On May 4, the new uOttawa Media Room (www.media.uOttawa.ca) was launched. Designed to be relevant, fast, and timely, it is a great place to go to find new and up-to-the-minute information about Canada’s university.
For example, a visitor can view the new corporate video, search through archives of news releases, or sign-up for news alerts.
Experts on Call is a key feature of this new media room. This database contains the profile of more than 500 staff and faculty primarily for media use. Records are searchable by last name, key word, or category, and provide contact and research information. Faculty and staff members can now easily create and manage a password-protected profile to highlight their research or expertise.
Experts can also be linked to Hot Topics, a feature in the media room where current “hot” issues are highlighted, providing information on the issue, as well as experts at the University to comment on them.
A key objective for the new Web site was to improve the way information was stored and managed. “Most of the content is now database-driven, allowing us to archive, cross-link, and maintain the information more efficiently,” says e-marketing manager, Isabelle Perreault, who managed the project team for the media room. “The improved content management makes it easy for media to find news, expert opinions, and maybe pick up a few story ideas along the way.”
Other new features on the site include Stats & Facts, listings of awards and achievements (both internal and external), Discoveries in the Making (brief descriptions of interesting research happening at the University), and multi-media items.
You can send comments and ideas about the media room to Lara.Dubois@uOttawa.ca.
