Occasionally we will hear rumors regarding the  web overhaul that we want to ‘set straight.’  This blog will serve as a great way to do that, so please feel free to ask questions here.

The first rumor that I’d like to dispel is: “after the new website is delivered, we will no longer have PIO’s.”  I’m happy to inform the Chapman community that this is not true.  After the new website is delivered, we will continue to have individuals housed in each department who have access to edit their pages.  The only potential change I see is changing the name from “PIO” to “Web Author.”

In fact, I believe that web authorship should be a bigger, more dedicated part of cretin individuals job descriptions.  Frequently, PIO responsibilities are frequently given to a ‘rookie’ with technical skills.  In other cases these responsibilities are squeezed in to a person’s “other duties as assigned” area of the job description.  As the new website is given to us, I think it is important for the maintenance of this website be taken very seriously.  The last thing we would want is to receive a shiny new website only to have it ineffective because of inconsistent or inaccurate content.

As roles in your department change and as job descriptions are revised, it is worth adding web authorship as 5% to 10% of someone’s official job responsibilities.  This way, it does not feel like an ‘added chore’ for anyone, and it is clear whose responsibility it is to make changes for particular web pages.

Thanks for reading,

-DM