Web Support Features

Ongoing Support

ITS is the first to say that they can offer only limited support for the websites they host. This is because web assistance is a limited part of what they do. For the web team in Communications, this is all that we do, so we are able to provide a much higher level of support and web expertise.

We will work closely with you to build a site that meets your needs within the boundaries of Pomona's current web design and extensive feature set. We will train you (or whomever you choose, including faculty, staff or students) to update the site and provide ongoing assistance and additional training as needed. We will be there to fix anything that breaks, and if you encounter a problem or want to try something new, we will be there to provide whatever level of assistance and guidance you may need. You will automatically benefit from upgrades in technology and any new functional features that we add to our arsenal and receive any additional training you may need as new capabilities are offered. For the sake of institutional continuity, we will ask you to accept some standardization of design, features and navigation, but in exchange, you will never need to worry that a student's graduation, the departure of a colleague, a change in technology or a lack of expertise will leave you with an unmanageable or obsolete web.

Ease of Updating

Pomona's web employs a powerful content management system (Drupal) that makes updating and changing content on the web almost as simple as word-processing. No technical knowledge is required to carry out most of the functions of managing your web, and we will assist you in anything that does require more knowledge.

Updating is frequently done by department coordinators, but anyone you designate can be trained to carry out these functions and given access to the web from anywhere on or off campus. Edits are always published to the public web within 24 hours, and usually can be published almost immediately upon request. We also review changes to ensure that they've been made properly and won't cause unintended consequences or downtime.

Web Tools and Features

We offer a full set of optional web tools to reliably meet a range of functional needs on your pages. These carefully designed and tested features include:

  • A range of photo treatments, including expandable images built into text and image slideshows.
  • Embedded video delivery at any size, with HTML 5 support for tablets and handhelds.
  • Blog-style entry with images and video. This includes a feature to deliver your most recent blog entries automatically to your homepage.
  • Accordions to allow for expanding and contracting content (such as those used for FAQ sections).
  • Support for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Youtube to bring your social media accounts to any or every page of your web. This includes a feature that can deliver your most recent tweets to any page in your web automatically.
  • Secure, manageable forms with exportable data, and online sign-ups/registration.

Mobile Support

The redesign of Pomona's web included a move to “responsive design,” meaning that your website will be optimized for appearance and function on any size device, from a laptop to an iPad to a smartphone. No extra work on your part will be needed for your information to become easily accessible on any mobile device.