New Site Unveiled
Welcome to CMA's new web site. We have migrated most of the content from the old CMA web site to the new one, and have added a number of new features that will attempt to create a community-based site the CMA members have told us they wanted.
The site has a public face, with news, information and the essentials about College Media Advisers accessible to all visitors; however, the site features a member zone with content and features created with our members in mind.
Among the new features are:
- Member-controlled profiles so our members can update their contact information, upload a picture, set their own passwords, and renew their memberships.
- A members-only section that eventually will provide access to the archives of College Media Review, Newsletters, out of print books, an online membership directory and other material.
- A Learning Zone where members themselves can upload lesson plans, training materials, forms, presentations and other material that might be helpful to colleagues in a form that can be accessed through an online resource library.
- An online Jobs Zone that includes a registration form for the student Job Fair and listing jobs of interest to college media advisers.
- The ability to access, monitor and contribute to the CMA discussion group (listserv) through the web site as an alternative way of joining the discussion forum.
- A special work area for committee chairs and members.
- Ultimately, members will be able to register for CMA conferences and workshops directly through the web site.
As with any web site, this is a work in progress. We are adding links to content we previously housed on our former site, and importing some new material. And, we are counting on CMA members to provide feedback.
There is still some pick and shovel work to do. The "Featured Site" graphic on the home page that randomly displays a student web page, for example, ultimately will be populated with hundreds of web sites that will link visitors to the great work done by student journalists across the country.
The new CMAonline community will be what the members make of it, since members can now contribute information directly to the site without having to pass through a series of gatekeepers. Submissions will be moderated in some cases, not so much as to regulate content as to provide for an orderly organization of materials for maximum efficiency and convenient access to members.
Work to develop the new site was authorized by CMA's board of directors. The organization wants to thank QueCentric LLC of Birmingham, Alabama and its chief web developer Colin Quarello for excellent service in helping us launch this site. The launch caps nearly a year of study and research and nearly three months of intensive development that resulted in the deployment of the final product.
CLICK HERE for tips on how to complete your registration.
Any questions, please contact CMA's webmaster.
Bill Neville
CMA Webmaster
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