Online Engagement at Bates: A Vision and Blueprint

By Jay Collier, September 17, 2008

Prototypes

Start with powerful universal ideas.
Deepen involvement toward greater commitment: ambivalence and awareness toward participation and commitment.
Ultimately: build personal relationships.

This deepening of engagement obviously continues after recruitment.
Each time a Bates person or partner enters a new role, they begin a new phase of engagement.
Continuity is important at those potential “speed bumps.”

Help Bates people connect with each other, across roles — student, faculty, staff, alumni — on campus or off.
Help people connect with the ideas that interest them the most: scholarship, research, narratives, events, places, groups, and service.
Draw constituents and friends into a satisfying and deepening lifelong experience of Bates that reflects and expresses core values.
Make online Bates ultimately portable, so that people can participate from anywhere, anytime.

Start with universal, persuasive messaging.
Learn what’s happening in areas of interest to you.
Visit public collaboration spaces and participate in the creation of new knowledge.
Make exchanges of value through online transactions.
Build personal relationships.

Simplify publishing, usability, exchange, and findability
Integrate updates from community members
Provide formal and informal collaboration spaces, connect to larger social networks
Integrate transaction services into a consistent, intuitive interface