Aspiring writers around campus who are yearning to share their thoughts or expertise with the online world now have a quick and easy way to start with the new blog service offered by Web Services.
Released Aug. 10, the blog service is the newest tool in Web Services' suite of online tools, which are available free to UI students and faculty and staff members at all three campuses. The toolbox also includes surveys, calendars, forms, e-newsletters, discussion boards, text messaging and other online services that help users accomplish their Web and communication responsibilities.
The blog service and other enhancements have been under development for about a year and a half. As with the other tools in Web Services' toolbox, creating a blog is simple: The user is guided through the setup process by filling in several fields. Bloggers also can choose whether to display their blogs in a campus blog directory.
Among the enhancements that Web Services has made is statistical tracking, which allows users to track data such as the number of subscribers, viewers and comments on their calendars, discussion boards and blogs.
"This is really valuable because you can tell what people are interested in and don't have to go digging through reports to get that information," said Lance Campbell, software architect for Web Services. "The counts are refreshed every 10 minutes."
Additionally, a subscription service is available now for discussion boards and blogs, so readers can choose to be notified by e-mail when new topics are posted to a discussion board or blog to which they've subscribed.
Another new feature that users will find helpful is the tabs in the toolbox. Users can see blogs, surveys, forms and other content that they have created, and can tab over to view content created within their units and the names of the colleagues who manage it. This prevents content from being lost as people leave or move to other jobs.
Also, the help function has been refined, so it is now available for all tools and on every screen. Because the help function is embedded in each page, it provides context-sensitive assistance without taking the user to a different screen.
Web Services worked with Jon Gunderson, coordinator of assistive communication and information technology accessibility in the Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services, to ensure that all forms and surveys meet accessibility standards and best practices for people with disabilities.
Web Services offers free training on its tools and has FAQs online to assist users with common questions. In addition to workshops, Web Services also offers consulting to departments and colleges.