Collaborative Computing
The new Computing Services Web site is truly a collaborative enterprise.
The following Dartmouth computing individuals were major players in this
effort: Tish Aldom, Bill Brawley, David Bucciero, Steve Campbell, Steve
Cochran, Jay Collier, Betty Desmarais, Alan German, Martin Grant, Sarah Horton,
Tim Hozier, Barbara Knauff, Rita Murdoch, Chris Scholtz, Marie Stebbins, Ellen
Young, and Susan Zaslaw.
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Sometimes the phrase "new and improved" really
means something. One example: the new and improved Computing at Dartmouth Web
site. The site launched in September, the result of collaboration and a year's
worth of effort by several teams. "The idea was to take existing Web sites
that covered computing issues on campus and integrate them into one," says
Senior Web Producer Jay Collier.
The new Web site makes it easier for users to get the information they want
because it was created from, and for, their perspective, rather than that of a
single department. Collier believes it is the first Dartmouth site that uses a
content management system with nearly 20 editors around campus who update pages
immediately through a browser. That capability, while serving the needs of
users — including faculty, staff, students, and professionals at other
institutions — makes the site unique on campus.
An editorial board, representing different divisions of campus computing,
supervises form and function, and a strategic advisory board that includes
representatives from the College's professional schools oversees higher-level
decisions.
"It's an evolving process," says Collier. "Unlike print
publications, we are continuing to add more content and cross-references to it
all the time. Since the site is intended to serve users, we are really
interested in hearing from them about what works already and what they want to
see that would help it work better. Our intention is to continuously improve
it, and we have a long-term commitment to that objective. It's always a balance
between quantity of information and ease of use."
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