Hello all,

This afternoon, the Communicators Forum listserv started a conversation
about using Google sites. I thought the message I wrote on that list would
be of interest to this list as well.

For the past few months, Chris Goodland from OIT and I have been working on
branded templates for Google sites that can be used by University units.
The template mentioned on the Forum list for IT communities of
practice<http://it.umn.edu/home/cops>is one that we had collaborated
on a year or so ago and is a good choice
for anyone who needs to develop a Google site right away.

In the upcoming months, U Relations will be working closely with OIT to
more fully develop this template and work through the details that units
need to be aware of when using Google sites. Things like being sure to set
your site's permissions correctly to avoid publishing a site that anyone at
the U can edit, or refining the search in a way that will allow it to
produce the results your want or expect.

Along with the template development, we are writing guidelines and
instructions that will help ensure units understand how a site should
properly be constructed for use as an official University site.

Beyond Google sites, we are also working to provide approved, branded
templates for other Google apps, such as Blogger, docs, spreadsheets, and
so on.

If your unit is interesting in using Google for an official University
site, please let me know. We'd be happy to work with you as we develop
templates for University use.

Thanks!
Kathy
-- 
Kathy Jensen
Marketing & E-Communications
University Relations
University of Minnesota
612-624-5808