Who You Calling A Jesse?

Like everyone else I am deeply saddened by what happened yesterday at Virginia Tech. From the shootings yesterday to the memorial today there has been a lot of second guessing VT’s communications. I have no idea what they might have got wrong but I would like to point out something they got right—their web site.

I first noticed yesterday they had stripped down their site and placed their official statements on there. That is what you would expect but I also noticed a podcast of a statement from the President of the University. Then a bit later a whole new design appeared. The page is 100% dedicated to getting important information out while expressing the feeling on the campus as a whole. They are using podcasts as the primary method of getting the word out with a counselling being discussed and a link over to a page that has even more updates and an archive.

Yesterday it appeared they might have had to move servers as the load increased with the media coverage. At the very least they optimized the site.

I am going to use this post to collect online reaction to the tragedy and how technology played a role or could play a better role:

• Cole Camplese has some thoughts about how technology can help in crisis situations like this.
• The Chronicle questioning the time of the email sent – requires you be on a campus that subscribes to the Chronicle.
• Timeline of how the VT home page changed over the day