A tongue-in-cheek deck given to a higher-ed client about the poor state of their websites and how to fix

2. Produced 250 pages of transcripts and notes

3. Ran online surveys and got 1,000+ responses

4. Spelunked into your current web ecosystem of faber.edu’s 55,000+ assets and the 40+ sub-domainsWe boiled everything together and we talked amongst ourselves & this is what we think :

5. Your Web Presence Stinks You are a fantastic school with a horrible web presence You are better than that Stop bickering Stop talking amongst yourselves and ignoring the world Start thinking strategically Create a plan Make it happen

6. The Primary Purpose of YOUR external web communications is To attract prospective students and convince them to attend Faber College To establish and elevate the Faber College brand All other purposes and audiences are irrelevant

7. Go make your executable web Reflect the priorities of the University Reflect your strategic direction It’s the University’s most important external communications vehicle Stop catering to pet projects

8. Define the mission See slides 2 and 3 Done that? Good.

9. Define your governance model You’re hiring a Director of Digital Communications Their mandate comes from the college President This Director is responsible for the web Alone Not a committee This person will have a team of rock stars Responsible for multiple projects Difficult objectives to reach Of quantifiable metrics

10. Cowboy Up Give that web team the bodies Give them the budget Give them the technology Give them a timeline Get everyone else out of their way

11. Break The Mission Down into Manageable Chunks External Audiences Faber College.edu Alumni platform Syndication Layer/Social Media Internal Audiences Intranet Course Registration External/Internal Calendar Single Sign On Search

12. For Faber College.edu New information architecture New Interface design Develop Republishing and Syndication content layers QA Fixes Testing & Usability Plan Communications Plan Deployment Plan

13. You’re going on a Content Diet, Faber College.edu Radically downsize your content from 55,000 pages/items to 2,500 Throw it out or Migrate it to the intranet you’re going to build Focus on content that drives users to their (and your) goals Focus on your strategic messaging

14. One University, one platform, one voiceYour external web presence will reflect user needs, not departmental structure

15. Standardize PlatformsYou provide the medium; your stakeholders will provide the message

16. Don’t Be Afraid of HeresyCreate social media guidelines and a robust moderation system – and let the conversations happen

17. A Business Tool for A Business School Dump Harris (Your alumni already have) Use LinkedIn (Your alumni already are)

18. Define How You Measure Success Don’t say “Establish best-in-class interfaces with internal and external stakeholders that leverage and synergize Faber College’s strengths” That’s an aspiration, not a quantifier Say “We will increase our online inquiries for school admissions from 1,200 in FY2009 to 1,500 in FY2010.” You can measure that. You train accountants, for Pete’s sake! * taken from the 5-Year strategic plan

19. There is no Voodoo to This

20. You just have to hop on your horse and ride

21. You need to get out of your bubble

22. And create an online experience of symmetry and beauty

23. That truly reflects Faber College