Campus Web site updated for spring |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Apr 29 2009 at 3:40 PM |
By Travis Schott
Antelope Staff
If you haven't noticed yet, UNK's Web site has undergone a major face-lift.
Roughly a year ago a number of focus groups comprised of high school students, incoming freshman, current UNK students, and faculty and staff were put together in order to evaluate the performance and appearance of the university's old Web site. Based on a large amount of feedback given by those focus groups it was determined a renovation was in order.
Nathan Blazek, who graduated from UNK in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in computer science, is the lead web and multimedia developer at UNK. The new Web site is currently made up of 17,000 pages of content, and Blazek is responsible for ensuring each of those pages functions properly.
If it sounds like a tough job, it is. Blazek and his team have been working on the new site for nearly a year and hope it is complete and fully operational by this summer.
When asked about a prospective completion date, Blazek said, "It's hard to predict an exact date, but we hope to have all the bugs and server issues worked out in the next few weeks."
Blazek also pointed out "A new site always means a lot of new visitors." The number of visitors, or hits, to the new Web site has nearly doubled since its introduction.
"I like to call it the new factor," Blazek said. "It's definitely promising to see such an increase in hits, but unfortunately it can slow down the development process."
UNK students Kari Connot and David Dobson are also part of Blazek's team.
Dobson, a senior Intel-communications management major from Geneva, has been assisting in converting the old web pages, primarily focusing on the sites content. Dobson estimates he dedicates nearly 20 hours per week to the new site and hopes the changes "provides students with a site that is much easier to navigate."
Student reaction has been mixed. Some students appear irritated with the occasional speed bumps the new site is experiencing, while others are excited about the new and more professional look the site offers.
Chevonne Forgey, a senior advertising major from Hemingford said, "Some of the search options seem a little troublesome at times, but the new site looks very professional."
"We finally have a Web site that resembles a credible university," said Matt Athey, senior English major from Aurora.
