Building a Community by Connecting GW to the World

1. GW News Center and University Relations Web Services
Building a Community by Connecting GW to the World
Mission statement: The Office of University Relations recognizes the World Wide Web
as a powerful communications, marketing, and educational resource for The George
Washington University. University Relations is committed to utilizing the Web to
achieve the goals of building a stronger community for all campus constituents, including
faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, media, neighbors, prospective donors, and
business/government interests. The primary Web site for University Relations to achieve
these goals is the GW News Center, which reinforces our overall mission and presents
information in new and immediate ways, breaking down the barriers of deadlines, cost,
and page limits while reaching thousands of people.
THE VALUE OF THE INTERNET IN AMERICAN AND ACADEMIC
SOCIETIES
Little doubt exists that more people are flocking to the Internet for news, information,
interactivity, entertainment, and e-commerce. The numbers grow everyday as more and
more people in the United States and around the world get connected.
UCLA’s Center for Communications Policy is studying the popularity of the Internet in
an ongoing research project that started in 1999. The latest results reveal:
• 72.3 percent of Americans went online in 2001, an increase from 66.9 percent in 2000.
Why is UCLA investing such time and resources into this project? Jeffrey Cole, the
principal investigator, writes:
“Understanding how people use the Internet is even more important than understanding
the impact of television. While television is primarily about our leisure time, the Internet
is already transforming work, school and play. Virtually every business, political and
social activity will be affected by the Internet, and most activities will be dramatically
transformed. Child rearing, consumer behavior, education, politics and religion are being
changed dramatically by the Internet.”
Internet usage is even more prevalent on college campuses than in general society.
Students, faculty, and staff have access to computers on a regular basis. The Pew
Research Center released a study in September entitled, “The Internet Goes to College:
How Students are Living in the Future with Today's Technology.” As part of a larger Pew
project called “Internet and American Life,” this study found, among other results:
• One-fifth (20 percent) of today’s college students began using computers between the
ages of 5 and 8. By the time they were 16 to 18 years old, all of today’s current college
students used a computer; the Internet was commonplace in their world.
• 86 percent of college students have gone online, compared with 59 percent of the
general population.
• College students are frequently looking for E-mail, with 72 percent checking E-mail at
least once a day.

2. Based on those numbers and other results in the study, the Pew researchers observe:
“The degree to which college students use the Internet as an information and reference
source suggests that they will very likely continue to turn to the Internet for information
in the future. They are already heavy consumers of online health, financial and travel
information, and may come to trust the Internet as an information source more than the
generations preceding them. The Web has become an information cornerstone for them.”
THE WEB AT GW
University Relations (UR) Web sites have been transformed since the launch of the
Online Media Guide in 1997. Since then, technology and the number of people using the
Web have changed dramatically. The Web is no longer an option for communicating
in today’s society; it’s critical. The numbers and academic reports mentioned above
make that clear, as do general observations around the GW campus.
This year, UR responded to these changing times with the GW News Center, a
comprehensive resource of news, events, and other information for GW’s constituents.
Since its launch on Feb. 27, the GW News Center has been an outlet for official GW
communications. Also during this last year, new ByGeorge! and GW Magazine Web sites
were launched. The Media Relations Web site was also redesigned to fit within the GW
News Center brand and the University’s new identity package.
Constituents have responded to these new sites and improved pages in ever-increasing
numbers. For the six months of April through September, UR’s primary Web sites
(GW News Center, Media Relations, ByGeorge!, and GW Magazine) and their pages
have been requested 769,796 times. Factoring in increases for page requests for another
six months, University Relations Web pages are estimated to be viewed at least 1.5 to 2
million times in one year.
However, UR has only begun in communicating with people on the Web and via E-mail.
With the growth of the Web in society and at GW comes the responsibility of continuing
to produce and enhance UR’s Web services. The Web is not going away; if anything, it’s
importance increases everyday. Robert Sevier, vice president for StaMats, an
organization that consults universities about its Web sites, wrote in a recent white paper:
“Based on every study we have commissioned, read, and reviewed, it is clear that
the Web will eventually be the center of gravity on most campuses. Other media like
advertising, direct mail, publications, and special events will not go away, but their role
will change. They will be used to drive traffic to the larger Web-based communication
strategy.”
In light of the Web’s relevance and permanence, its increased use at GW, and the part-
time nature of the current Web editor position in UR, a permanent position for a Web
editor for the Office of University Relations should be considered as an essential need
for an overall Web-based communications strategy.

