@@dashiell, do not make changes to the post. i’ve already contacted emily about this. you have questions, talk to her about it. otherwise, leave this post alone.@@What is “Around the O,” that new tab on the University of Oregon homepage? This link will lead you to the new news service for the UO, a website operated by the Strategic Communications Office. What does this site, which is prominently featured next to online student tools, have to offer?
At the moment, not much, though your parents might get a kick out of it. Around the O offers little depth on its subjects and no controversy. It feels sterile. It appears mainly to be for the benefit of whoever is paying for your education and nostalgic alumni. It is the positive, feel-good community news source, which every community needs, but it misses out on how dynamic, vexing, and fascinating Oregon can be.
Around the O went online in October, and strategic communications exhorted staff and faculty to make the site their new homepage. I’ve kept my own tabs on the website since its inception, and here are a few observations:
Could not be reached for comment: There is no option for public comment on Around the O stories. The comment thread is how a community interacts with its news sources, points out mistakes, raises related issues and sometimes gives the author a thumbs up. The comment thread allows news sources in turn to respond to and learn from their audience. The lack of a comment thread is a conspicuous absence from Around the O, and it means none of the above is likely to take place. Maybe the SCO should think about the strategic value of activating this feature.
Hi my name is ______: Summaries of newly hired staff and faculty, along with brief profiles and position descriptions. Very useful. A good way to get to know the new people and make them feel welcome.
Twitter feed: This is a great place to see retweets from other sources about how well the UO is doing and to enter drawings for mugs. Followers love mugs. Around the O could make their twitter feed even more valuable, though, by linking to some higher-ed relevant news.
Little Known News: You’ll hear about some plainly cool developments at the UO, including how boss our professors are, thoughtful summaries on current research, chances of “burnishing the university’s reputation” etc.@@if you are quoting directly, the quote needs to be exact, otherwise, don’t use quotes; quote fixed@@ This is the place to read all the good news about our university, and the stories are legitimately informative about how awesome the UO can be.
Weather reports: I guess this is a good thing. I have a free app on my desktop that does this automatically, but this is nice to have if you actually did make Around the O your homepage.
Around the O is a great PR service and a good effort by the UO to burnish and control its reputation. This is the place to go for: a) students looking to enroll, b) parents looking to send their children to the UO and c) wealthy donors looking to see if they should give money. All worthy goals — but of limited value to the community Around the O claims to serve.