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New ULSU website

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    #32
    testicle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,430 ✭✭✭testicle


    tyRion wrote: »
    Looking at other sites that Molehill Solutions (Mick Phelan) have designed, the "new" ULSU site is an off-the shelf CMS that's been used several times before.

    I wonder how he got that contract. Past ULSU President and all. :rolleyes:


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    #33
    testicle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,430 ✭✭✭testicle


    KerranJast wrote: »
    It shouldn't be launched if it isn't finished. That's really unprofessional.

    Just like Gmail then...


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    #34
    ImDave
    Registered Users Posts: 1,096 ✭✭✭ImDave


    Polar Ice wrote: »
    Some people I know in UCD asked was the website an April fools joke. It reflects poorly from an external point of view on the SU.

    Absolutely. If a university offering high quality degree programmes in areas such as web development/design etc. has websites such as this representing the university it would inspire little confidence to third parties.

    Could the SU not have tendered out a design template/proposal to the student body and offer some kind of prize/reward for the best design. The medical school done this not so long ago. They tendered the design of the school's logo to students of the university and offered a prize in return to the winning designer.


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    #35
    bluedolphin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,421 ✭✭✭bluedolphin


    Polar Ice wrote: »
    The communications officer has claimed that she doesn't know how much the site cost (even though it falls under her responsibility). The rumoured figure of ~4k is obscene (for the product) regardless, but especially when you start mentioning cutbacks.

    You asked me after a Council meeting; I didn't have exact figures on me then. It was no where near €4K...at all, that I'm certain of.

    I'll put my hands up and take responsibility for this. If anyone wants to meet with me and discuss how we can move forward, please PM me. I apologise if it's fallen below par but I want to draw a line under this and move forward proactively and positively.


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    #36
    thattequilagirl
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,158 ✭✭✭thattequilagirl


    bluedolphin wrote: »
    You asked me after a Council meeting; I didn't have exact figures on me then. It was no where near €4K...at all, that I'm certain of.

    I'll put my hands up and take responsibility for this. If anyone wants to meet with me and discuss how we can move forward, please PM me. I apologise if it's fallen below par but I want to draw a line under this and move forward proactively and positively.

    Fair play bluedolphin, hopefully some of those who think they could do better will step up to the plate.


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    #37
    kaimera
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,396 ✭✭✭✭kaimera


    http://www.ul.ie/experience/

    any ideas how long this has been up on the ul site?


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    #38
    ninty9er
    Registered Users Posts: 9,366 ✭✭✭ninty9er


    kaimera wrote: »
    http://www.ul.ie/experience/

    any ideas how long this has been up on the ul site?
    About 2 months.


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    #39
    Oisín Collins
    Registered Users Posts: 152 ✭✭Oisín Collins


    bluedolphin wrote: »
    You asked me after a Council meeting; I didn't have exact figures on me then. It was no where near €4K...at all, that I'm certain of.

    I'll put my hands up and take responsibility for this. If anyone wants to meet with me and discuss how we can move forward, please PM me. I apologise if it's fallen below par but I want to draw a line under this and move forward proactively and positively.

    New NUIG SU website http://www.su.nuigalway.ie/

    Might be worth asking who did theirs?


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    #40
    tyRion
    Registered Users Posts: 18 ✭tyRion


    bluedolphin wrote: »
    It was no where near €4K...at all, that I'm certain of.

    So, how much did it cost? Surely the invoice is sitting on your desk or in your inbox?
    bluedolphin wrote: »
    If anyone wants to meet with me and discuss how we can move forward, please PM me.

    You're getting tons of quality feedback right here:
    ImDave wrote: »
    Could the SU not have tendered out a design template/proposal to the student body and offer some kind of prize/reward for the best design.
    thattequilagirl wrote: »
    If they brought back the forum, ideally added a blog and stopped the stuff moving different directions on the screen cos that really wrecks my head I'd be happy enough.
    thattequilagirl wrote: »
    Another option would have been to get rid of the spammers and promote the website/forum heavily so that a greater variety of students use it.
    redlane wrote: »
    At very least, why isn't there a blog from each of the sabbats or even all of the sabbats?

    Why does feedback need to be behind a locked door, one on one? Surely open discussion of the problem, offering multiple views from a variety of heads is a better solution?
    DJCR wrote: »
    At the end of the day we have boards... not ideal to a lot of you but hey.... your all discussing it here so why not keep it here...
    bluedolphin wrote: »
    If anyone wants to meet with me and discuss how we can move forward, please PM me.