3. With an ambitious and attainable agenda outlined in this document, this Web editor
position would more fully bring together the Office of University Relations, the greater
GW community, and the larger Web community. By connecting all of these constituents
through the plans described below and others yet to be articulated, UR will be
strategically positioned at the center of GW’s Web presence to inform the public while
building a sense of community that is not constrained by the typical pressures of
timeliness, print deadlines, cost, and page limits.
PORTFOLIO OF WEB SITES MAINTAINED BY WEB EDITOR
In the past year, new Web sites have been developed to help communicate the
University’s mission across the Internet. On a part-time basis, the following sites and
other projects have been developed, created, and/or updated:
• GW News Center (main page)
• Guide to GW
• America on Alert
• Web Alert Message System
• Crossfire
• Community Commitments
• 90 Years in Foggy Bottom
• Common Ground
• Media Relations redesign
• Media Relations front page (updating)
• GW’s Response to Graduate Teaching Assistants
• Community Calendar
• American Jazz
• Updates to www.gwu.edu
• Updates to GWeb Portal
In addition to these Web sites that need to be maintained, the following sites
and/or initiatives can be developed and maintained by a full-time Web editor:
• Integrating digital photos
• Implementing audio initiatives (and eventually video)
• Helping to implement and maintain E-mail communications
• Integrating IMAG’s content syndication system
• Creating a more centralized calendar system
• New crisis communications Web site
• Introducing “GW Center Stage” chats
• President Trachtenberg’s Web site
• ByGeorge! Web site
• “The Kalb Report” Web site
• Highlighting the University’s Strategic Plan
• The “President’s Report” Web site

4. PHOTOGRAPHY ON THE WEB
An integral part of Web sites is photography. We have succeeded thus far in posting
images to accompany the stories featured on the GW News Center. However, with the
addition of a staff photographer and a digital camera, the turn around time for pictures
will be nearly instantaneous. For example, consider the GW Farmer’s Market. It began at
10 a.m. and closed at 4 p.m. UR could have taken photos at 10 a.m. and posted them by
11 a.m. on the GW News Center. This could have been one way to compel people to
attend by showing them what the market looked like. We could have used a single image,
a series of rotating images (like the pictures on the Guide to GW), or a photo gallery. The
GW News Center can become an instant source and repository for photos about the
life and times of GW. Instead of waiting one to three weeks for a picture to appear in
ByGeorge!, the GW News Center could publish a series of photos in one to three hours.
That’s a significant change, and if we’re investing in the technology of a digital
camera, let’s use it. Let’s post photos at 3 p.m. of Former Vice President Al Gore’s 1
p.m. Medical Center address. Let’s post Commencement photos the same day. Let’s
feature a photo gallery of new GW buildings or of current construction sites to keep all of
our constituents up-to-date with images, in addition to words. We live in a visual society.
With a photographer, digital camera, and a Web editor, there are very few boundaries to
achieving this goal. Again, let’s use the technology to its fullest extent.
Of course, after one week passes, we’ll have many photos to showcase. So we should
consider creating a photography site on the GW News Center that is a one-stop-shop for
pictures. It could resemble the basic structure of the washingtonpost.com’s “Camera
Works” section (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/photo/...SEE
ATTACHMENT). The primary pictures are recent ones, while older photos are archived
on the page. We could create “The GW Scrapbook” or “The GW Photo Album”
containing images from that week, linked directly from the GW News Center and Media
Relations Web sites. One week later, we archive the album and begin a new scrapbook
for a new week.
Another way to use photos and technology is to attach photos to press releases that can be
posted on the Web and sent via E-mail. Depending on the event or news in the release,
Media Relations can attach a series of photos that will not only compel journalists to
cover something they can now see, but press releases are also an internal communications
tool. The GW community would benefit in the same way journalists would if pictures
were attached – a visual element that can bring releases to life.
AUDIO: LISTENING TO THE WEB
Another unique aspect of the Web is the ability to listen to audio files. Though this idea
was initially discussed earlier this year, it was not implemented. With a full-time Web
editor, the audio portion of the GW News Center could be a key component. For $200-
$400, UR can purchase audio-conversion software to let users listen to portions of “The
Kalb Report,” segments of the “GW Washington Forum,” or clips from “Crossfire.” For
example, since the “Washington Forum” is not live, we could post an audio teaser on the
GW News Center so people could be compelled to tune in to listen on the radio Saturday
nights. The following week, we could post the entire show on the Internet. By adding

