News

Redesigned News and Information website uses videos, podcasts and photos to bring press releases to life

In print | April 24, 2008

Launched about two weeks ago, the newly revamped Swarthmore News Web site incorporates podcasts, videos, blogs and Flickr photos to make the college Web 2.0 compatible and to reach out to parents, alumni and current and prospective students.

“We wanted to capture the energy and vitality of student life … in particular through videos and podcasts,” Director of Communications Nancy Nicely said. The Web site also contains links to blogs of faculty, students and staff, including Ms. T’s blog, an admissions office [staff member’s online journal].” Those visiting the Web site can also access lectures from faculty experts and recent college headlines.

A collaborative effort amongst students, faculty, staff and, in particular, Nicely and News and Information Associate Director Alisa Giardenelli, the Web site began as an idea last fall and has developed into a multimedia display of student and college life. Nicely and Giardenelli along with Web designer Steve Lin and “podcast expert” Nate Stazewski of Alumni Relations, Media Services technicians David Neal and Mike Bednarz, Media Services director Michael Patterson and Web developer Marc Lewis worked to generate content and to design the Web site itself.

The Web site team also looked to other university News Web sites for inspiration.

“We did extensive benchmarking. What we learned was that it has taken everyone a long time to catch up to Web 2.0. We weren’t as far behind as we would have imagined,” Nicely said. Nicely and Giardenelli have had to become technologically adept quickly, thanks to the high-tech nature of the new Web site. “It’s an ongoing process,” Giardenelli said of the technology she has had to pick up.

“I am blessed with a staff that is technologically savvy,” Nicely said. According to Nicely, the team had “Web-inars,” or professional development seminars, to become conversant in the necessary technology and to learn about the best practices.

Nicely expects that the new Web site will be utilized by alumni, staff, faculty, matriculating students, parents and future Swarthmore students. “There is a real hunger for ways to connect to what happens on campus,” Nicely said, also noting that sometimes mere words cannot wholly convey, as videos can, the college experience. Giardenelli also mentioned that she received feedback from an alumnus from the class of 1957, who commented on a video of the Phoenix mascot tryouts.

The goal is to have video updates occurring weekly and podcast updates monthly. Additionally, videos will be put on YouTube and all of the podcasts will eventually be available on iTunes. Nicely expects that all of this will be achieved during this coming summer. A boost in viewership has already been noted, as Nicely stated that within the first week of unveiling the site there has a four-fold increase from last year’s Web site traffic, noted during the same time period. According to Nicely, visits to the Web site will be tallied once a month from now on.

According to Nicely, the Web site is a project that will be continually changed and improved. “We really welcome student feedback. We’re very open to revision,” Nicely said.