Web Communications
The Office of Web Communications (OWC) was created in September of 2003 to provide leadership and guidance to the entire Cornell community on using the Web as a communications tool, both for internal and external audiences. Our goal is to promote unity and cohesion within Cornell's vast Web space, providing all of our audiences with a consistent, polished, and professional user experience.
The first and most visible initiative of the OWC was a significant redesign of Cornell's main Web site, http://www.cornell.edu/, which launched on August 21, 2004. This redesign was the first phase of a 3-year effort to redefine the site, which is under constant development and expansion. We encourage all of our viewers to participate in discussions and offer us feedback on our redesign blog, http://web.cornell.edu/redesign/blog/.
Through cornell.edu, we guide the direction of University-wide Web infrastructure elements for Cornell. Examples include the University-wide search (http://www.cornell.edu/search/) and the University Events Calendar (http://events.cornell.edu/).
For the first time in Cornell's history, our dispersed Web developer community enjoys advocacy and support through the OWC's developer relations program. The CU-Web Forum (http://forum.web.cornell.edu/) is a place for developers to meet, exchange ideas, discuss new technologies, and share experiences. The Forum also serves as the OWC's primary communication link with Cornell's Web developers. Our developer relations program offers consultation with developers who need technical assistance with the sites they maintain. The OWC also played a key role in the selection and purchase of a Web content management system for Cornell (CommonSpot), and contributes to the overall deployment and community-based governance of the tool.
The OWC has been a key contributor to the dissemination of the recently redesigned University logo, launched on October 29. 2004. We oversee the ongoing refinement of the Web logo use guidelines. We provide consultation with Web developers and designers on logo-related issues, coordinate the production of Web logo files for individual units, and oversee the dissemination of use guidelines, templates, and other files on the Identity site (http://www.cornell.edu/identity/).
Finally, the OWC provides consultation and guidance for major Web communications projects throughout Cornell, such as large-scale redesign projects and examinations of complete marketing strategies.