Columns:: ‘Next generation’ debuts: MyUGA lets users customize their Web sites

since 12/15/98

Columns::March 3, 2003

Federal budget supports several university projects
Word of mouth: State’s poets, novelists, writers gather here for Literary Festival
Points of views
Major fellowships, scholarships are offered to 72 prospective students
Ramsey Student Center is named a Red Cross emergency shelter
Two university employees named outstanding advisers for 2003
Marsh reality: Researchers look for cause of plague spreading in coastal area
International law prof works to help regulate global climate change
Administrative Changes
Kudos
Model behavior
Building the new learning environment

Campus News

‘Next generation’ debuts: MyUGA lets users customize their Web sites

By Mary Whitehead

A new type of Web site, known as a portal, will help UGA students make more efficient use of their time on the Web. Portals

Bert DeSimone

allow individual users to customize a Web site according to their needs and interests. MyUGA is similar to commercially available portals such as MyYahoo, MyNetscape and MyLycos.
“Portals are next-generation Web sites,” says Bert DeSimone, communications director for Enterprise Information Technology Services. He describes MyUGA as a personalized, customized Web site with a user-centric focus that students can access with their current UGA MyID.
In addition to offering quick and easy access to on-line courses, student registration and e-mail, the portal allows students to create communities of interest. These communities include chat, message boards and calendars so that members of student organizations can collaborate and communicate with each other.
The service also allows the university to post time-sensitive messages to every MyUGA Web page simultaneously, increasing the speed of communication at times when it is important to deliver a message quickly.
“Students will define their own Web experience, choosing and arranging Web content and services in a way that makes sense to the student,” says Michael Weaver, a member of the portal development team. The development team, which includes Web designers and technology experts, receives advice and recommendations from the Portal Advisory Board, made up of UGA students, faculty and staff.
MyUGA became available to students Feb. 26; planning is under way to expand access to faculty and staff.

UGA Today supports QuickTime, Flash, RealPlayer and Acrobat Reader (PDF files).
Download information about these plug-ins.
Affiliate icons for UGA Today

COLUMNS ] UGA Today ] Subscribe ] News Bureau ]
Office of Public Affairs Directory ] Photo Services ]
Broadcast, Video & Photography ] Master Calendar]
Columns ] Georgia Magazine ]Visitors Center ]
UGA Home ] Alumni ] Admissions ] UGA Directories ]
Sports ] Weather ] Search UGA sites ]

Columns is produced by the UGA News Service, a unit of UGA Public Affairs.
Beth Roberts: Columns editor, Juliett Dinkins: Columns managing editor,
Janet Beckley: Columns art director. Peter Frey: Columns photo editor

Questions or comments should be directed to columns@uga.edu