This is very similar to plans here. We are moving our external (marketing) materials onto a new server which will become the default site
for those coming in from outside the university. Staff and Students will continue to access intranet materials on the old server (which will
become password protected if accessed outside our networks).
The original reasoning behind this was to focus our external web publishing purely on an external audience. However we are taking the
opportunity to apply a new 'online corporate identity' on all material on the new server and completely redesign the navigation to
information (so that users don't have to know the internal structure of the university to find things).
We are currently examining several content management systems that will allow users to publish information on the new server but allow us to
retain control of the look and feel and navigation of the site (our current favourite CMS is RedDot).
The benefits of this new setup are
* Users receive targeted information
* Branding: Key messages reinforced across site
* Branding: Corporate identity maintained
* Consistent navigation increases 'browse time'
* Security issues resolved
* Simplified internal publishing system
Will
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Will DG Cox - New Media Marketing Manager
Marketing and Development, Sheffield Hallam University
Tel 0114 225 3893 Fax 0114 225 2094 E-mail [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: IAIN MIDDLETON [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 14 June 2001 10:30
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Changing servers / redevelopment - Feedback urgently required
Dear list members,
I would very much like to have the feedback of some fellow
professionals on this. My information management oriented view
raises issues which don't appear to be having the required impact
on decision makers, hence this request for your input:
My institution is redeveloping its web presence and is due to
launch its new site in August/September. It is planned that a new
ColdFusion server will become the primary server (www.rgu.ac.uk)
and the existing site, hosted on an IIS server, will be renamed (e.g.
ww2.rgu.ac.uk) and kept only as a legacy. The existing site has
been maintained in a devolved fashion over the last 5 or 6 years,
containing most of the university departments' sites which are
administered by various people using various means e.g. raw
HTML, FrontPage etc. The new site will be a ColdFusion driven
front-end, and future developments on it will be made using a
custom written editor suite which enables pages to be
constructed/maintained from users' desktops. User FTP access
will not be available to the new server.
I would like to know what you think about this approach. Obviously
there are implications in any redevelopment - I would like to know
specifically what some of these might be in this instance
Your help much appreciated,
Iain
Iain A. Middleton
Web Editor and Developer
Public Affairs Dept
The Robert Gordon University
Aberdeen AB10 1FR
tel: +44 (0)1224 262217
fax: +44 (0)1224 262224
When replying, please use: [log in to unmask]
Iain A. Middleton
Web Editor and Developer
Public Affairs Dept
The Robert Gordon University
Aberdeen AB10 1FR
tel: +44 (0)1224 262217
fax: +44 (0)1224 262224
When replying, please use: [log in to unmask]
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