5. audio to our communications options, we will be able to talk to our constituents and let
them hear the voices of The George Washington University. Since Media Relations has a
digital recorder, the Web editor would work closely with the staff to coordinate
promotion and posting of audio events.
Recent events that could have included brief audio files on the Web include:
• Afghanistan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah
• Duques Hall Groundbreaking Ceremony
• World Trade Center Structural Engineer
These events would add vitality to not only our Web site, but more importantly, to our
constituents who want to feel like they belong to a community. Not everyone can attend
an event, so by including audio, we’re building a community that can share the same
experiences, whether they are in Bethesda or Berlin.
PACKAGING PHOTOS AND AUDIO
Consider the entire package of communications tools that could be at our disposal for
media and community relations activities. Remember the Al Gore event? We could post a
gallery of photos and cut a 30-second sound bite to accompany the text and photos,
thereby creating an entire multimedia package for our constituents. This is how news
organizations build rich Web sites – by putting all of the available pieces together. UR
can do the same by taking this proactive step. If someone were unable to attend an event,
we would have coverage available in a variety of ways. And the Web isn’t solely a media
relations tool. It's a marketing tool for prospective students, parents, and donors. If we
want to demonstrate through words, pictures, and sounds that GW is a lively,
engaged institution, then the Web and all of its options are some of the best, and
most cost-effective ways, to accomplish these goals.
Other institutions are already engaged in these Web activities that promote and inform.
Some of the best have won CASE Awards, including the University of Buffalo and the
University of Virginia. The use of technology was one reason why these university
relations offices won awards.
E-MAIL COMMUNICATIONS
The most popular use of the Internet is for writing and reading E-mail. Though E-mail
has both positive and negative connotations because of bulk and unsolicited messages, E-
mail is a communications tool that reaches millions of people every day. University
Relations can tap into this resource and communicate in an even more effective way –
through inboxes.
UR can send a weekly message, perhaps each Monday, previewing the week ahead at
GW, recapping the previous week, and including a feature story. These messages should
not include entire stories in the E-mail message, but rather a headline and two or three
sentences followed by a link. We must not present E-mails that are too long for our users
or they will not read them. People tend to scan E-mail messages and Web pages.

6. A weekly E-mail will help the timeliness aspect of our communications strategy. The
School of Business and Public Management and the Elliott School of International
Affairs already engage in E-mail newsletters to subscribers. SBPM presents its in HTML
format, complete with pictures and graphics, while ESIA sends text-only messages. Basic
to all of our E-mail communications should be:
• GW News Center logo
• GW logo
• Media Relations content
• ByGeorge! content
• Calendar of events
• “Crossfire” reminders
• Rotating promotions for other sites such as Community Commitments, President
Trachtenberg, etc.
• Links to subscribe to sign up to other listserv’s
• Links to audio files
• Links to picture galleries
Once we settle on the content, we then need to promote the subscription option. By
placing a prominent link on the GW News Center, ByGeorge!, Media Relations, and GW
Magazine Web sites, our list will grow almost instantaneously. We need to make clear
when and what people will receive in these E-mails and we need to maintain those
parameters.
What would compel people to subscribe? Some reasons include the need for information,
the need to feel connected, and the need to belong to a community. E-mail can be a cost-
effective way to reach thousands of users instead of a limited list of people who are sent
hard copies of press releases in interoffice mail or via fax. Yes, that option can still be
available. But it’s more efficient to use E-mail. E-mail can be a way to connect with
students, too. We know students use E-mail, as described at the beginning of this paper.
Since we’re at a University because of students, we have a captive audience ready to
receive our information.
The Web editor can act as a central coordinator of these E-mails, in close consultation
with the Media Relations staff. Though newsrooms are slow in accepting E-mail news
releases and weekly updates, other constituents such as faculty, staff, students, and
alumni are ready for this information. Proper promotion and good content will compel
people to subscribe. Many people have ideas about an E-mail communications strategy,
so this is not an exclusive function for the Web editor. However, after brainstorming
sessions with all interested parties, the Web editor can help execute the plans. Again, as
in the case of digital photography, if the E-mail technology exists, then let’s use it to its
fullest extent.

