UBC Web Strategy

Since 2004, I’ve been a member of the principal web team at one of Canada’s largest research universities, the University of British Columbia. For seven years, UBC was my professional playground where I learned much of the skills and knowledge I have today.

Our web team in the Public Affairs Office has always been a unique group – equally comfortable hand-coding as we are with planning online strategies that touch on everything from digital content, design and programming, to technical infrastructure, project management and budgets.

While at UBC, much of my work involved researching and assessing emerging technologies, best practices and trends, and then using this knowledge to provide input into communications strategies and marketing campaigns. This work touched on a very wide range of subject matter including:

• content management
• open source web development
• web application design
• search engine optimization
• web analytics
• online branding
• email marketing
• social media

As a senior member on the team, a key function of my role was to present, communicate, and advise on web and digital communications strategy to our internal community, ranging from front-line staff to the senior executive of the university.

Milestones

• Doubled our client base in my first year
• Introduced user-centered design methodologies into practice
• Won an award for my CSS work on a website redesign
• Successfully advocated for the use of WordPress as a CMS (and subsequently helped create a hosted WordPress service)
• Advised on an award-winning social media strategy
• Co-chaired a Social Media Meetup group as a way to foster inter-departmental communication around new media
• Provided direct support in establishing social media channels for the university
• Presented numerous times at workshops and meetups for communications, marketing, and web professionals