Been to the Penn State Web Conference site recently? (http://webconference.psu.edu/) If not, please visit and check out the new design for 2009 which includes the conference theme, "A Unified Web in Higher Ed." So, what does that mean?
A unified Web in higher ed can take many shapes and sizes. While that may sound like an oxymoron-like notion, the nature of the Web creates an environment where the seemingly disparate concepts of unity and taking on many shapes and sizes can meld and make perfect sense. Each player in the collective Web presence may have a different and unique vision for what they would like to accomplish. Having some measure of a shared vision could help to make the overall Web presence feel planned rather than haphazard, and could help to create a strong brand identity while maintaining individuality. Being part of the Penn State brand can enhance the image of each individual site...not to mention the potential ease-of-navigation benefits to those who visit any of our sites.
My vision of a unified Web at Penn State is not even remotely reminiscent of a lock-step, Stepford wives approach to working together to create an overall vision for the Web. Penn State has a rich diversity of ideas about and implementation of Web design that I believe can and should be embraced. The notion of working together on an overall Penn State Web presence, however, may have only just recently appeared on the radar screen of many of our Web developers. At the Web Conference last year, Kevin Morooney suggested some compelling arguments for us to create new lines of communication to become more collaborative and broaden the focus of our work on the Web.
One idea that came as a result of Kevin's discussion was the development of a Penn State Web Developers social network (http://psuwebdev.ning.com). It is only in its infancy, but the hope is to start providing some enhanced ways to communicate and collaborate across the diverse and sometimes physically (or philosophically) divided community that encompasses our Web developers.
You may wonder, what benefits could we derive if the Penn State Web development community should begin to communicate and collaborate more effectively? The potential is as far reaching as our imagination, both individually and collectively. I don't know about you, but my imagination can run wild at times ;-) Allowing others to extend our ideas or perhaps to spark new ideas in them could bring to light all sorts of intriguing possibilities. Envision a group of dedicated and diverse Web professionals working on a project or trying to find an inventive solution to a long standing problem. The untapped potential is there!
Other potential benefits? Building a dynamic community with unified purpose. Finding and utilizing the wisdom of the crowd. Enhancing our message by presenting our collective ideas with one strong voice. Tapping into the energy of building on good ideas to make them great. In my view, we could gain much.
So, please consider joining us at the Penn State Web 2009 Conference on June 8 and 9, 2008 and add your voice to the chorus. We may not all sing the same tune, but let's find some harmony together.
P.
A unified Web in higher ed can take many shapes and sizes. While that may sound like an oxymoron-like notion, the nature of the Web creates an environment where the seemingly disparate concepts of unity and taking on many shapes and sizes can meld and make perfect sense. Each player in the collective Web presence may have a different and unique vision for what they would like to accomplish. Having some measure of a shared vision could help to make the overall Web presence feel planned rather than haphazard, and could help to create a strong brand identity while maintaining individuality. Being part of the Penn State brand can enhance the image of each individual site...not to mention the potential ease-of-navigation benefits to those who visit any of our sites.
My vision of a unified Web at Penn State is not even remotely reminiscent of a lock-step, Stepford wives approach to working together to create an overall vision for the Web. Penn State has a rich diversity of ideas about and implementation of Web design that I believe can and should be embraced. The notion of working together on an overall Penn State Web presence, however, may have only just recently appeared on the radar screen of many of our Web developers. At the Web Conference last year, Kevin Morooney suggested some compelling arguments for us to create new lines of communication to become more collaborative and broaden the focus of our work on the Web.
One idea that came as a result of Kevin's discussion was the development of a Penn State Web Developers social network (http://psuwebdev.ning.com). It is only in its infancy, but the hope is to start providing some enhanced ways to communicate and collaborate across the diverse and sometimes physically (or philosophically) divided community that encompasses our Web developers.
You may wonder, what benefits could we derive if the Penn State Web development community should begin to communicate and collaborate more effectively? The potential is as far reaching as our imagination, both individually and collectively. I don't know about you, but my imagination can run wild at times ;-) Allowing others to extend our ideas or perhaps to spark new ideas in them could bring to light all sorts of intriguing possibilities. Envision a group of dedicated and diverse Web professionals working on a project or trying to find an inventive solution to a long standing problem. The untapped potential is there!
Other potential benefits? Building a dynamic community with unified purpose. Finding and utilizing the wisdom of the crowd. Enhancing our message by presenting our collective ideas with one strong voice. Tapping into the energy of building on good ideas to make them great. In my view, we could gain much.
So, please consider joining us at the Penn State Web 2009 Conference on June 8 and 9, 2008 and add your voice to the chorus. We may not all sing the same tune, but let's find some harmony together.
P.
