Profiles, photos, videos, and blogs will play a central role in a new site launched recently by the New York Institute of Technology, according to this report from 7th Space Interactive.The site was developed with the help of Expression Engine, a content management system that NYIT says will allow content developers to make regular updates. The goal, according to the report, is to have a constantly evolving site that reflects both the university and its community.
Jacquelyn Nealon, the NYIT vice president for enrollment, communications, and marketing says the site will integrate a variety of social media tools so that “members of the NYIT community [can] upload their own images, blogs, and profiles, as well as the ability to comment and stimulate conversations through our portals.”
An article February 21 on NYIT’s online newspaper The Campus Slate says every user’s profile page will have a Facebook-like “wall” where friends can post messages, and other features that will mimic Facebook. The difference between the old site and the new site is the difference between “showing” and “telling,” school administrators say in the article.
What’s the reasoning behind the launch of the new Web site? “Well, the old NYIT.edu ‘shows’ rather than ‘tells’ the world the stories of the NYIT community and NYIT’s mission in a visual and meaningful way. And the new Web site unites NYIT’s two New York, and five global campuses, showcasing the reason why NYIT is such a great place to study,” said Dr. Nealon. With NYIT being such a global university, we need to find new and innovative ways to build a community between and among our campuses.
The new Web site is different in many significant ways. On the old site, students, parents, alumni, and faculty are all located on the same home page, with only so many options to go under each section. The administration believes that the new version will provide a better platform because students will be able to get exactly what they need on their home page, while faculty and staff members can do the same and access a home page that’s just right for them. There will also be home pages for parents, prospective students, and alumni as well.
The site is inviting and packs a decent amount of content while remaining fairly easy to browse. On the other hand, the design tends towards busy and the heavy colors sometimes overwhelm the information. The most interesting portion of the front page is at the bottom. It’s called “Get Social” and features a section for videos, another for photos, another for profiles, and one for blogs. There isn’t much content there yet, but it looks promising. It will be interesting to see how those sections fill out in the coming months. See for yourself at the NYIT Web site. To find out more about Expression Engine CMS, you can check out the overview of features at their site.
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