TRCommons Team Openings

Note: None of these roles are mutually exclusive—you could potentially take on one or more of these roles, though leadership in a particular area is a plus.

Content Editors: Already a daily reader of the TRCommons? Why not join our content editorial team, giving you a chance to highlight particularly noteworthy content on the frontpage and featured sections. It’s your job to sift through the deluge and bring content. Additional responsibilities include fostering discussion through comments and identifying new forms of interaction with the community that could improve upon the site’s basic mission.

Marketing & Outreach: Thrive on interaction? Masterful communicator of ideas? The TRCommons is looking for individuals with a drive for getting the word out, conventionally (posters, flyers, tabling, word-of-mouth, and whatever crazy stunts you might come up with) but also on the web (twitter, Facebook, newsletters) as we seek to engage our community and bring new individuals and groups into the fold!

Technical Expertise: CompSci major? Have any interest in content management systems (ie WordPress)? Prior coding  experience (PHP, CSS), an interest in online media preferred. With the continual cycle of website design and administration, the TRCommons team seeks one or two individuals to help translate new feature ideas into realities, in addition to identifying possible drawbacks and limitations with our current site.

Podcast Contributors: Love to gossip? How radio-ready is your voice? If the prospect of sitting down for an hour a week, discussing a diverse array of issues—from NQR’s cancellation to the intervention in Libya to why you think the iPad will flop—with an enthusiastic group of individuals excites you, that’s pretty much the only requirement!

Bloggers: As always, if you have even the slightest inkling that a blog might be the appropriate mouthpiece for your ideas and opinions, why not give it a try and sign up now (http://trcommons.org/register)? There’s no obligations or strings attached, so you can write as frequently as suits you. You can even syndicate your current blog over in an automated process that lets you keep blogging the way you do now, but with the added bonus of a wider community of readers and engagement!

For more information, including any other possible services you think may be of use to our small but dedicated team, contact admin@trcommons.org

We’re going to give this new service, Storify, a chance at helping us create a simple, accesible and visually pleasing weekly newsletter.

Let us know what you think of the concept of weekly roundups of featured posts, in the comments/by email. In the future, we’ll be looking to include relevant tweets from our Tufts community, so if we’re not already following you on twitter, tweet at us @trcommons!

On a related note, I should note that beginning today, we’ve switched our automated Facebook publishing service to RSSGraffiti, which is an application that allows stories to be displayed with their accompanying excerpts, and any possible images that might be included in their posts. We think this will improve our Facebook engagement with readers, as you’ll be getting a lot more than just a headline when you see the latest posts—and we’ll finally be taking more advantage Facebook’s publishing options. If you’re not already seeing TRCommons posts in your Facebook newsfead, like our page now!

So, you’ve been visiting the TRCommons for a while. Maybe you’ve commented once or twice, and, if you’re one of our 200+ bloggers, you’ve got a few posts to your name. But what about other possible ways you can get involved with the community? Well, have you considered joining the team that makes this website and community grow and function? We’re always looking to add energetic members to our small-but-passionate team! Here’s some highlights of the types of things you might find yourself doing…

Note: None of these roles are mutually exclusive—you could potentially take on one or more of these roles, though leadership in a particular area is a plus.

Content Editors: Already a daily reader of the TRCommons? Why not join our content editorial team, giving you a chance to highlight particularly noteworthy content on the frontpage and featured sections. It’s your job to sift through the deluge and bring content. Additional responsibilities include fostering discussion through comments and identifying new forms of interaction with the community that could improve upon the site’s basic mission.

Marketing & Outreach: Thrive on interaction? Masterful communicator of ideas? The TRCommons is looking for individuals with a drive for getting the word out, conventionally (posters, flyers, tabling, word-of-mouth, and whatever crazy stunts you might come up with) but also on the web (twitter, Facebook, newsletters) as we seek to engage our community and bring new individuals and groups into the fold!

Technical Expertise: CompSci major? Have any interest in content management systems (ie WordPress)? Prior coding  experience (PHP, CSS), an interest in online media preferred. With the continual cycle of website design and administration, the TRCommons team seeks one or two individuals to help translate new feature ideas into realities, in addition to identifying possible drawbacks and limitations with our current site.

Podcast Contributors: Love to gossip? How radio-ready is your voice? If the prospect of sitting down for an hour a week, discussing a diverse array of issues—from NQR’s cancellation to the intervention in Libya to why you think the iPad will flop—with an enthusiastic group of individuals excites you, that’s pretty much the only requirement!

