Web Services Toolbox

Web Services at Public Affairs offers a variety of tools to help you achieve your communications goals. Below is an overview of their growing suite of Web tools. Training sessions for each of the tools is also offered.

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Event Calendars

Create Event or Resource Calendars. Calendars can apply the default campus look and feel or you can create a skin that matches your Web site. The Calendars, as well as individual events, can be displayed to private audiences or shared with the world. For example, items from each department Calendar can be included to build a college Calendar. Calendars can also be included in the Campus Calendars to advertise your events like never before.

Blogs & Discussion Boards

Blogs & Discussion Boards can be used as communication networks, message boards, question and answer boards, feedback management tools, FAQ's, Listservs, plus much more. Posts and replies can be public, moderated, or private.

Survey Builder

The Survey Builder is a quick and easy way to build online surveys. You choose the questions and types of answers. Surveys may be university secured, group secured, or public, results can be viewed as they arrive, and results will be displayed in a spreadsheet or PDF format. Surveys are completely anonymous and can only be created by faculty and staff. However, students can be assigned permissions to conduct a survey.

Form Builder

The Form Builder is a quick and easy way to build online forms for gathering data. You choose the questions and types of answers. Forms may be university secured, group secured, or public, results can be viewed as they arrive, and results will be displayed in a spreadsheet or PDF format. Forms can be created by any faculty, staff, or student.

Skin Designer

The Skin Designer allows any faculty, staff, or student to create skins (HTML templates) that can be used by all webtools in the Toolbox. Skins can be assigned to units and departments so that only specified individuals have access. Using the Skin Designer a college or unit can create skins to match their website exactly, or choose to use the default campus skin.

List builder

The List Builder allows you to create lists and place them on your Web pages. Whether your lists are menus, navigation, slideshows, news items, announcements, etc., you can create any type of list with the List Builder. For an example of the List Builder, see the campus homepage. Nearly all content on this page except the Flash image at the top was created and managed by the List Builder. A specific example is the Campus Highlights feature. Both the list in the middle and the page component on the right are managed by the List Builder.

Group Manager

The Group Manager allows any faculty, staff, or student to create Groups which can be used to limit access to any of the Toolbox services. The Group Manager also features an auto subscribe/unsubscribe process so groups can be self managing. All other services in the Toolbox utilize Groups for setting security.

eNewsletters

Send eNewsletters using the Emailer and Group Manager. Whether you are sending a campus, college, department, or unit eNewsletter, use the Toolbox to distribute it. Send to a group or multiple groups, duplicate emails will be removed. eNewsletters can be either html or text.

Text Messaging

Send Text Messages using the Emailer and Group Manager. Whether sending announcements, sports scores, notifications, etc., use the Toolbox to distribute your text message. Send to a group or multiple groups; duplicate numbers will be removed.

Short URL

The Short URL allows you to take a long URL and create a short one that points to it. Short URLs are great for print or emailing or displaying on a Web page. If the long URL changes, simply update it in the Toolbox; no need to reprint marketing material or resend emails.

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