7. CONTENT SYNDICATION
Working in conjunction with IMAG, the Web editor can more fully utilize the content
syndication system already in place. Content syndication, or a content management
system, now is a common feature on Web sites all across the Internet – from CNN to the
University of Maryland. These systems make it easier for organizations and offices to
control their content and distribute it in a timely fashion to Web sites. UR has already
engaged IMAG in talks about content syndication on a basic level where all Media
Relations press releases will be posted through the GWeb Portal beginning in January.
Releases posted on the Portal will appear on that site and as a part of the Media Relations
site, retaining the look and feel of the GW News Center.
The alert message system is one example of content syndication at work. Information
posted through the Portal appears in more than one place, just like the alert messages.
This is what Media Relations will be doing starting in January. That’s what can happen
for ByGeorge! stories, photographs, and other content. With a full-time Web editor, UR
can more fully explore the options available of a content syndication system, such as
customizing press releases and other news by school, posting news about the president
that appears on the Portal and on his site, and posting ByGeorge! stories through the
Portal that then also retain their identity as our product. Some of this may require money
to accomplish, but it’s an investment well worth it because managing our content will be
a lot easier, especially considering the fact the Web is not going to go away. The sooner
we invest in using content syndication, the more effective we can be in promoting our
messages. Instead of coding individual pages, all the Web editor and Media Relations
specialists would need to do is copy and paste information to a form on a Web browser.
This technology exists. We should strongly consider using it as a means to our
communications ends.
CENTRALIZED CALENDARS
The GW community wants to know what’s going on around their campus. Paper press
releases, though useful, are somewhat antiquated now because they do not reach all of
our constituents. So a key solution to reaching more people is through the Web. One way
of using the Web is by E-mail communications discussed above, plus E-mail reminders to
listserv groups much like the School of Business and Public Management. Another way
is through a centralized calendar system. University Relations, and the entire University,
does not have a centralized calendar of events. Instead, it has a list of press releases that
often make it difficult to locate when events are happening. ByGeorge! also posts a
calendar, but often times the length is overwhelming to wade through and the Office of
University Events does not have a calendar listing on its Web site.
So with a full-time Web editor, a strategy for informing the community about events can
be developed and implemented through E-mail and a new calendar Web site. There are
many examples of centralized Web calendars already in place at other universities. One
example can be found at the University of Virginia:
http://codd.itc.virginia.edu/eventcal/searchResults.cgi?quicksearch=1&special=today

8. UR can develop a similar calendar system. We can post events through the GWeb Portal
that will appear on that site and on our sites. IMAG has already indicated this can be
accomplished. Following the same formula for posting press releases, we can present a
comprehensive list of events in one place – combining Media Relations events, and
the ByGeorge! and Community calendars, among others.
By creating a centralized calendar, UR will provide another one-stop-shop for
information instead of leaving users guessing as to where to find information. UR will
help strengthen the bonds of community by informing our constituents of times and
places to gather.
CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
UR maintains and relays messages from the University Crisis Team to the GW
community via the Web. We now have an alert message system in place developed in
partnership with SASSComm and IMAG. In consultation with these groups, and with the
assistant vice president for public safety and emergency management, UR should
consider creating a one-stop-shop for crisis communications on the Web. Right now, the
America on Alert page exists, but it is too focused on post-Sept. 11 news. Incidents such
as the sniper, the World Bank/IMF protests, and weather-related news do not fit
well in the “America on Alert” theme. We need a comprehensive resource including:
• Latest news and announcements
• Link to the emergency response plan
• Link to UPD
• Links to local emergency agencies
• Other policies, procedures, and information
• Archived material
The UR Web editor could coordinate this University-wide project and be responsible for
updating the information. This new site would offer the GW community some
reassurances that they can find the information they need in one place. We have the alert
message system in place now, but we need a permanent solution, too. One site will
reinforce and further promote GW as an institution that cares about its constituents,
especially in times of crisis.
“GW CENTER STAGE”: INTERACTING WITH THE GW COMMUNITY
Another way to foster community while highlighting some of GW’s best brainpower is
through weekly online discussions with faculty experts, administrators, alumni, etc.
These discussions, identical to the plan previously submitted for online discussions with
President Trachtenberg (SEE ATTACHED), would provide another level of interactivity
that only the Web can provide. Though we’ll have control mechanisms, which we need,
this idea will further build a community for our constituents. Tentatively called “GW
Center Stage,” UR can highlight one guest a week to answer questions. It’s our own talk
show.

