[Editors] MIT Editors' Club Minutes, 1/23/2006

[Elizabeth Thomson]

MIT EDITORS' CLUB

*Meeting Notes from January 23, 2006*

What new professional initiatives are YOU working on this year? The 
Editors' who attended this meeting cited everything from major 
redesigns of web sites to a new capital campaign for the Harvard-MIT 
Division of Health Sciences and Technology and an increased emphasis 
on publicizing MIT science/engineering news.

*Maggie's Team*

Some 30 folks from Alumni Communications are working to not only 
revamp their web site (the new design is due in May 2007), but also 
to evaluate the effectiveness of the Alumni/Alumnae Association's 
e-mail messages to members. Maggy Bruzelius, director of 
communications for the association and head of the team working on 
these projects, told us that the ultimate goal is to develop a more 
effective strategic plan.

The impetus for redesigning the web site? Among other things, "we're 
finding that people can't find things they're looking for," Maggy 
said. Her team is divided into separate groups exploring such things 
as usability tests on the current site and content development. "What 
are the big questions for communicating on the web in 2008-9?" Maggie 
said.

The Alumni/ae Association send s out e-mail to some 1.9 million 
recipients every year. But how much is too much? Are people opening 
the mail? Are they copying it, sending it to friends? Are they 
clicking through to the web links in these messages? These are the 
sorts of questions the team is exploring with respect to 
e-communication.

*News Office*

In 2006 the News Office aims to ramp up coverage and publicity of MIT 
research, particularly research involving energy and cancer, two 
initiatives important to President Hockfield. As a result, more than 
ever we're actively trolling for good research stories. As always, 
send ideas to "moi" at thomson at mit.edu or 8-5402.

*Public Service Center*

The Public Service Center, too, is launching a new web site; it's 
scheduled to go live tomorrow (Feb. 1). Camilla Brinkman, publicity 
coordinator for the PSC, echoed Maggie in saying that "our old site 
grew out of control--there were lots of things that you could never 
find from our home page." Now, she said, the site is easier to use.

Oh! Almost forgot another wonderful piece of PSC news: Camilla said 
that the PSC, in conjunction with a grant from the Coop, has raised 
over $40G to enable MIT students to go down to New Orleans to 
study--and fix, I expect!--some of the problems left over from 
Katrina.

*Useful Stuff*

Editors' Club meetings always produce Useful Stuff for members. Here 
are two from Monday's conversation:

Join PIOnet (for Public Information Officers), a listserv for people 
involved in university media relations and communications. PIOnet is 
sort of like an international Editors' Club---you can ask questions, 
and respond to them. Recently there was a thread about colleges 
offering  immersion trips for students interested in helping out in 
Louisiana after Katrina. For more info, go to the web site, 
http://www.newswise.com/community/pionet/. Take special note of the 
PIOnet archives: you can find past threads on everything from 
measuring PR effectiveness to "who controls your web site?"

Susan Curran of Information Systems and Technology reminded everyone 
that IS&T has a free Usability Lab for getting feedback on your web 
sites. Go to http://web.mit.edu/ist/usability/ for more info!

I'll send out the dates for future Editors' Club meetings this spring 
within the next few days.

Cheers!

Elizabeth
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Elizabeth A. Thomson
Assistant Director, Science & Engineering News
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
News Office, Room 11-400
77 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA  02139-4307
617-258-5402 (ph); 617-258-8762 (fax)
<thomson at mit.edu>

<http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/www>
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