    So first we shut down the only in house method of SU discussion, then we're advised to move our discussion out of the one remaining public forum. We are moving further and further from a transparent process, An Focal wont publish SU criticism, or even balanced discussion (a la head2head) anymore.

    Now I'm not saying we're moving toward a dictatorship, but such heavy handed control of the media can never be healthy.

    We need to move toward an open system, like that used by Indymedia, and advocated by Reporters without Borders. Out of 173 countries ranked in terms of media transparency Ireland is 4th (so, one of the most open). With the way our current SU press office acts one would be convinced it was the University of Lagos Students Union.

    The bizarre twist here is that neither the University or the Government are suppressing the media.

    The solutions I'm proposing require a change in thinking. A prime example of this is the fact that the current Class Reps Facebook group is invite only and closed (hidden/secret I think is the term). Even class reps who want to join cannot.

    Some ideas:
    • Twitter updates from C&S council and Class reps Council
    • Blogs for every Sabat, updated at a maximum daily, and a minimum weekly
    • Comment systems for these blogs
    • A forum so students can voice their views

    Something I'd like to see is an open Sabat mailing list that anyone can read and subscribe to, but only the Sabats can post to. This would be the one place Sabats would bash out ideas, and would allow the rest of us see how decisions are made.

    Admittedly, sensitive information (the main things I can think of relate to the welfare officer) would not be discussed in such a public manner, but 90% should be OK. This would be a more frequent extension of Exec meeting minutes (which are available for students to read, right?).

    The paper and website should report and publish fact. Anyone who submits a story should see it published, even if that story disagrees with the SU or calls the SU out on a failing, however, the story needs to be factually accurate. If the editor disagrees with a story then say so in an editorial column. There should be one editorial column per hard copy issue, or one post a week on-line. The rest needs to be unbiased factual information. Don't remove fact, simply because it is disagreeable.
    thattequilagirl wrote: »
    Fair play bluedolphin, hopefully some of those who think they could do better will step up to the plate.

    I'd like to bring about all these changes. It's realistically going to take months to enact all this, and a change of perspective (which may be impossible).

    I ran in the elections, so that I could bring about this change. Unfortunately one thousand and eighty voices weren't enough.


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    #41
    rmacm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,039 ✭✭✭rmacm


    tyRion wrote: »
    Why does feedback need to be behind a locked door, one on one? Surely open discussion of the problem, offering multiple views from a variety of heads is a better solution?

    I don't see where anyone said that it has to be behind a locked door, one on one. Currently it isn't because a lot of people have thrown in their opionions here.
    tyRion wrote: »
    We need to move toward an open system, like that used by Indymedia, and advocated by Reporters without Borders. Out of 173 countries ranked in terms of media transparency Ireland is 4th (so, one of the most open). With the way our current SU press office acts one would be convinced it was the University of Lagos Students Union.

    Indymedia isn't some kind of panacea for transparency either, a lot of the stuff on there has an agenda behind it too and to be honest anonymous journalism doesn't sound very transparent to me. I'll admit that it does have its uses in more respressive regimes but if you're going to write something about someone at least give them the right to reply and to know who has written what about them.
    tyRion wrote: »
    Some ideas:
    • Twitter updates from C&S council and Class reps Council
    • Blogs for every Sabat, updated at a maximum daily, and a minimum weekly
    • Comment systems for these blogs
    • A forum so students can voice their views

    All good ideas I think, perhaps something the new Comms person could implement?


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    #42
    ULConnect
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭ULConnect


    The UL Experience website was developed by the marketing department, what's up now is 'version 1' they're working on version 2 which apparently will have a lot of changes and a more student feel.

    I think the NUIG website was designed by Starlight: http://www.starlight.ie/

    Here's a good page with similar examples: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/03/11/the-secrets-of-grunge-design/


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    #43
    ninty9er
    Registered Users Posts: 9,366 ✭✭✭ninty9er


    Personally I think the NUIGSU website isn't much better and the content seems to be slack, which at least can't be said of what we've got.

    I floated the idea of a blog, but considering the President spend most of his week in meetings that can't be made public until after the next meeting of that forum has passed the contents, it would be kind of pointless apart from saying "I went here, I met x, I'll tell you in a month what I said to x"

    It's not a bad idea though, and I wouldn't mind doing one, or at least blogging the officer reports given to Class Reps.