9. Washingtonpost.com users are familiar with this interaction with newsmakers in its “Live
Online” section (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/). GW users could
experience this interaction, too. With ample promotion and visibility, “Center Stage”
could become a staple of UR, providing a new way for the community to interact. GW is
a large institution with many people that often go unnoticed. One way to give people
attention is to give those who would not necessarily have an opportunity to talk to Person
X the chance to ask and learn about what they do. This process of one guest a week will
not require an extensive time commitment. Think of all of the GW offices, departments,
services, etc. The options are endless for “guests.” If universities are about discourse,
then UR has a golden opportunity to provide that discussion to the community in a
semi-controlled way.
“GW Center Stage” is unlike anything at the University right now. It’s only a matter of
time before some other entity on campus, be it the Portal, GWired, The Hatchet, or the
GWBlitz! will conduct these interactive sessions. With a full-time Web editor, this
innovative plan can be implemented under our logo. Think of it as the “GW Washington
Forum” online, but instead of only one questioner, we let the community ask the
questions.
Here’s an outline of how this process could work over two weeks (but again, look at the
attached proposal for more ideas on implementation):
• Week one: Monday: Post graphic on the GW News Center and Media Relations
Web sites informing people that Person X will be answering questions. Users
click on the image and are taken to a page with a question form they need to
submit. This page will also let users know that responses will be posted on Friday
and all questions will not be answered.
• Friday: Post graphic indicating Person X has answered questions.
• Monday: Post graphic informing people that Person Y will answer questions.
Keep text link underneath for the transcript of Person X.
“GW Center Stage” can be a catalyst for discussion across disciplines, and it’s rather
simple to establish. This idea cannot only bring the GW community together, it can bring
University Relations together by offering such a cross-department feature. This concept is
being used in many places on the Internet and is very successful to help people feel like
they belong to a community.
PRESIDENT’S WEB SITE
University Relations is charged with maintaining the one comprehensive resource about
President Trachtenberg on the Web. With a full-time Web editor, UR can ensure that this
site is continually updated, providing text of his latest speeches, as well as a gallery of
photos from recent and past events. Maintaining a positive image of the President is an
important task, one that requires time and dedication to meeting this goal. By working

10. more closely with the President’s office, UR can provide even more content than what
our office produces, be it special photos or other news.
In addition to the “GW Center Stage” idea with President Trachtenberg, UR should
strongly encourage the President to write a weekly, monthly, or timely
column/message for his Web site. Many college presidents already do this by including
comments on recent campus events, thanking people, or by writing about an aspect of
higher education. Since President Trachtenberg has many thoughts on many topics, UR
should encourage him to communicate with all of his constituents. With the possibility of
audio initiatives, the President can also record and post general welcome messages to
provide a deeper level of interactivity.
BYGEORGE! WEB SITE
Currently, the ByGeorge! Web site is created and maintained by ByGeorge! With a full-
time Web editor, this site could fall into the position’s portfolio, allowing for an even
greater level of integration across a variety of sites. For example, if there’s a ByGeorge!
story about the President, it also can be incorporated on the President’s site. More uses
for ByGeorge! on the Web are discussed later in this plan.
“THE KALB REPORT” WEB SITE
“The Kalb Report” Web site is maintained by IMAG. With a full-time Web editor, this
site can be more regularly and rapidly updated, as well as integrated in other ways on the
GW News Center. Currently, the last time the site was updated was in April for the Ted
Koppel interview. Two shows have been held since then. A full-time Web editor can
work to update the site, provide a gallery of photos, and post audio clips.
THE WEB AND THE UNIVERSITY’S STRATEGIC PLAN
As GW begins to implement its strategic initiative, UR could present the face of the plan
to constituents. Seven programs have been identified by the administration as areas of
academic excellence: transportation safety and security; public policy and public service;
Sigur Center for Asian Studies; biomedical engineering; political science; history; and
human evolution.
These areas are ripe for promotion across GW Web sites, either explicitly or
implicitly. As we plan our Web strategy and overall communications strategy, we can
help educate the community about these areas of excellence through Web sites
highlighting each focus. That’s an explicit way. An implicit way would be to promote
more events and stories from these disciplines. By doing so, UR would be investing its
resources in what the administration views as the critical academic areas for GW's
continued success and growth.
Another way UR can promote these seven areas is by engaging ISS and IMAG in
discussions about highlighting these subjects on the main GW Web site. Though that site
is a political minefield, it’s still the University’s front door to the world. What better way
to showcase GW’s strengths than front and center on www.gwu.edu.

