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Important: University-wide link change

DATE: 1 November, 2007

TO: All campus web developers, web designers, web content managers, and subnet managers
FROM: Communications and Creative Services
RE: URLs of Main page required links are changing

Posted on 1 Nov by Adam Warren, Communications and Creative Services

What are your words doing?

Are they helping your users? If not, you need new words!

In a recent blog post, web guru Gerry McGovern states that web design is the design of words, because "You understand the use of a website by reading it. You read the labels, classifications, buttons, and other pieces of text. That’s how you know what the website is about. That’s how you know what to do next."

Before you evaluate what your words on your site are doing, consider what it is you want them to do - recruit students? Improve the image of your deparment or unit? Inspire donors to give? Whatever it is, what you want your users to do, should drive your design and content.

Read more about this and other related topics on www.giraffeforum.com.

Posted on 17 July by Leslie Hilbert, Communications and Creative Services

Why do we have websites?

To communicate ideas and information, of course!

How we go about making our web pages, ovbiously, impacts how successful we can be. Consider employing some tried-and-true methods from the publishing industry, suggested in this recent article at A List Apart.

"Better web page layouts aren't only about aesthetics. A layout with clear hierarchies can turn scanners to readers, and readers to members. Learn how visual contrast can improve web pages into sizzling calls to action." Read the entire article...

Posted on 4 May by Adam Warren, Communications and Creative Services

What Everybody Ought to Know About Web 2.0

A brilliant explanation of what all this Web 2.0 stuff is...

From a cultural anthropology viewpoint, this video produced by a Kansas State University professor takes a thoughtful look at the human aspect of the web. But it also does an excellent job explaining just why separation of content and presentation is so important, beneficial, and easy - an idea whose time has more than come, but yet unfortunately continues to need prodding and pushing to shock developers out of their good old comfort zones and into production for all persons, devices, and media.

Please watch it: once you do, you'll get why I so highly recommend it.

Posted on 31 March by Adam Warren, Communications and Creative Services

Video Killed the Radio Star...

Four ways to get video on your website

Popular, attention-grabbing, interesting, interactive—Video is just what you're looking for as an addition to your web site. Here are four options:

Flash Video

Pro: Flash is a nearly universal player. Cons: Difficulties of use - the controls are not defined, they need to be programmed or you need to use one of the components provided by Adobe or some other third party provider. File size — though flash is competitive (especially if you use a third party compressor like Sorenson or ON2 Flix), flv videos are typically larger than other formats.

Live Streaming Video

Pros: unlimited content length, live interactivity with presenter from anywhere. Cons: requires sufficient IT support, uninterrupted network connection, and excellent network speed.

On-Demand Streaming

Pros: unlimited content length, available whenever, will not fill up users' hard drives. Cons: network congestion can impact quality.

On-Demand Downloads

Pros: guaranteed quality, playback does not require internet connection, can be transferred to iPod for portable playback. Cons: files are huge (can fill hard drive) and intellectual property / copyright issues are unsolvable (video/content is not secure).

What's the recommendation?

Use Flash Video for short clips, Windows Media Live or Quicktime for on-demand streaming, and MPEG-4 for iPod delivery.

How do I get started?

At CSU, you can offer Live Streaming Video and On-Demand Streaming via the COPE server. Contact Ron Bend for more information on COPE. For Flash Video, if you have Adobe Flash you can author your own player, or if not you can download a preconfigured video player (FLV) from various resources on the internet. All you need is video content and a place to put it. On-Demand downloads currently require a third-party service, such as iTunesU. More on this when it is developed.

Posted on 19 March by Adam Warren, Communications and Creative Services

A Blast from the Past...
Jakob Nielsen on "How Users Read on the Web"

Jakob Nielsen has been described as a Web guru, the king of usability, and the creator of one the plainest sites on the Web, useit.com (OK, so that last one was just me). Almost ten years ago he wrote an article about writing for web that is still applicable today. It's a quick read and well worth the effort.

Posted by Leslie Hilbert, Communications and Creative Services

Web Conference - 'Writing Right for the Web'

Monday, March 5
11-12:30, LSC 224-226
Hosted by Communications & Creative Services

Presented by Academic Impressions, Writing Right for the Web explores the common pitfalls of web writing and how they can derail your site's effectiveness. Examples from higher education will be used to highlight both good and bad practices and to demonstrate the value of a designated web editor.

Posted by Leslie Hilbert, Communications and Creative Services

Important Update:
Web Site Requirements & Guidelines

The Graphic Standards site has been updated and contains current guidelines for colors and logos to be used in communications at CSU. Changes to the requirements and guidelines for Web sites include following:

  1. Placement of the university logo - The logo must be a prominent design component and must appear in the top 200 pixels of the page.
  2. University color palette - the university's official colors (dark green and gold) must be the predominant colors of all web designs.
  3. University typography and design look - Minion and Swiss 721 are the primary fonts to be used in design elements (Garamond and Helvetica are acceptable alternates). The body should use a sans serif font. Page layout should evoke a clean, open style and photos should have clean edges—no multiple-layered photo effects or collages.

Posted by Leslie Hilbert, Communications and Creative Services

Getting your page found!

Want to get your site listed higher in CSU's Google Search?

This article by Chris Weller, Communications and Creative Services webmaster, can help. Topics include metatags, titles, content, URLs, strategy and competition. [Read more]

Posted by Chris Weller, Communications and Creative Services