#MPD3
IT TAKES A CAMPUS
To Raise A (Web Professionals) Community
Rachel Carden, Web Developer/Designer, The University of Alabama
@bamadesigner

- Established in 1831
- 13 Colleges and Schools
- Over 37,000 students
- Close to 5,000 faculty/staff
- Almost 2,000 acres

Professional
Development
Sharing of
Ideas /
Innovation
Communication
and Networking
Institutional
Knowledge
Collaboration

YOU HAVE THE POWER!

Bringing University of Alabama web professionals
together to educate, inform, discuss, innovate, and share
https://webtide.ua.edu - @bamawebtide
#MPD3 @bamadesigner

• Formed January 2014 - almost 2 years!
• Has 78 members from over 30 departments across campus
• Meets the third Thursday of every month to discuss
institutional knowledge, campus projects, and professional
development topics ranging from social media to
accessibility to crisis communication.
#MPD3 @bamadesigner

• UA is large, web services are decentralized.
• No main web shop, comprised of smaller and
one-man teams.
• Wanted the opportunity to share ideas and “talk
shop” with other web professionals on campus.
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
WHY?

Saw a need and opportunity to crowdsource
resources and professional development for
all web professionals on campus.
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
WHY?

#humanatwork
#MPD3 @bamadesigner

Helping your university by
helping your people
#MPD3 @bamadesigner

Community building allows you to
empower others to
improve through
professional development
and relationships.
#MPD3 @bamadesigner

In its first iteration,
WebTide was simply a blog.
#MPD3 @bamadesigner

• Was called “College Web”, 10-15 person group
that met every other month at campus Starbucks
• Went overkill on unneeded/unused tools
• Was too informal / no structure/topics/agenda
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
MY FIRST ATTEMPT

• Designed a more formal meeting process - had a plan!
• Only implemented tools as needed - one page website
• Implemented better communication tools
• Pulled in more help - great planning committee
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
REBORN

GETTING STARTED

• Environments are different for each campus
• There will be trial/error. Prepare to change.
• Technology is not the answer to everything
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

• Start small, scale as needed
• Keep things simple
• Be transparent
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

• Don’t do it alone Can’t do it alone
• Surround yourself with support
• Embrace different ideas
• Be available
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

• Set realistic goals
• It never hurts to ask
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

#MPD3 @bamadesigner
WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?

YOU HAVE TO CULTIVATE

#MPD3 @bamadesigner
RELATIONSHIPS
RELATIONSHIPS
RELATIONSHIPS

• Invite everyone to watch together
• When conferences stream their presentations
• Webinars
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
ONLINE RESOURCES/MATERIALS

• Share learning materials/online resources
• Share your educational discoveries with your
community
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
ONLINE RESOURCES/MATERIALS

• In person
• Online
• Webinars
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
DIFFERENT WAYS TO “MEET”

• Slack / IRC
• Skype/Google
Hangouts
• Blackboard
• Social media
• Websites
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
RESOURCES/TOOLS TO USE
• Subject matter experts
• Live examples
• Listserv
• Vendor presentations
• Goodies

#MPD3 @bamadesigner
Take advantage of
free or inexpensive
academic licenses!

It never hurts to ask.
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• “If you feed them, they will come.”
• Ask departments or vendors to sponsor a meal.
• Grants or sponsorships for training, resources, etc
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• Accessibility
• Social Media
• Branding
• Crisis Communication at UA
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
TOPICS

• Usability
• Security Awareness
• The Role of the Web in Higher Education
• Alternatives to a Traditional CMS
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
TOPICS

• Effective Project Management
• Tools and Resources For Your Job
• A Different Perspective: I Am A Higher
Education Professional Who Is Also A Web
Professional
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
TOPICS

• Video for the Web
• News and Events at UA
• Legal Issues Relevant of Higher Ed Web
• Various department projects/environments
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
TOPICS

• Front-End Frameworks
• Student Workers
• Dealing with faculty and the web
• Writing Content for the Web
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
OTHER POSSIBLE TOPICS

• Utilizing Campus Resources
• Marketing
• Measuring Web Performance
• Campus Politics
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
OTHER POSSIBLE TOPICS

• Community members
• Other campus staff/faculty
• Area professionals
• Company reps
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
POSSIBLE SPEAKERS

Sharing your work means
playing an active role in
improving your community
#MPD3 @bamadesigner

wow
such benefits
omg networking
much development
many shares

Professional
Development
Sharing of
Ideas /
Innovation
Communication
and Networking
Institutional
Knowledge
Collaboration

WE ALL
DO BETTER
WHEN WE ALL
DO BETTER.
#MPD3 @bamadesigner

Tuscaloosa Web Professionals is a community and meetup group
for anyone in the Tuscaloosa (and surrounding) area who makes a
living building the world wide web. Whether you're a designer,
coder, writer, sysadmin, or other web-related specialist, we invite
you to join us to network, learn, and share your expertise.

http://wpcampus.org - @wpcampusorg - #WPCampus

A community (and proposed conference)
focused on using WordPress
to improve the world of higher education
and higher ed web.
#MPD3 @bamadesigner

• Launched 7 weeks ago today
• 284 people have visited wpcampus.org and shown interest
• Attending: 275 (97%)
• Speaking: 157 (55%)
• Planning: 98 (35%)
• Sponsoring: 47 (17%)
• Hosting at your university: 59 (21%)
• 185 people in our Slack account.

Learn more about WPCampus
http://wpcampus.org
View WPCampus Planning Data
http://wpcampus.org/planning/data/
#MPD3 @bamadesigner

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR
#MPD3 @bamadesigner
?

Any questions?
Rachel Carden
@bamadesigner
http://bamadesigner.com
http://wpcampus.org
http://tuscaloosawebpros.com/
https://webtide.ua.edu
#MPD3 @bamadesigner