The last couple of years, I've struggled with the question of does your academic center or lab need a website? To ensure it's visibility?
When I ran a Center, it was a big deal. We had a staff member who invested a lot of time in the website. It looked great.
But. Nobody visited it.
So, as I've ramped up my new position & built a team, I've asked the question of do we need one? Is a website a distraction from the #team? & who would be our audience?
I posed the question on FB. My friends mostly replied that Website's were very 1999 - who really needed one?
But. My friends with Centers & Institutes didn't say much.
The naysayers didn't run teams.
So I asked my #PhDstudents.
Most embraced the idea. I think they were just being nice. They were humoring the old guy.
One student even designed a wireframe for me - which I felt guilty about - bc he should have been working on an experiment.
This weekend, bc this has bothered me for so long, I put together a beta version of a site & sent it to my students.
(I know, I should have waited to send the link until Monday - I feel guilt).
Of course, they quickly debugged it & gave the old guy a pat on the back - good job!
Before I launch the Basic Beta (which really does feel 1999), I paused to reflect on why I wanted a lab website, & perhaps, reasons why others might want one too.
First, a website lets the world know that your team exists.
A website serves as an affirmation that what you are doing is tangible & of interest to the world.
As I wrote descriptions, I caught myself thinking, I would read about those topics (narcissist?).
Second, a website lets your team members know they matter.
The Team Page in particular formalizes relationships. It helps people identify as part of something.
For faculty & students working at large universities (my uni has around 40k students), carving that big place into small place is important.
Third, a website lets you communicate the value of your team.
My team are all PhD students. The website becomes another source of social information of how they are trained & where they fit in the field. It becomes an endorsement of them.
Given 70% of employers google prospecitve employees, such endorsements matter.
Fourth, a website lets the world know that you are working.
The Research page gives you an opportunity to concisely show an updated view of what you've done lately.
This is important, for you & your uni, bc external actors seem skeptical that faculty work. The more we communicate our value to the world, the better.
Finally, a website look outward.
Academics sitting in their offices & labs often complain that no one worries about or reads their work.
A website forces you to package your work such that external audiences get it - which is good for your soul.
I'm off to fiddle with my basic beta site! (https://lnkd.in/eMz87NYS)
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