Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Site Analytics August 2013

Each month we will release analytics for the SBISD website INCLUDING campus website stats.  This report will include the top 100 pages for the district and campus sites combined.  Note that campuses/campus pages are highlighted in YELLOW on this spreadsheet. 

If your campus isn't listed on this report, it's because traffic wasn't in the top 100 (usually less than 100 visitors) Don't despair!  You have the next month to see if you rank.  If you did make the top 100 this month...congratulations!  Keep up the great work.

Download: Top 100 SBISD Pages (.pdf)

Upcoming Training - Submit Your Time

We are offering 2 opportunities for training coming up in September.

Do you:
  • Need to brush up on your DNN skills?
  • Want help with setting up new pages or making general site updates?
  • Want to learn how to use the new Blogger editor to make posting campus news a breeze?
Want to discuss strategies on implementing social media on your campus website?

If you answered 'yes' to any of the above - plan on attending one of the following workshops:
  • Thursday, Sept. 12 from 3:45 - 5:45 PM
  • Friday, Sept. 13 from 3:45 - 5:45 PM
Workshop sessions will be held in the SBISD Administration Building in Technology Training Lab (Room # 150). This will be a hands-on training opportunity for you to come in and work on your site - live. Space is limited! Sign up soon...first come first served.

Please select ONLY one of these training days. Based on demand we may set up additional sessions. Attendees will receive staff development time.

Class Details: The title of the course is: “DNN Website Training/Open Lab - Campus Web Admins Only!” It is listed twice in Eduphoria. One for each session. Please pick the session you would like to attend when signing up.

If you have questions, please contact Cody Wallace.

How do I use the Blogger for my campus?

As promised...here is some general training information on how to post to your campus blogger account.  High school campuses have all been set up including landing page widgets.  We are in process on setting up the middle schools now. 

If you have questions, email Melissa Wiland.

Download: Posting with My Blogger Account >>

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Facebook Shared Photo Albumns

The world's largest social network announced shared photo albums on Monday, a new feature that allows multiple users to upload images to the same album.

The album creator can share access to as many as 50 "contributors," who can each in turn share up to 200 photos. Album creators can choose a setting that allows contributors to invite others to the album, or retain total control over album invitations. Previously, users could only upload photos to albums they created, and each album was limited to 1,000 total photos.

The new shared albums have three available privacy settings: public, friends of contributors and contributors only. This gives the album creator control over who has access to the group's images. "Right now, if you were at a party and there were three different albums created, you might not be able to see all the photos [based on privacy settings], which is kind of confusing and frustrating," Baldwin said.

Album creators will have the power to delete or modify photos in the album, but contributors will have editing power over photos that they upload. The feature is not available for Page albums, says a Facebook spokesperson.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Proofreading 101

Proofreading is the last line of defense for quality control in print and online publishing. Be sure to conduct a thorough proofread of all documents before they are printed for distribution and of all Web pages before they go live, using these guidelines. Before you proof, you must edit.

There's no use expending time and effort to check for minor typographical errors until the editing stage is complete. Review for proper organization, appropriate tone, and grammar, syntax, usage, and style before the document is laid out.


1. Use a checklist
Create a list of important things to check for, such as problem areas like agreement of nouns and verbs and of pronouns and antecedents, and number style.

2. Fact-check Double-check facts, figures, and proper names.
If information remains to be inserted at the last minute, highlight the omission prominently so that no one forgets to do so.

3. Spell-check
Before proofreading a printout, spell-check the electronic version to find misspellings, as well as errors you or a colleague make frequently, such as omitting a closing parenthesis or quotation mark.

4. Read aloud
Reading text during the proof stage improves your chances of noticing errors, especially missing ("a summary the report follows") or repeated ("a summary of the the report follows") words.

5. Focus on one line at a time
When proofing print documents, use another piece of paper or a ruler to cover the text following the line you are proofreading, shifting the paper down as you go along. This technique helps you keep your place and discourages you from reading too quickly and missing subtle errors.

6. Attend to format
Proofreading isn't just about reviewing the text. Make sure that the document design adheres to established specifications. Check page numbering, column alignment, relative fonts, sizes, and other features of standard elements such as headlines, subheadings, captions, and footnotes. Inspect each type of feature within categories, such as looking at every headline, then every caption, and so on.

7. Proof again Once revisions have been made, proofread the document again with the same thoroughness, rather than simply spot-checking the changes. An insertion or deletion may have thrown off the line count, for example.

Last thing...don't be too hard on yourself.  Everyone makes mistakes.  If you publish something that is not correct, use the experience as a learning opportunity!  Happy proofing!

Tell Your Story

Did you know that people see an estimated 5,000 marketing messages per day?


To put it simply, that's a lot.

Your message falls in there somewhere, but the chances of anyone remembering it are slim. That is, unless you deliver that message in the form of a story.  Why?  If you get your audience to see and feel what you're talking about...they are more likely to remember it!

The amount of noise congesting the Web won't dissipate any time soon, but storytelling can help your content rise above it. Here's how:


1. Frame your message as a story. Almost 80 percent (79 percent) of people skim and don't read articles on the Web. When you frame your brand's message as a story—don't forget a strong title and compelling hook—you ensure your target audience will read every word.

2. Make your brand memorable. Just as authors make characters memorable, you can do the same for your school. To make your brand stand out, think of it as a character. Describe what your school is all about and make it personable.

3. Show—don't tell. This is classic storytelling advice, and thanks to today's technology, you can use more than words to tell your story. Link to videos or use multimedia in news or blog posts. People link to blog posts with videos three times more than they link to text-only posts!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Hashtagging 101

Want to be sure your tweet is shared with the right group of users?


There's a hashtag for that — if you can find the right one. Hashtags have become synonymous with Twitter, serving to filter what can otherwise be a wide array of difficult-to-categorize information. Users can join any conversation on the platform by adding the appropriate hashtag to their tweet.


The problem is knowing which one to include. Twitter is trying to solve that. The company unveiled an infographic this week complete with a blog post highlighting tips on choosing the best hashtag for your tweet.


The highlights: Make your hashtag memorable, integrate it with other marketing activity like ads or campaigns, and don't be afraid to piggyback on a popular term or phrase.


"If people are already using a hashtag, and having conversations, part of your work is already done," wrote Twitter's UK editorial manager, Gordon MacMillan, in the blog post. "All your brand needs to do is ensure that when it joins that conversation it is adding value."


Take a look at the infographic and see if the hashtags you're using match up!