11. The idea for this stems from the University of Buffalo’s front page (SEE
ATTACHMENT). The layout resembles GW’s front page with a large area for
pictures/moving images. Whereas the GW front page has the same, repetitive, and
redundant images, the University of Buffalo highlights news stories that relate to its
mission statement and buzzwords. We could replicate this with our seven areas of
academic excellence. UR, IMAG, and SASSComm could work together to create seven
short animated shows like the “GW Experience” one that exists now.
For example:
• Transportation Safety and Security: In consultation with faculty members in this field,
we could create images of airplanes for the Aviation Institute, crash test dummies for the
National Crash Analysis Center, etc. These collages of words and images would help
solidify the University’s commitment to these areas of academic excellence.
It’s all about branding ... in this case, branding the University as a leader in these seven
areas. Yes, some disciplines are not included, but these seven areas were chosen by the
administration and funds will be spent to support them even more. If we’re supposedly
known for these areas, or if we want to be known for these areas, then we should not hide
them, we should highlight them on the most prominent marketing and communications
vehicle we have – the front page of the GW Web site. UR can help fulfill President
Trachtenberg’s call to action when he said, “As a result of this strategic planning phase,
we will be able to allocate resources for more productive purposes -- enhancing the GW
experience for all students, faculty and staff. Our work over the next few months will
help us define this University’s destiny along a productive path of positive internal
change that positions us to meet external challenges in the future.”
The Web can be a communications cornerstone in guiding GW along this “productive
path.”
USING BYGEORGE! ONLINE
To walk along this productive path, UR should consider new ways of using existing
resources. Right now, ByGeorge! represents the printed face of University Relations.
Seventeen issues a year are produced with a circulation of 16,000. The cost per issue is
roughly $8,000.
With a two-week deadline for each issue, many stories fall through the cracks. With a
two-week deadline, news and stories appear weeks after an event. With a two-week
deadline, details are not finalized for many events on campus, therefore they cannot be
included in ByGeorge! With a two-week deadline, UR cannot effectively
communicate as it could because resources are being spent on a product that has
many of the barriers described above.
Consider three examples of how ByGeorge! faces challenges to be a primary
communications vehicle. When the historic news of Crossfire moving to GW was
announced on Feb. 27, the GW News Center communicated the news. A button was

