To help make the delivery of employee news quicker, improve the accuracy of the information provided, take advantage of Web 2.0 features, and decrease the cost of production, Today at Berkeley Lab will in the near future switch to a web-based format.
“I know this switch may be hard for some staff, but there are many inherent problems with the old-fashioned method of e-mailing a newsletter,” says TABL editor Lyn Hunter. “Changes can’t be made once it is sent out, it is labor intensive and expensive to produce, it requires a two-day deadline for submissions, the number of stories in each edition is limited, and the articles are ‘here today, gone tomorrow,’ making it difficult to track information.
Staff will receive a daily e-mail that includes headlines for some of the day’s top stories and a link to the Today at Berkeley Lab blog-style website. With just one click, readers will get access to a much richer news source.
Benefits include:
• Access to the most accurate and up-to-date information
• Changes to or removal of posted articles can happen quickly
• Articles will stay posted longer
• Articles can be posted with shorter notice
• A unique URL for each article
• Tags assigned to each article, allowing more search options
• Stories categorized by subject matter (i.e. HR, safety, policy, construction, research)
• Calendar listing of the day’s events
• A list of “Ongoing News” stories, which are relevant over an extended period of time
• Videos can be played within the site and will be collected on a video page
• Enhanced search options
• Listing of “Lab in the News” media mentions and link to news clip blog
• Access to the Lab’s Flickr photo database
• TABL updates via RSS feed
• Better appearance on mobile devices
• Tags will allow measuring of “hits” on specific articles
“I invite employees to go here to see a preview of the new site,” says Hunter. “The transition will take place in about two weeks. We appreciate your patience during the switchover.”
Today at Berkeley Lab is produced by Public Affairs' Communications Department
