About MATC Matters
What kind of news is published?
How can I submit news?
How long will it take for the editors to publish my submission?
Will my submission be edited?
Can MATC Matters link to info on my website?
What if I have an idea for a feature story, but can’t write it myself?
Can I submit photos?
I don’t see my headline on the front page anymore. Where did it go?
What about the Staff Bulletin and On The Move?
Why submit news to MATC Matters when I can mass email it to the entire college?
How do I get a front page news section for my group or department?
How did MATC Matters come about?
Who do I contact with further questions?
What kind of news is published in MATC Matters?
We publish most messages that you need to communicate to a large number of employees at MATC, such as:
- announcements about upcoming MATC events
- notices about meetings, organizations, clubs, or local educational activities
- institutional-related news, hiring updates, job openings, kudos, etc.
- tips and info for fellow MATC employees (technology, health, safety, staff development, etc.)
- links to other online news sites in which MATC makes the headlines
- updates from committees or departments
Other kinds of news that the staff of Marketing and the Office of President develop and publish are:
* feature stories, showcasing the accomplishments or projects of MATC faculty, staff or students.
* regular messages from Presiden Barhorst
* employee spotlights
* updates about Wisconsin legislation that affects MATC
How can I submit news to MATC Matters?
MATC employees can click on “Submit a News Item” on the Matters homepage to submit news items for publication in MATC Matters. The form allows you to enter your name and contact information as well as the content and desired publication date of your news or announcement. After you submit the form, your submission is sent via email directly to the editors of MATC Matters. The edtiors will process your request and post your news online within two working days.
How long will it take for the editors to publish my submission?
We do everything possible to post your submission online within two working days. Often, we can do it in less time. We suggest you submit your news item well in advance of your desired publication date. If you have specific guidelines about publication dates (i.e., don’t publish before a certain date), you can make note of this in the comment field of the submission form.
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Will my submission be edited?
The editors of MATC Matters may edit your annoucement/news item for clarity or grammar. We may follow up with a phone call or email to get more information from you, too. If we find that the submission is inappropriate for MATC Matters, we will let you know and suggest an alternative communication avenue for your submission.
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I already have news or information posted on my own department/unit/committee/group website. Can MATC Matters just link to my site?
Yes, we encourage you to post information on your own sites, if you have a site and the web skills to do so. If you’d like us to link to your site, click on “Submit a News Item” on the Matters homepage to send us the link to the page on your site where information resides. Please include a brief description introducing your link.
For example. A link to tips on how to use the MATC library online databases…
[information] The library has access to many online databases to help you in your reseach. Check out the Database Link (www.matcmadison.edu/library/list.shtm) for a complete list.
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What if I have an idea for a longer feature story, but can’t write it myself?
Send us an email at matcmatters@matcmadison.edu to let us know your idea! We love to hear from employees who know about newsworthy things we don’t know about. Let us know what your department or students are doing! MATC Matters can help you get the word out. If possible, we will work with you to get details so we can write a feature story based on your suggestion.
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Can I submit photos for publication on MATC Matters?
Yes, we encourage you to submit photos along with your news items, although it is not required. You can upload photos to form when you click on “Submit a News Item” on the Matters homepage. Use the submission form to send us your jpgs and gifs!
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I don’t see my headline on the front page anymore! Where did it go?
After a headline “rolls” off the front page, it goes to the archive. Only the most recent headlines in each news section appear on the front page—items from the last 5 days we posted (see below). But all of the news is archived so you can search for past headlines that no longer appear on the front page. We also have the ability to add your event to “Upcoming Events” and “Today at MATC” sections so it will appear on the date/s specified in those sections.
The software used to produce MATC Matters is Word Press, a blogging software. One of the limits to this software is that whatever parameters you set for your news catagories applies to all of these categories. Because there are many more posts for “News to Know” than for “Top Stories” we cannot set parameter limits to “5″ or “10″ posts because in News to Know that might mean some posts would only be up for a day. So, we set the parameters as “5 posting days” or 5 days in which posts were put up (not 5 consequtive days). We’ve found this results in most posts staying on the front page for about 8-10 actual days.
For example.
If we post on Dec. 6, Dec. 7, Dec.11, Dec. 12 and Dec. 15, posts will show for those 5 days. On the next day we post, Dec. 17, the posts for Dec. 6 will be archived and disappear from the homepage. On the next day we post, Dec. 18, Dec. 7’s posts will no longer appear and so on.
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What about the Staff Bulletin and On The Move?
On the Move (an MATC print newsletter) is no longer being published. MATC Matters is replacing both On the Move and the Staff Bulletin. Rather than being published once a week, like the Staff Bulletin, MATC Matters is live online every day. MATC continues to publish a quarterly print newsletter called Profiles for alumni and friends of MATC.
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Why did we discontinue mass email it (via GW_All) to the entire college?
With the exception of important collegewide bulletins approved by offices of the president or vice presidents, we no longer have mass email.
Surveys we conducted showed that MATC employees were overloaded with email and would rather go to an online location to get news and announcements. Consider the following survey results (survey conducted by Communications in January 2005):
- 69% of MATC employees read GW_All messages only “occasionally”
- 5% read GW_All messages “rarely.”
- only 26% of MATC employees say they read every GW_All message they receive.
- 50% of MATC employees chose the web as their preferred vehicle for receiving MATC news and announcements.
- 79% said they would be willing to visit an online newspage (such as MATC Matters) on a weekly or daily basis.
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How did MATC Matters come about?
Marketing, the department that produces MATC Matters, is part of Strategic Effectiveness, headed by Vice President Rebecca Baumbach. One mission of Strategic Effectiveness is to improve communications at the college. In it’s current 3-year unit plan, Strategic Effectiveness has identified the need to improve the flow of information among MATC’s employees, so they can be better informed about news relevant and important to them as well as themes and information important to the institution. In order to achieve this goal, Strategic Effectiveness aims to:
- produce systems, events, publications, web information or other evidence of new communication exchanges
- Improved PACE scores related to internal communications.
- Raise level of employee satisfaction with internal communication
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Who do I contact with further questions?
Please note, MATC Matters, is a work in progress. We are working with the new blogging software this year and already have discovered improvements we’d like to make. We welcome your ideas and suggestions on how to improve the site. We are limited by the software in some cases, but we also know it offers untapped potential and are learning new things about it all the time. Email us at matcmatters@matcmadison.edu or use the comments section at the bottom of the form at the link “Submit a News Item” on the Matters homepage. You can also call Robin Gee at 608-243-4378.
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