IWMW and sharing what we're up to

I was away for a few days last week at the Institutional Web Management Workshop 2011 conference (IWMW) , where lots of like-minded web folk from universities around the country get together to share experiences and ideas.



As ever, there were some interesting presentations and workshops (videos are online) but the stand-out benefit of attending was once again the conversations with colleagues at other universities that happen between sessions and in the bar in the evening. Of course, being an annual conference means there can be a lot to catch up on, so it was great to see a couple of outcomes this year which should help keep us in touch more regularly.

Regional meetups

There was a resurgence of interest this year in resurrecting some of the local web meetups that have happened in the past but, with the exception of the Scottish web folk, seem to have largely fizzled out. Between a few of us University folk in Yorkshire, we're hopeful that we might manage a local get together before too long.

A higher-ed blog aggregator

Since getting together in person is always going to be a once-in-a-while activity, the surprise unveiling of an institutional web teams blog aggregator was great to see. It should help all of us discover what one another are up to on an ongoing basis.

I've probably got RSS feeds for most HE web teams pouring into Google Reader already, but this makes them much more visible, saves me having to discover new blogs myself (I can use a single feed from here to pick up everything) and adds a handy search feature.

Hopefully the increased visibility will inspire both us and others to post more frequently!

Blog publishing from Word

I've just created a new document in MS Word 2007 for the first time since I upgraded and there were two options presented: blank document or blog post. I'm not supposed to be writing a blog post right now, but the temptation is too good to resist.

Early signs are good, because Blogger is listed as a blog I can write for. The next step doesn't fill me with confidence because Word announces that when it contacts the blog provider my username and password may be visible to others. But I'm reckless, so carried on regardless.

I'm now writing my blog post in what looks like Word's normal editing screen, just with a few things removed. It's actually quite good.

What, why and how we're blogging

We've talked in the Web Office about starting a blog several times over the last couple of years. We've finally done it, so I thought a quick overview of why and how we've done it may be of interest.

Why we want to blog

The Web Office works with lots of web authors around the University and the work we do has an impact on everyone who uses the website. We sometimes struggle to keep in touch or maintain a dialogue with all these stakeholders and wanted a way to improve this. We hope a blog is one way we can keep people better informed, be more open about what we're doing and offer more opportunities for dialogue.

In addition to just letting you know what we're up to in the office, we also hope to share some tips and tricks that may help you make more productive use of your computer and the web tools that you use day to day.

If there are things you'd like to hear more about, drop us a line by email (web-office@york.ac.uk) or leave a comment right here on the blog.

Why we're on Blogger

Those of you who know a little about blogging may have noticed we're using Blogger. This is an external service, run by Google, and operates completely outside of the University.

We're using Blogger because the University doesn't (yet) have a centrally-supported blogging service. There is a project ongoing looking at selection and deployment of collaborative tools for the University, of which blogging is likely to be one component, but nothing is in place just yet. We could have installed our own blog software on a University service, but it would have been a lot more effort to set up and a lot more effort to maintain. Blogger is quick, simple, offers all the functionality we need and fitted the bill just nicely for our particular needs at this time.

Until the University has a supported blogging platform, our use of Blogger unfortunately doesn't mean we can support other departments who want a blog. We'll be happy to advise, but our involvement can only be very light-touch until the University settles on a supported solution. It's important to note that while Blogger suited our needs, it may not suit yours so please don't just assume that following our lead is a good idea. Talk to us first and we'll advise as best we can.