Updated homepage features admissions, video and more
The Vanderbilt homepage was updated this week with new features to help visitors more easily find content they seek and to showcase the university’s increasing use of video and social media.
“Online communications continue to be of paramount importance to the university and to students, faculty and staff, and in many ways those communications start with our homepage,” Beth Fortune, vice chancellor for public affairs, said. “These changes reflect the needs and interests of our audiences and prepare us for a complete overhaul of the site in the new year.”
Undergraduate Admissions has increased exposure on the updated site, with space featuring application deadlines and a link to more information, to make it easy for prospective students to find the information they seek. According to site traffic data, information for prospective students is some of the top content sought on the Vanderbilt site.
The navigation presentation was altered to make it easier to read and to find related content.
The weekly VUCast newscast now appears in the photo rotation on the homepage and plays in a much larger player than in the past. The videos, produced by the Vanderbilt News Service, feature research, Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff, and campus news and events. VUCast videos were nominated for four regional Emmy awards this year. Photos by Creative Services, a perennially popular feature, continue to be showcased in this space. Controls have also been added to this section to allow users to pause, advance or go back through the slideshow.
To reflect the university’s growing use of social media to communicate with its many audiences, direct links to the Vanderbilt YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds are now included on the site, as is a link to the Vanderbilt space in iTunes U.
The second level pages linked to from the site’s main navigation also have a fresh look, making them easier to navigate and read. These pages include “Students,” “Parents,” “Colleges and Schools,” and others.
The Vanderbilt homepage is managed by University Web Communications in the Division of Public Affairs. It receives approximately 2 million visits a month. A complete redesign of the site is planned for 2010. Send input on the homepage, and what you would like to see in the future version, to www@vanderbilt.edu.