[WEB4LIB] Re: Library Web Page Use

[Daniel Messer]

Athena Hoeppner wrote:

> OK, universities are businesses... what are we selling?  For the most
> part, our product is a group of services, mostly education, but also
> other services - parking, access to information, etc.  So, do we use the
> university web site to market to potential customers or to serve our
> current ones?  UCF's marketing department is most concerned with
> potential customers and partners - that is their job, so their outward
> focus is predictable and defendable.  I am most interested in using the
> web to serve our current students and faculty - that is my job, so my
> inward focus is predictable and defendable.

    What is a university selling? That's easy, they sell college credits
that can in turn be used for degrees. If I went into a univerisity
bookstore, bought the books for a class, read the books cover to cover and
became very familiar with the subjects covered therein, it would be in vain
because if I hadn't paid for the credit. You buy the credit more than
anything else. The knowledge is cheap and costs only as much as the book
does. The credit, on the other hand, is the expensive part.
    But why can't a website do both, that is serve current and prospective
students? Many of the websites I've visited have sections off the main page
for prospective and current students. If the main page is well designed and
properly thought out, then it can be used as a lure to prospective students.
This is nothing new, after all most well designed business websites have you
go through a layer or two before you can actually purchase the products.

Dan

--
Mondai wa
The subject in question...
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Daniel Messer, Technology Instructor
Yakima Valley Regional Library
102 N 3rd St Yakima, WA 98901
(509) 452-8541 x712
dmesser at yvrls.lib.wa.us
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When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
                     -Hunter S. Thompson