redesigning lclark.edu

Redesign

June 8… Our Internal Soft Launch

While we’re applying the finishing touches to our new website, we invited our internal community in to take a look around and try out the new site. We’re more than 90 percent finished, but you will see a few things that are not final. The top items are:

  1. We’re saving the release of the first Uncommon Journey and the new-look versions of the Newsroom and The Source for the official launch.
  2. Image columns are still being created and certain design details are being fine-tuned.
  3. There are a few navigation details yet to be resolved.
  4. Events will not become functional until we complete the integration of our content management system (CMS) with the new EMS calendaring software.
  5. Finally, all the while we’ll continue moving websites from the old Trillium CMS into LiveWhale.

Please bear in mind that the new lclark.edu, like any new website, goes live with imperfections. (In reality, a website is never perfect — you can always do more — and we will.) So, if you are involved in our preview, you might very well encounter some as you explore the site. We ask for your understanding and, more important, that you let us know about any glitches, hiccups, and breakdowns that you might encounter.

During the preview, we’ve added a feedback tab to the left of each page. (We’ll remove it at launch for more subtle feedback methods.) Please click it to send us a note if you spot something broken and please be as specific as you can. And, we know that we’re going to get a lot of feedback on issues all across the site, so please bear in mind that we will not be able to respond to each request individually, but that everything goes into our New Media zendesk project management system and we’ll be tackling them all one-by-one.

We’d also love to hear what you like and general comments as well. What do you think of the new lclark.edu?

Filed Under

Make the whale happy; post a comment.

The Coming of LiveWhale!

So long, Trillium!  It was beautiful knowing you, but it’s time to move on.  The Web has changed too much (especially concerning issues like accessibility) for Lewis & Clark not to change too.

Yes, it’s time for a new content management system to go with our newly designed website.  At the end of the day this June 8, they are both arriving here. Exciting!

For some of you, LiveWhale has already arrived and you are already hard at work getting your new, improved site ship-shape.  For others, you will turn on your computer June 9 to find a new look, new functions, old things in new places, new calendars, new search, new URLs… seemingly a new everything.

Not everything will be new, however, as we have a pretty massive website and there just isn’t enough time to get to all the deeper-level pages right now.  So when you click around and stumble on an old, Trillium-based page, understand that piece by piece, step by step, the content is migrating over to the new Lewis & Clark.

Filed Under

Make the whale happy; post a comment.

Writing for the Web

Did you know that writing for the web requires a different approach than writing for other venues? As part of our redesign, WhiteWhale created a writing guide that tackles the two toughest issues: basic writing for the web and specific notes about writing for/about Lewis & Clark. It’s based on general rules on good writing for the web and PubCom’s own style guide. Download it. Read it. Use it.

Also published: https://media.zendesk.com/forums/22045/entries/33370

Filed Under

Make the whale happy; post a comment.

Looking for a few good students.

Do you want a first-hand opportunity to test and work with our new content management system LiveWhale and get paid for it?

If you’re available during the month of May (and maybe into June depending on how things go), we’re looking to hire a bunch of students to help us migrate the web site content from Trillium to LiveWhale. The work is fairly straight-forward, and includes lots of copying/pasting with an eye for detail, but can be done from most anywhere, since all you’ll need is a web browser and the internet.

If you’re interested (or know someone who might be) send us an email: wwwadmin@lclark.edu

Filed Under

Make the whale happy; post a comment.

Keep those questions coming!

You may have noticed that we’re answering questions as they come in. So, if you have one, please just email us and we’ll respond as best possible. Chances are, your question could become a great new feature or help us make sure that everyone has a good understanding of the redesign process. Keep them coming!

wwwadmin@lclark.edu

Filed Under

Make the whale happy; post a comment.