Switching on a new website, as we mentioned last week, can be like turning on a light—only more complex. Our new website shines a spotlight on the amazing work that OSU Extension does in helping Oregonians–and Oregon–thrive. You help that happen. Your partnerships, community relationships, programs, information, and expertise guide this work. Our new web presence captures your efforts and can help extend Extension’s reach and deepen our engagement with those we serve.

Sometime this week—barring any major issues to delay it—we will turn on the switch and you will notice a difference at http://extension.oregonstate.edu. This new web presence is just the beginning of a more engaging digital strategy. Together we will work to continue to refine and enhance the website and related strategies and systems.

If we run into any unforeseen delays or issues, we’ll post updates here and email affected groups as needed.

New website features at-a-glance

• Mobile-friendly, responsive design
• More visual design, with vibrant photos
• Content from across Extension in one place with improved search and filter options
• Content organized by easy-to-find topics, with user-focused labels
• Consistent county presence
• Central place from which to access and explore all OSU Extension offers, including all statewide programs
• Content easier to enter and maintain
• Content coordinated by teams, avoiding duplication and redundant effort
• Visual design aligned with OSU brand; messaging beginning to align with OSU Extension sub-brand

Please keep in mind design modifications and content entry continue this week and will remain an iterative process even after the launch.

After the launch

If you have feedback or requests following the launch—from “Where is all my content?” to “What an amazing search tool!”—the EESC support team is ready to listen, consider, share, and celebrate.

Notice any power surges or flickering lights initially? We will continue to monitor and modify what is needed as we move into Phase 2 of the website upgrade project. This part of the web upgrade will evaluate how the website is performing and find new ways for the design and content to meet our goals and our audience’s interests and needs.

With much appreciation

For now stay tuned for news on the launch. A big thank you to all the Extension teams that worked hard to make it happen! You sifted through a lot of content, evaluated, revised, and uploaded much of it. The website content is stronger for your expertise and collaboration.

If you have questions at any time, please contact the project team.

We have some exciting news. The first phase of our project to update the OSU Extension family of websites is close to realization!

We are planning to launch the site the week of May 29, and “go live” by Thursday. What may seem like “flipping a switch” to make the new site public is actually a sequence of behind-the-scenes steps and collaboration with OSU’s central web services team.

If you have questions at any time, please contact the project team.

What to expect

If we run into any unforseen delays or issues, we’ll post updates here on this blog and email affected groups as needed.

Please keep in mind design modifications and content entry continue this week and will remain an iterative process even after the launch. Expect the look and feel to evolve, the functionality to be fine-tuned, and content to be expanded in the coming weeks. We are making changes in stages, and the Phase 1 launch will be a minimum viable product. Not a perfectly polished site with all the bells and whistles and all content fully in place.

How to prepare

• County page managers should be entering events and announcements for June on the new website, and county-specific content on county pages. Linn county and Hood River County have been working on their pages during the last week, so can serve as examples.
• Content and program teams are responsible for coordinating statewide to take stock of existing content, evaluate it, organize it, and enter it into the new website. Many sub-topic pages are filling in such as Dairy, Health Outreach, and Forest Health & Management. Check them out!
• Want to see what else is already there? Take a preview look at the new website!

Reminders about existing content

• Existing content on the extension.oregonstate.edu URL (which includes county and combined experiment station sites) will go offline and not be automatically moved to the new site. Individual content creators should be working with the appropriate content team to make decisions about this content.
• Program sites that are currently housed elsewhere (not on the extension.oregonstate.edu site) will remain live until relevant content has been integrated to the new website. Content teams, program leaders, and the project team are developing transition plans on a case-by-case basis.

How to learn more

On this OSU Extension Web Upgrade Project blog you can also find information about the strategy for the new website, frequently asked questions, and content teams. Under the “Learn” menu the Training and Support page details how to enter content.

Thanks and shout outs

It’s taken a lot of people, conversations, and collaboration to get successfully to this point. It hasn’t always been easy, but by working together we are well on the way to a more effective and engaging online presence. Thank you.

This week, we give special thanks and a shout out to Wendy Hein from Clackamas County, who helped recruit several usability testing participants. Being “user-focused” is one of the guiding principles for this project, and these initial user tests have been crucial in making improvements leading up to the phase 1 launch.

Thanks again, and please contact the team with any questions.

We have been hearing over the past week from several programs, content teams, and county/combined station page managers. You have been asking specifics about how to best add content and discussing adjustments needed to make content fit on the site. We are listening, and providing one-on-one guidance as needed along the way.

Programs

• It’s not your imagination. If you’ve been on the staging website you may have noticed your submenus are now easier to locate on the left side of a desktop screen.
• Want to have a list of all program events happening across the state? We set up a section on the statewide program page that pulls in any county events or announcements tagged with your program.
• Refer to the “Managing Program Content” guide for the details on how to add “program tagged content lists” using keywords or “program resources list” using categories to the landing pages. It’s a little bit of magic to help arrange content on your program page.

Content Teams

• We have added Expert profiles on the sidebar of sub-topic pages. Are you missing and want to be added to a page? Let EESC know.
• Coming soon! We are in the process of migrating more EESC content that falls under these topics, such as featured gardening questions or news. It will help fill out topic pages.
• Thanks for those who have been adding content. Since content teams will continue after the launch, how is the coordination process going? Share your lessons learned with EESC.

County/Combined Stations

Who can add to your county site?

• The OSU Extension “county group members” spreadsheet lists the people in your county who will have access to add events, announcements, and featured content to your page.
• If you haven’t yet reviewed it, please do and notify EESC of any changes.

What events should you put up?

• The website will launch the last week of May 2018, so add any of your events happening June 1 or after. Events for May will remain visible on the existing Extension website through the end of the month.

Want to still feature topic- or program-based content?

• Contact the appropriate content team leader. They will put up material or let you know if it’s already online for you to add as Featured Content on your county page. Read the “Managing County Content” guide for details on adding featured content.

We welcome your questions! Contact us or drop in for office hours/open labs on Wednesdays 9am – 12pm and Fridays 2 pm – 5 pm.