Though not completed in time for the start of the academic year, the major renovation of the University's website has reached its final stages after a yearlong joint effort by OIT and the Office of Communications.
Director of Communications Lauren Robinson-Brown '85 said the groups are still working to finish the project.
"We've been having a lot of positive input, but that input has been making us work harder," she said. "It's more important to get the website right than to rush and launch it."
Robinson-Brown said calls to update the website were heard as early as 2001. In response, the communications office organized a Web Strategy Task Force to research ways the site could be improved.
One suggestion the task force carried out was the addition of the Google search engine to the website — but members of the University community said they still felt more work needed to be done.
"The current website was introduced Aug. 11, 1998," Robinson-Brown said. "So in web life, our site is old."
Renovations began again last year under the leadership of OIT finance, administration and planning director Nancy Costa, web communications director Reed Meister and Robinson-Brown, along with contributions from faculty, staff, students and private consultants.
Several groups and individuals across campus, including the Residential Computing Consultants, are currently previewing the newly-renovated website. A campus-wide preview is tentatively scheduled for October.
Changes include a new content management system technology (CMS). The University decided to purchase this new technology from the Swedish-based firm Roxen.
CMS "makes it easy to quickly update content on the website," Robinson-Brown said. "It's as if you're working from a Word document."
Students will also have the ability to conduct three different types of searches — a Google search, site search of the University and pupil search — directly from the University homepage, rather than from a separate search page as in the current configuration.
The Office of Communications said it has already received positive feedback for this improvement from the groups currently previewing the site.
The renovation will also provide additional space for news and announcements.
New technology will allow links from different websites to be featured on the homepage from day to day.
Different clubs, organizations and departments must submit requests for featured links.
"We try to make sure what goes on the homepage is of general interest to a lot of groups," Robinson-Brown said.
Robinson-Brown said that anyone with input concerning the project should contact Reed Meister at rmeister@princeton.edu.
Read More
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
Effort to restore chapel’s pews slowly progresses
Ben GoldstonHead carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Head carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Metals, molecules, and medicine: chemical biology’s influence on health and sustainability
Aanya KaseraChemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.
Chemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.