for NIS staff and Photography Services; the USI Experts Guide, Editor’s Manual, and Speakers Bureau; emergency procedure information; and links to University Notes, USI Magazine, and the University Bulletin. In addition, the site has detailed information about NIS services; links to University newsletters, including those of the Alumni Association, College of Business, College of Nursing and Health Professions, and Department of Teacher Education; a press release archive with an improved search engine; weather information; and a calendar of events. “The Web Services team worked hard at reorganizing the Experts List into a more user-friendly format, and changed the search function on the press release database so that it searches both headlines and text, instead of either/or. I have used this feature several times in my research, and I’m sure it’s a function that the University community will find helpful as well,” said Wendy Knipe Bredhold, writer in News and Information Services. A new emphasis on campus news of specific interest to students represents an additional focus for NIS coverage. “The student page will allow us to communicate effectively with students. University departments that want to relay information to students should take advantage of this new mode of communication by contacting the NIS office,” Bredhold said. News and Information Services has organized a student advisory board to advise NIS staff of student projects, activities, and groups, and to help generate news for the Web and publications. |
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