12. created on the old front page of the GW Web site and people flocked to the Web. In
addition, the Web provided depth to the story by posting pictures, archived stories of
Crossfire at GW in previous years, and transcripts of the shows. Providing this level of
depth and timeliness is not something that can be done in ByGeorge! because of
deadlines, page limits, and cost, which could not publish news about Crossfire until
March 7, a week after the GW community knew about this development.
Another example of the barriers ByGeorge! presents can be found in the one-year
anniversary events for Sept. 11. Those events were not finalized until four or five days
before the anniversary. ByGeorge! could not be included in communicating this
information because UR and University Events needed an immediate way to
communicate. So the Web was the answer. Within hours, a special Sept. 11 Web page
was created and posted for the community to access. It listed President Trachtenberg’s
letter and a schedule of academic panels. It also included information about a Reuters
exhibit, the “Kalb Report,” an essay by Jerrold Post, a story about the “Freedom Quilt,”
and other archived information. This was one-stop-shopping at its best. Though
ByGeorge! published many of these pieces in time for Sept. 11, it could not respond to all
of the final plans.
With the help of an E-mail to all GW accounts, and with the help of an advertisement in
the Hatchet, the Sept. 11 Web page was the most viewed site in GW News Center history
with more than six-times the amount of normal daily traffic. These numbers and this
example speak volumes as to how the Web can be a core of a communications strategy,
while a print publication such as ByGeorge! a key piece to the puzzle.
Yes, it is critical to have a regular, printed publication on the streets, but as has been
proven repeatedly, the ByGeorge! deadlines and barriers will not help UR communicate
news in the most efficient and cost-effective way. The Sept. 11 Web site contained 20
links to stories and related information, produced in a matter of hours at a cost of
roughly $60 of labor. ByGeorge! produced a 12-page issue on Sept. 4 that took two-
weeks to produce at a cost of $8,000 just for publishing.
So how can ByGeorge! be used more effectively on the Web? One model to follow
comes from George Mason University, where it used to publish a bi-weekly newspaper
with Web material as an afterthought. Now, the model has been flipped. The “Mason
Gazette” appears as a daily online newspaper (http://gazette.gmu.edu/) with a list of
events and news stories. The print version now is published once a month as a vehicle for
important recaps of events, a look to the future for upcoming events, and a place for
feature articles to be written and graphically presented. This has saved the office half of
its printing budget while it has used more resources to reach more people in a timely
fashion on the Web.
Other examples of online publications come from The Catholic University of America
and American University (SEE ATTACHED), where CUA does not publish a printed
edition of a faculty/staff newspaper anymore, but only an online edition. AU publishes a
newspaper, but it also presents daily E-mail and Web messages.

13. Yes, there is still value for a newspaper of record on campus. ByGeorge! still needs to
exist as a printed entity once a month, once every three weeks, or with fewer pages to
save money.
In order to keep the ByGeorge! name present on the minds of the community, all spot
news stories posted the day of or after an event can use the ByGeorge! logo. Consider the
groundbreaking ceremony for Duques Hall, which happened on Oct. 17. The next day, a
story could have been written and approved for posting on the GW News Center and the
ByGeorge! Web site, in addition to a photo gallery, audio clips, a map of Duques Hall’s
location, and related links. In the current scheme of ByGeorge! deadlines and page limits,
ByGeorge! published one article with one picture three weeks later on Nov. 6.
The paradigm of ByGeorge! as a news source should be considered carefully because
more and more people will simply turn the Hatchet or GWBlitz! for their immediate
news. That doesn’t exactly meet UR’s goals of communicating the messages we want.
But users do not want to wait three weeks to read about an event. If we have the
technology of a digital camera, the dedication and drive of people willing to pull this
material together in an immediate way, then why can’t UR break down some of the
traditional barriers, while maintaining the ByGeorge! name on the Web and a printed
edition once a month or once every three weeks? We can have it both ways,
understanding that changes should be considered for UR’s communications strategy and
goals of informing people on a timely basis.
SPOT NEWS REPORTING
In order to meet the needs of a more active ByGeorge! presence online, UR will need
people to report on some of the events happening around campus in a timely manner. The
full-time Web editor can be one of these people, as can the ByGeorge! editor, the
ByGeorge! intern(s), the Media Relations staff, and others interested in attending and
capturing some quotes and writing a brief story.
Another way to reach out to the community and students is to consider working in
partnership with SMPA students and their faculty members to write brief recaps of stories
for us...free of charge and under supervision of SMPA professors. Often times, these
students attend UR-promoted events as a requirement for their journalism classes. If all
we’re looking for is brief recaps on some of these stories, then a cadre of writers can help
us and we can help them by giving them opportunities to write. An after-effect of this
partnership would be that these students would become more familiar with the GW News
Center and they would visit our pages often. They would tell their friends and family who
would then also view our pages. It’s getting our message out, through educational
opportunities, to enhance the presence of the GW News Center to even more constituents.
WEEKLY UR WEB MEETINGS
To plan accordingly to cover events, choose which events will have audio components,
plan photography needs, and suggest other ideas, it’s critical that strategy sessions be
held once a week. The Web is not an entity unto itself. The Web needs and requires UR

