> i think we're getting all worked up about nothing here.
Yes that's right, let students and staff run their own businesses on university machines, provide MP3 and porn downloads, get your entire
site blocked by filtering software because of content on a personal webpage - there are well documented examples of all of these, nothing to
get worked up about!

> put a disclaimer on then
Do you read disclaimers - I don't. A disclaimer won't alter the perception of a user nor protect you from prosecution/litigation.

> universities are not businesses
That's why numerous institutions are in debt, have closed, merged and trimmed schools/faculties and even closed campuses.

The world has changed, universities have to change, the service they deliver has to be as good as the service delivered by commercial
organisations and their websites have to deliver in the same way too.

I use a sign in presentations, it says "You are now entering a higher education website - please lower your expectations" - people laugh,
but our customers don't find it funny.

Will

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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: Iris [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 29 November 2001 15:49
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Staff webpages


At 15:08 29/11/01 +0000, you wrote:
>You are looking at this from a 'personal' point of view not from a
>'university' point of view.

yes, wouldn't it be nice if institutions and businesses allowed their
employees a bit more personal space instead of just treating them as
machines?  isn't that what we learned in management class?

>Would your prospectus look as professional if each course leader had a few
>photos of their cats next to their course page or a recipe for
>meatloaf next to the intro by the director of school.

yes, of course, your employees have got that little common sense that they
will want to put a meatloaf recipe in your prospectus.  i think we're
getting all worked up about nothing here.

>We wouldn't allow this in print and it's questionable whether we should
>allow it on the web, users looking at an address
>www.universityname.ac.uk/~staffpage would assume that it's an officially
>sanctioned page of www.universityname.ac.uk

put a disclaimer on then

>You don't see personal pages on HP, Sun, Sainsburys or any other large
>corporate company because it would damage their brand -

damage their brand?  i'm sure lots of people (customers/prospective
students) would actually appreciate a personal touch.

>why should
>universities be any different?

because universities are not businesses but places where freedom of
expression and critical analysis are fostered.  or so i used to believe a
long long time ago.

iris
(from home and therefore w/o disclaimer. ha!)

<http://www.demos.ac.uk/>