    AFAIK Starlight was the company used for the previous website and the bookshop website which experienced numerous difficulties. Paul Killoran at Starlight has a close link with NUIGSU so perhaps he put some "personal effort" into making it "look okay" but IMO it's nothing special.

    The content is all there now and I'm sure is moveable to any interface. In fairness to Aoife, the majority of work on the Union side has been on content.


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    #44
    Bakharwaldog
    Registered Users Posts: 208 ✭✭Bakharwaldog


    Very shoddy attempt. I dont understand how it could go so wrong? when u look at the branding for rag week http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=2071502031 or even just the logo used here. This could easily be addapted. I dont know just seems to have gone in completely the wrong direction. The old website was better, man even my old primary schools website was better.


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    #45
    Oisín Collins
    Registered Users Posts: 152 ✭✭Oisín Collins


    ninty9er wrote: »
    The content is all there now and I'm sure is moveable to any interface. In fairness to Aoife, the majority of work on the Union side has been on content.


    Eh, no. Not only has an online version of An Focal or Pulse for this year been put up, all previous versions have been removed/not uploaded/lost/hidden/I don't know!

    The Sabbat's individual pages are a joke, the "What your Sabbats do" intro by last years guys before the elections (in '08) had more information in them! And please don't expect me to 'ooh' and 'aah' over a phone number and an email address, seriously!

    Can anyone please tell me what good new content is here that wasn't copied and pasted from the old site or from the UL website?


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    #46
    ninty9er
    Registered Users Posts: 9,366 ✭✭✭ninty9er


    Pulse and An Focal is an issue I have only ever heard 3 or 4 people moan about and to be honest, while it's a good idea and has been done, to do it properly would cost a sizeable amount.

    A PDF is probably do-able, but not everyone knows how to upload a PDF, and if you want to start stipulating that as a requirement for someone to be nominated for election as Communications Officer it's bordering on childish.


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    #47
    rmacm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,039 ✭✭✭rmacm


    ninty9er wrote: »
    Pulse and An Focal is an issue I have only ever heard 3 or 4 people moan about and to be honest, while it's a good idea and has been done, to do it properly would cost a sizeable amount.

    That would depend on your definition of properly, publishing a pdf version of the paper online wouldn't cost anything aside from the few seconds it takes to upload a pdf file. If you're talking about having An Focal in a similar manner to lets say the Irish Times website then yeah you're probably talking about it costing a bit of cash. That said I'd be willing to bet that most people would be happy with a pdf version.
    ninty9er wrote: »
    A PDF is probably do-able, but not everyone knows how to upload a PDF, and if you want to start stipulating that as a requirement for someone to be nominated for election as Communications Officer it's bordering on childish.

    It's not that difficult, not everyone knows how to do it but I'm pretty sure bluedolphin and ergonomics are reasonable intelligent people and can be shown how to do it (and anyone that comes after them).


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    #48
    Oisín Collins
    Registered Users Posts: 152 ✭✭Oisín Collins


    ninty9er wrote: »
    A PDF is probably do-able, but not everyone knows how to upload a PDF, and if you want to start stipulating that as a requirement for someone to be nominated for election as Communications Officer it's bordering on childish.

    First of all, it's as easy as uploading the constitution, which has been done.

    Second of all, that's what Google and tutorials are for.

    Thirdly - It should be a requirement that people can either do their job, learn how to, or ask someone who can for help.


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    #49
    DKoala
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭DKoala


    This is just a hunch, but something tells me someone has been tampering with the site, it's destroyed with racial slurs, and an oh-so-creative title... :-/


    Also, trying to follow the link to the forum is not advised if others are in the room. Porn website redirect...


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    #50
    ninty9er
    Registered Users Posts: 9,366 ✭✭✭ninty9er


    There is no forum on the new website.

    Okay, so it's possibly an issue of the designer not using pdf to send to print.

    Either way. An Focal and Pulse not being online isn't a big deal. I would like to see Pulse and An Focal online, but this is an old issue that goes back to previous officers too. The one who knew how to do it would, but just doesn't have the time anymore.

    I don't like the design and old fashioned technology, but I have no issues with it otherwise.


