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From The Ann Arbor News, January 9, 2000
U-M to redo Web site for customization
Effort could let users specify personalized information
By MARY MORGAN NEWS STAFF REPORTER
The University of Michigan plans to spend up to $250,000 to create a Web site that can be customized by students, faculty, staff and alumni.
The effort - dubbed Project Janus, a reference to the Roman god of doors and gates - could eventually let users specify what kind of personalized information appears on the site when they log on, anything from hometown news to events on campus related to their interests.
Only a handful of other universities have taken this approach, which was first popularized commercially by Yahoo! at www.my.yahoo.com.
The change is needed because U-M's current site isn't as good as it could be, said Jose-Marie Griffiths, chief information officer and head of the Information Technology Division.
And as U-M puts other computerized systems in place - including M-Pathways, the complex system of administrative databases - it seemed like a logical time to build a state-of-the-art Web site, too, Griffiths said.
A mock-up of the new site will be ready as early as next week, said Gordon Leacock, one of the project leaders. After getting feedback from select student groups, U-M staffers will build a prototype that will launch this spring as www.my.umich.edu.
At that point, anyone will be able to look at the site and give comments, Leacock said. The site will be tweaked based on additional input, with an official launch planned for this fall.
Initially, the customized site will be available for students only and later expanded to include faculty, staff and alumni. The plan is to let people connect to other computerized systems from the Web, such as libraries and the registrar. Other options might include large print for the visually impaired.
After an initial set-up, the system would recognize when students log in from their own computers, and would not require a password to access the page. Students would likely use a password if they logged on at the library or from another computer, however.
The site will be a "portal," a buzzword for Web sites that serve as home base when using the Internet, that contain links to other frequently used sites, and that post timely information - like stock quotes and news - requested by the user.
U-M is working with Apple Computer consultants on the project, and is using Apple's Web Object development software to build my.umich.edu. Several advisory groups of faculty, staff and students are also helping with the project.
Merchandise sales and other commercial activities will be kept at arm's length on the U-M portal, Griffiths said, although the university now sells advertising and merchandise on the athletic department's web site, www.mgoblue.com.
Keeping advertisers out is one reason why U-M is developing the site itself, rather than hiring an outside firm, Griffiths said. Several companies build university sites, and make money by selling ads that are posted on the site or by collecting e-mail lists for targeted sales.
With a site as complex as U-M's, providing customized content will be a challenge, said Lou Rosenfeld, president of Argus Associates, an Ann Arbor consulting firm that specializes in designing information architecture for large Web sites.
Getting the right technology is only half the battle, he noted. There's also a rigorous conceptual task of figuring out how to electronically tag each bit of information - such as press releases or calendar items - so the computer "knows to scoop it up and send it to you," Rosenfeld said. Then at some point, someone must manually tag those items, too, he added.
"It can be very difficult and expensive to do," Rosenfeld said. The $250,000 price tag is "optimistic" given the project's scope, he said.
Allowing university Web sites to be customized "clearly is a good thing," said Greg Jackson, associate provost of information technology at the University of Chicago.
Only a few universities, including the University of Buffalo and UCLA, have done it so far, Jackson added.
While customizing the site is a good plan for U-M's internal audience of students, faculty and staff, "my worry is that this portal stuff is going to steal energy away from the Web as a face to the world," Jackson said.
In a parallel effort, U-M's main public Web page - www.umich.edu - will be redesigned, too.
Now, the front page is difficult to navigate, making it tough for people to easily find the information they want, Griffiths said. And because most U-M units have designed their Web pages independently, there's no uniform look to the entire site.
There will never be one consistent look, Leacock said. "It's certainly not going to be the job of this project to tell (each unit) what to do," he said.
However, the project will develop templates and guidelines that departments can use to build their sites, Leacock added. "We're hopeful we'll get a good adoption rate."
Mary Morgan covers the University of Michigan. She can be reached at (734) 994-6861; e-mail at mmorgan@aa-news.com
All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.