It’s been a busy couple of weeks. Find out what we’ve been up to, and what’s coming up.

Go Mobile programme

Linda’s been getting the Clearing site migration under way – the site has been migrated into T4 and is undergoing a post-migration check.

The alumni site is gearing up for go live on the 20 April – we’re running final checks and adding final content.

Linda’s set up a process to manage the content work coming through Go Mobile – using a combination and of technology (Trello) and Blue Peter (pin board, sticky tape and post its) – we’ll get this programme cracked!

Careers websites

Jane has project managed the Go Mobile process for the huge Careers website – and it’s finally on the last leg. Fair to say this one has been… ‘tricky’. She might need a lie down now.

It was so big, we’ve created four new, audience-focused websites:

• Careers Service
• Careers Occupations (information site)
• Employers
• Staff (internal)

The new Employers website went live on Monday 4 April, and both the Careers Service and Careers Occupations will go live on Wednesday 13 April.

Andrew is continuing to populate the Careers Occupations site, which is substantial. He’s certainly finding out a lot about the different kind of jobs you can get. He’s still very happy with being a web content officer – so no career change imminent.

Jane and Lisa finalised the post-migration work on the Careers Service site and handed over the final sections to editors. Jane is also organising some extra editorial and T4 training for Careers staff.

Lisa is also helping populate the Careers Occupations site, and is writing some handover notes for managing events on the Careers site after it goes live.

Emily is proof reading the Careers Occupations website, while Emma C is proof reading the Careers Service website – phew!!! All ready for go live next week.

Campaigns and other developments

Emma C is reviewing our editorial style guide with a view to making it more accessible and easy to use.

Andrew wrote a blog post with tips on how to avoid broken links on your site, and Jane added a quick guide to lists. Lisa wrote this month’s newsletter for the blog.

Training and support

Linda ran a media training session.

We’ve received 41 support requests through the NU Service Helpdesk and have resolved 19 of them.

Plans for the next few weeks

There’s induction planning for another content officer starting with us on the 25 April.

We’ve got another round of Planning and Writing Web Content workshops coming up, as well as a session on T4 Basics.

Share this post:

Go Mobile programme

We’ve welcomed two Content Officers to the team to support our work on the Go Mobile programme. The whole team is involved in their induction, getting them up to speed with our systems and processes.

Meet Emily

I’ve been busy getting to grips with all the systems, processes and information I’ll need here in the CWD team. It’s only been a week and a half, but I’ve had a great time getting to know the team, what they all do, and where Andrew and I will fit in. Onwards to the next week!

Meet Andrew

I, too, have been trying to ease my feet under the table. The wonderful welcome and induction the team has delivered really has helped get Emily and I started. I’m working on the new career resources website, which is something I can really get my teeth into.

Emma C completed an audit of the Clearing website.

Linda has been finalising the go live schedule for the Alumni and Giving website.

The new site for the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering has just gone live.

Jane and Lisa handed over most sections of the Careers Website to editors last week, and are working through final sections.

Design and Technical developments

Andy has completed a set of photo audits for sites about to go through Go Mobile. He has reviewed assets in the University photo library to make sure we’ve got enough high quality images to use in the new template.

The Tech Team have been doing some housekeeping by optimising JavaScript and CSS to improve page performance.

Campaigns and other developments

Emma C worked with members of Marketing and Student Recruitment to produce an offer guide for taught postgraduate students.

Training and support

Jane and Lisa ran a fully subscribed Planning and Writing web Content session. We had attendees responsible for websites including Accommodation, the School of Biology and Online Events. Anne ran another T4 CMS Basics session, and Contribute workshop.

We’ve received 34 support requests through the NU Service Helpdesk and have resolved 16 of them.

Plans for the next few weeks

The content team are beginning to audit the next batch of sites to go through Go Mobile. We’ll also continue working alongside editors from Careers to get their new sites ready for go live.

And there’s quite a bit of holiday in the team over the school holidays. Destinations include Tennessee, New York, Palma and… Peterborough.

Share this post:

Today is moving day! See you on the other side.

Go Mobile programme

Ongoing induction planning and planning for the programme overall.

Work on the alumni site is progressing well. There’s some development work needed on the fund areas with impact and some technical work needed to manage donations and events.

The Careers website has been migrated into T4. Jane and Lisa are carrying out post-migration work on the site to get it ready to hand over to editors next week.

Campaigns and other developments

The University is looking for a new Vice-Chancellor, in succession to Professor Chris Brink who retires in December 2016. We’ve been working with Corporate Affairs and Human Resources to develop a micro-site to promote this opportunity.

We’ve provided a bit of support to set up some online events pages for the HaSS Faculty.

Training and support

Over the next couple of weeks we’re delivering more Go Mobile Training sessions plus additional induction sessions for new team members.

Plans for the next few weeks

We’ll be settling into our new home in the Daysh Building – you can find us in room G11 previously used by Combined Honours. Why not pop in and say hello if you’re passing?

We’re still part of Corporate Affairs Directorate and can be contacted in the usual ways: email webmaster@ncl.ac.uk, via the IT ServiceDesk or by phone. Post should still be sent to King’s Gate Level 5.

Share this post:

In January Graham Tyrrell joined the team as the University’s new Head of Digital.
With over 15 years’ experience in web and digital work, he’s worked in a number of not-for-profit organisations.

We promised you a post from Graham, to see what he’s been up to so far – so here it is…

I always see the start of a new job like starting a jigsaw. One of those fiendishly hard puzzles where they don’t print the final picture on the box. Oh, and they don’t tell you how many pieces there are. Nor whether they’re all in the box to start with!

So you dive in headlong, start with the corners and then try to build up the edges. Sometimes you put things in the wrong places, sometimes you scrap it and start again, then suddenly you get that little thrill when you see where a couple of edge sections can join up.

I started my job here as Head of Digital in the middle of January and that’s where you find me today, just putting together some of the edges of my work jigsaw. Meeting as many people across the University as possible, finding out what they do, what their needs are going to be from the Digital team, and how they’ll fit into the overall picture.

There have been times already where I’ve had to move pieces around as they don’t fit together how I originally thought they did. But at least I’m starting to understand the general type of picture I’m meant to be creating.

What have I learned so far?

I’ve learned that the Go Mobile project is a mammoth task that has impacts across the whole University. The project names belies a complexity beyond just making the website mobile optimised.

The Corporate Web Team, which I’m going to be referring from now on as the Digital Team, are a friendly, highly skilled and dedicated bunch of people. I’m really looking forward to working with and leading the team.

That it’s totally impossible to find anything via the staff homepage, but that apparently one of my first major projects for me is to introduce a new intranet to the University.

That the Digital Team will be working incredibly hard with NUIT over the coming months to take the University’s digital presence to the next level.

….and lots, lots more but I was always told to keep the audience wanting more.

So what’s next?

Well as all jigsaw aficionados know, once you’ve done the edges the next bit is to start on the blue sky!

Image credit: Jigsaw Puzzle 01 by Björn Larsson licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Share this post: