Being EDU™

This evening, while searching technorati for content on education and blogs, I came across this interesting post at a blog called Allison's Notions. The writer emphasizes the need to design appropriately for the platforms that your audience uses and for his or her specific methods of delivery.

Since I started designing websites for universities and colleges in 1996, I've had numerous conversations about design, both with those on the inside (administrators, marketing communications directors, admissions counselors, information technology teams, webmasters and developers, designers, vice presidents, CIOs, alumni, faculty) as well as those on the outside (students, parents, the community, business leaders, consultants, people on the street).

If you're a school that wants to start a blog for reasons of recruitment, communication, academic voice, strategic planning, or community-buiding, but you've been hesitant to, I feel your pain. I used to work for a "marketing communications consulting firm in higher education" where they once recommended an admissions-focused blog for a client with a $30,000 price tag for implementation. No wonder the client ran for the door.