14. working together to plan and execute the most effective communications strategy we
can. Yes, we meet every now and then in small groups, but sometimes we don’t have all
of the information. So a weekly meeting, complete with pizza, every Thursday to plan for
the next week would be beneficial. At this meeting, a core group of Web content
providers, as well as anyone else who wants to attend, can discuss:
• Upcoming events
• E-mail communications
• Photography needs
• Audio needs
• Integrating “Crossfire,” “Kalb,” “Washington Forum,” and “Jazz”
• Timing of coverage on the Web
• “GW Center Stage” guests
• Other issues such as the Strategic Plan, GWeb Portal, etc.
• Advertising needs
These meetings can be a weekly opportunity for UR to strategically advance the
image of the institution in a collaborative way – advancing it on a platform we all
use – the Internet. The full-time Web editor will not be successful operating in
isolation. The position and indeed our mission, depend upon collaboration from the
entire office to succeed in building community. The Web not only breaks down
barriers of time and money, it breaks down traditional barriers between offices. UR
already works well together. These meetings can provide a weekly focal point.
ADVERTISING-PROMOTION-MARKETING
Without promoting the GW News Center, we’ve done well. But getting the word out will
be critical to being successful. Creating content gets us well on our way, but getting
people to read it is just as important, be it Web pages or E-mails. It will take effort,
creativity, and maybe a little money, but it can be done – and done well. This will take
time, but we should think about reaching out at events like Colonial Inauguration,
Colonials Weekend, etc.
Another avenue to consider is print advertising. As we discovered for Sept. 11, promoting
a Web site in advertisements drives people to the Web. In the one quote cited earlier from
Robert Sevier, the Web will be the center of a communications strategy, a place where
people are driven to by other mediums. Advertisements in the Hatchet range from $160-
$360 for what our needs might be. We could run an ad once a week, driving people to our
Web sites. There is little doubt that the University community reads the Hatchet. Our ad
for Sept. 11 proved that. By spending some resources, we will be able to foster
community by reaching out to those we already know use the Web – students.
Advertising in other publications and mediums should be considered, too. The GW News
Center and all of its assets can exist, but if we do not promote an upcoming chat, photo
galleries, etc., then we might not be able to succeed as well as we could.

15. Other ways to advertise might be in the form of mouse pads, pens, coffee mugs, etc. If
the Web is going to be a center of a communications strategy, then we should actively
promote this medium.
We should also consider the GW News Center as a source for revenue, accepting
advertisements on certain sites. GW is the largest private employer in D.C., so that could
be one selling point for potential advertisers.
BUDGET NEEDS
In the 10 months of the GW News Center, very little money has been spent on this
project comparatively to other Web sites that spend thousands of dollars on Web
development. UR has been able to produce Web sites at the cost of a part-time salary, a
few Web programs, and some work outsourced to IMAG. With the understanding of
budget concerns for UR, the Web editor can make a vigilant effort to keep costs down
and maintain sites. The biggest resource a Web editor needs is not money, but time. Yes,
some money will have to be spent to accomplish some of these goals described above.
But with creative minds and a determination to strategically communicate, the UR staff
can invest its time to fulfill its mission.
CLOSING (BUT CERTAINLY NOT FINAL) THOUGHTS
This Web editor position and the accompanying ideas are thoughts to strategically move
University Relations to the center of the GW communications circle. Other organizations
such as IMAG, GWired and the Hatchet already have a large stake in what people read
and perceive about The George Washington University on the Internet. The University
Relations brand and messages are slowly seeping their ways into the consciousness of
GW constituents through the advent of the GW News Center this year. But we can do
more. We can develop a Web communications strategy that is worthy of a University
truly at the center of it all in Washington. This Web plan is about branding. It’s about
effective communications. But most importantly, it’s about building community.
There are many ways to achieve all of these goals because the Internet presents a myriad
of options. The Web is not going away – its relevance grows everyday. University
Relations, as the leading brander, communicator, and community builder, should
strongly consider developing a comprehensive Web-based strategy based on existing
models, ideas presented in this plan, and through ideas that have yet to be
expressed.
University Relations’ need to communicate with people is paramount to its mission. By
embracing the Web as the unique and undisputed vehicle for reporting information in a
timely and cost-effective way, UR will send the message that the Internet is truly a living
scrapbook of the life and times of The George Washington University, accessible to
anyone around the world with a computer and Internet access.