Concordiensis

Issue date: 10/1/09 Section: Sci/Tech

Media Credit: Ajay Major Union.edu OnCampus Website

Let's be honest here: Union's current website isn't that great. Sure, there's plenty of useful information, from dining hall menus to forms to network registration for gaming systems. The problem is finding any of it. There are more than 40 links on the front page of the Union OnCampus website, some of them organized alphabetically and others thematically. For a first time browser, this is simply too much information to navigate through just to find out what room their chemistry lab is being held in. Even experienced students have problems with the parts of the site they don't use frequently: "I pretty much only use the [school's] site for figuring out vacations and professor contact information. It's a pain for me to find anything else." says Darrin Liau, a class of 2011. In order to resolve these navigation issues, the Office of Marketing and Communications has put together the Union Reboot project, which aims to completely overhaul the navigational layout of the site and add integration with social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

According to the official project blog at unionreboot.org, the goals of the Union Reboot project are to create a user-driven structure for the site, implement a clear, consistent and intuitive navigation scheme, create a design that interfaces well with social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and to provide content that reinforces Union's identity, values, and accomplishments. In the words of Ken George, the Web Director in the Office of Marketing and Communications, "The "Reboot" is all about a much more strategic and smarter use of digital spaces, whether it be union.edu or Facebook or say, podcasts, to showcase what makes Union special to prospective students, donors and other constituents, while giving the campus community access to the information it needs." In order to achieve these goals, the Office of Communications has put together the Web Advisory Group to work with the mStoner company in the creation of the new website design. This advisory group consists of representatives from across campus, including students.

There is ongoing discussion about the exact implementation of the new navigation scheme and to what extent the site will be integrated with social media. Project updates are posted regularly on unionreboot.org and are available for feedback and suggestions as the project moves forward.

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