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    #51
    KerranJast
    Registered Users Posts: 1,829 ✭✭✭KerranJast


    Personally speaking having An Focal online as a PDF was a very good service for coop students and alumni with an interest in the college goings on. Not all of us can call into the college to grab a hard copy of the paper.


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    #52
    sibh1
    Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭sibh1


    ninty9er wrote: »
    There is no forum on the new website.

    Okay, so it's possibly an issue of the designer not using pdf to send to print.

    Either way. An Focal and Pulse not being online isn't a big deal. I would like to see Pulse and An Focal online, but this is an old issue that goes back to previous officers too. The one who knew how to do it would, but just doesn't have the time anymore.

    I don't like the design and old fashioned technology, but I have no issues with it otherwise.


    Having it online would reduce the amount of copies that would need to be printed. If it was advertised properly and maybe had a link from the starting explorer page to the SU website when you log in then in my opinion, more students would actually know what was going on around the college. You could save a few trees while you're at it.


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    #53
    ninty9er
    Registered Users Posts: 9,366 ✭✭✭ninty9er


    Thing is, there has been talk of cutting the print run anyway due to leftover bundles of papers.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just that it's nothing to get upset over. In any case, the old PDF system was a nightmare. Having to return to the host page and open each page separately wasn't exactly my idea of fun, or an easy way of reading a paper.

    You should never underestimate the effort it would require to get even 100 unique views on an online version.

    I'll only go to the online version of The Limerick Independent if someone else has mentioned a story to me and the paper is already gone in the recycling, and that has a circulation of over 20,000 weekly.


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    #54
    Bakharwaldog
    Registered Users Posts: 208 ✭✭Bakharwaldog


    to be honest i rarely read on focal. In paper or online, not because i dont want to but because i rarely get a chance or remember to pick one up. If there was a weekly or fortnightly e-mail with a quick review of whats happening round UL and links to the PDF's i would definately use it. And im sure other people would to. At the moment i think a lot of people, myself included only find out about whats happening through word of mouth


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    #55
    Peteee
    Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 2,432 Mod ✭✭✭✭Peteee


    c_k_m wrote: »
    only find out about whats happening through word of mouth

    Or after the event in question leading to "If I had known about it I would have gone to it"


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    #56
    rmacm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,039 ✭✭✭rmacm


    ninty9er wrote: »
    Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just that it's nothing to get upset over. In any case, the old PDF system was a nightmare. Having to return to the host page and open each page separately wasn't exactly my idea of fun, or an easy way of reading a paper.

    Wouldn't be mine either, merge all the seperate pdfs into a single document, you can use Acrobat Pro to do it and hey presto you've got one file to upload and one link to follow to read the whole thing. These problems are all easily enough solved they just require a little bit of thought.


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    #57
    ninty9er
    Registered Users Posts: 9,366 ✭✭✭ninty9er


    c_k_m wrote: »
    to be honest i rarely read on focal. In paper or online, not because i dont want to but because i rarely get a chance or remember to pick one up. If there was a weekly or fortnightly e-mail with a quick review of whats happening round UL and links to the PDF's i would definately use it. And im sure other people would to. At the moment i think a lot of people, myself included only find out about whats happening through word of mouth

    The info screens being installed (I'm told the one in Foundation is up) around campus and the lecture theatre investment by the SU and Clubs and Socs should combat the "If I had known issue" which is admittedly a factor in poorly attended events.

    There is a periodic email from the SU, but due to the ITD fair usage policy, weekly would be ripping the piss.


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    #58
    sceptre
    Registered Users Posts: 19,608 ✭✭✭✭sceptre


    ninty9er wrote: »
    Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just that it's nothing to get upset over. In any case, the old PDF system was a nightmare. Having to return to the host page and open each page separately wasn't exactly my idea of fun, or an easy way of reading a paper
    You didn't ever click on the handy "download the whole paper here" link I bolded at the top of the page after combining all the pdfs into one file for people who wanted it (like me)? I added an entire one line of html for that.


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    #59
    Oisín Collins
    Registered Users Posts: 152 ✭✭Oisín Collins


    [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8016211.stm]BBC News Website[/url] wrote:
    Yahoo pulls the plug on GeoCities

    Yahoo is to close its personal web hosting site GeoCities later this year...Yahoo says that existing GeoCities accounts will remain live for now, although it stresses that users should start looking for alternative sites.

    Looks like ULSU will have to find a new website design!!

    *removes tongue from cheek*


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