2008 Woodie Awards
Marist to redo Web site
Andrew Overton
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: News
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An announcement concerning the release of a new Marist website is expected soon. A committee to redesign the Marist website is being finalized and preliminary reconfiguration of the site has already begun.
The focus of the new website will change somewhat from the current one, the chair of the Web Redesign Committee, Kent Rinehart, said. The website will shift its focus to external audiences, namely prospective students, their families, and alumni.
The website will be more attractive, easier to navigate, and have a place for news and events, Chief Public Affairs Officer, Timmian Massie, said. The site will have announcements about guest speakers, about student and faculty awards, and athletic events.
Currently, the people who visit the website are mainly prospective students, their parents, alumni, media, business people, and athletic boosters. We need to "give them a reason to come back," Massie said. "We don't want a static website."
There are several reasons why this change is happening according to Rinehart:
First, the last change in the website came in 1998, which is an awful long time to stay with the same feel.
Secondly, the architecture of the site needs to accurately reflect Marist's technological savvy. It says on the front page of the current website that Marist College is one of the 25 "Most Connected Campuses" in America. The website should reflect that.
Thirdly, there is an average of one million visitors to the Marist website every month, and the website should therefore look its best.
Finally, a website can be a huge tool and therefore should be maximized.
There are three main components to a website, Rinehart said, that the committee will consider during the redesign: design, information architecture, and good content. Design is the "look and feel" of the site. Information architecture is how the site all comes together and what links to what. Finally, good content, which must be timely, comprehensive, yet brief.
The focus of the new website will change somewhat from the current one, the chair of the Web Redesign Committee, Kent Rinehart, said. The website will shift its focus to external audiences, namely prospective students, their families, and alumni.
The website will be more attractive, easier to navigate, and have a place for news and events, Chief Public Affairs Officer, Timmian Massie, said. The site will have announcements about guest speakers, about student and faculty awards, and athletic events.
Currently, the people who visit the website are mainly prospective students, their parents, alumni, media, business people, and athletic boosters. We need to "give them a reason to come back," Massie said. "We don't want a static website."
There are several reasons why this change is happening according to Rinehart:
First, the last change in the website came in 1998, which is an awful long time to stay with the same feel.
Secondly, the architecture of the site needs to accurately reflect Marist's technological savvy. It says on the front page of the current website that Marist College is one of the 25 "Most Connected Campuses" in America. The website should reflect that.
Thirdly, there is an average of one million visitors to the Marist website every month, and the website should therefore look its best.
Finally, a website can be a huge tool and therefore should be maximized.
There are three main components to a website, Rinehart said, that the committee will consider during the redesign: design, information architecture, and good content. Design is the "look and feel" of the site. Information architecture is how the site all comes together and what links to what. Finally, good content, which must be timely, comprehensive, yet brief.
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