Creating New Resources and Communication Pathways using RSS for Ag Program Employees

From AgriLife WIki

Creating New Resources and Communication Pathways using RSS for Ag Program Employees

With the results of the TnT survey available at http://www.surveymonkey.com/Report.asp?U=248811816588., it is clear that EIT is providing a good IT resource for users across the state. With 96% of the respondents positively responding to the question, “How often do you find information provided in TnT to be relevant to your needs”, and 95% responding that TnT provided them with “Helpful Tips” each month.

TnT was start in Februaury of 2003, and up to now we have never specifically solicited customer feedback on the newsletter itself, or on the various sections in it. So, it is gratifying to know that most folks like it as it is; however, according to the survey there are likely some things we might want to change to improve it, and who better to tell us what might make it better than our "subscribers."

Even with the newsletter being popular with subscribers and it receiving very favorable rates, providing new content each month continues to be a challenge for the TnT team. There are 4 reasons for this challenge:

1. Info and articles are more often posted on as-needed basis to EIT webpages and blogs rather than being submitted for inclusion into TNT.
2. EIT Faculty apathy (it's not a priority)
3. TnT process is too cumbersome
   1. Recruiting authors
   2. Scheduling peer review and editing
   3. Convenience and timeliness of a once month publication
4. Rigid structure and formatting requirements

Ideas for a more effective and more widely supported Unit Newsletter by faculty:

1. Rotating "TnT teams". With all content being the responsibility of a certain EIT groups. For example, one month all content comes from the RITs, the the network team, then the applications developers, and EIT "administration" team.
2. Administration assignment of a tip to a person for each month. This tip will be 1 to 2 pages following TnT guidelines. For example, 12 months breakdown - 6 RITS, 4 NITS, Jim, and person X.
3. Un-create and re-create the Unit Newsletter to be more flexible, more timely, and more convenient to authors to participate by utilizing newsreaders and RSS or ATOM technologies. Users install a reader on their computers and then subscribe to a blog or website feed.
   • Pros:
     • Authors can publish tips when they occur - Timely
     • Unit still takes an active role of pushing the content to all the subscribers
     • Flexible structure - Convenient for author publishing
     • Peer Review more streamed lined
     • Meets the need of more IT information identified by the survey. 80% of the respondents responded favorably to having IT information distributed to them at least monthly.
   • Cons:
     • 93% were in favor of continuing to receive the monthly publication in PDF format Counter - no other specific format was offered on the survey.
     • 62% responded they like the current format of once a month distribution; Counter - with a blog type solution, drafts of IT information could sit in draft area until the given monthly or bi-monthly distribution date.
     • Many subscribers print these PDF off and store them for future reference Counter - Blogs or web pages could be format with print friendly versions.

Big Picture:

If a reader could be customized with Ag Program colors and logo, all newsletters could be distributed by RSS or ATOM technologies. Employees could get there Ag Program News, including IT news at one stop. This info would come to their desktops. Additional Administrators could communicate directly and as often as they like using blogs which would also be pulled by the Ag Program Reader. Additional, with the new LSU Content Management System, every page has RSS subscription capability. So, as we put employee newsletters into it, folks can subscribe to the feed from those pages.