For more information, including any other possible services you think may be of use to our small but dedicated team, contact admin@trcommons.org

A few weeks ago, we reached a milestone as a community: 200 bloggers and users, each contributing their thoughts and opinions on a diverse array of subjects and issues their passionate about. We’re now averaging just under 9,000 visits a month, which is double the average we were seeing after our redesign launched in October. Those 9,000 visitors are translating to about 16,000 pageviews a month.

Some are busy documenting their journeys abroad. Others, professors and students alike, are right here at Tufts sharing upcoming activities and activities, thoughts on the latest albums, results of sporting events, and good eats around Boston, among the myriad of posts I’ve read lately.

It’s true: At times, our users are highly critical of various establishment figures and institutions, both at Tufts but also in those on a national and global scale.

Yet, even in those moments where the discussions become heated—by the way, we updated our comments widget on the sidebar last month, so that you now see an excerpt and the user’s avatar!—the strength of our community remains that same drive and passion that everyone brings to the table. When the Tufts Daily asked for my thoughts on blogging, I certainly said as much.

Indeed, our commitment has always been to foster a conversation by those connected in some way to the Tufts community. The work our small cadre of editors does is really just to ensure the daily influx of thoughtful, opinionated and interesting articles doesn’t get too unwieldily for the average user. Whether you write occasionally, or make a concerted effort to post daily, as users, it truly is the words and content you continue to share with the community that have brought the community to where it is.

In closing, with an eye to the future, the goal for the Tufts Roundtable Commons remains the same. With summer approaching, there are exciting possibilities that we’re looking to follow up on in order to keep up the sustained growth and open up new avenues, and will be keeping the community abreast as we have news to share. For now, many thanks for all the posts, comments and visits, and I hope you’ll continue to spread the word among your friends and those at Tufts who have something—anything!—to contribute to the discussion. As always, blog on!

Many of our readers already have existing blogs online, on websites like WordPress.com, Tumblr, Blogger, and other such websites. Each day, they’re sharing tons of great content with the rest of the world. The trouble with such a strategy is that, short of acting as a one-man PR outlet, ensuring that one maintains a solid readership is a tough job!

For all you existing Tufts-community bloggers out there, here’s where the Roundtable Commons comes in handy: One of the lesser-known features of the Roundtable Commons is that you can easily gain greater exposure and engage in a discourse amongst peers in the community by simply syndicating your existing, off-site blog! It’s completely automated—all you have to do is continue to post on your current blog, and each hour, the Roundtable Commons will effortlessly import your post(s)!

Ok, so that’s the spiel, now how can you actually get this setup?

If you’re signing up for the first time…

1. On the registration page, ensure you fill in the ”Syndicated Blog URL” field with the URL of your blog.

That’s it! Sit back and enjoy having your content replicated here on the Roundtable Commons, reaching more individuals than ever before!

If you’re an existing user…

Just to be sure we don’t miss your blog, send me  a message telling me you’ve updated your profile. That’s it! Sit back and enjoy having your content replicated here on the Roundtable Commons, reaching more individuals than ever before!

Earlier this week we officially launched our outreach campaign. Our goal is to ensure that every student, alum and faculty member knows about the TrCommons and the substantial opportunities that membership can offer.

As a current member, you already know that the TrCommons is the easiest way to share your thoughts, ideas and projects with the greater of the Tufts community. By putting the entire Tufts blogosphere in one place, and by making it significantly easier for individual bloggers to connect with a community audience, we can truly make a difference in the way discourse flows in the Tufts community.

But we can’t let everyone know about the Commons without your help. Word of mouth is the most important method of outreach. Here are some basic ways that you can help get the word out:

• If you are a student, put a Commons poster on your door. You can e-mail us at admin@trcommons.org to request one.
• Donate your Facebook status to the Commons for a few hours.
• Tell your friends about the TrCommons in conversation
• Help us poster around campus. If you are interested, simply send us an e-mail.
• Invite your friends to our facebook page
• Blog about the TrCommons
• Help to moderate the TrCommons (no web-experience required) if you are interested, e-mail us at admin@trcommons.org

With a great deal of work, and a little help from you, we believe that the TrCommons will really become a special place, a place where anyone in the community can express themselves regardless of opinion, writing style, or status. By uniting the flexibility of online blogs with the audience of a newspaper, together we will elevate the level, and extent, of conversation within the Tufts Community.

Thanks for your help

-TrCommons team

A large part of the blogging experience is leaving and receiving comments. Anyone who blogs knows that receiving comments is a delightful experience. Below, we are going to list some reasons that you, the reader, may find it a rewarding experience as well.

1)   Did you disagree with someone? Did someone’s blog anger you? Maybe a previous commenter rubbed you the wrong way? Tell them in the comment section! Most users read comments, and the comments are your voice in the post. This section is your chance to respond!

2)   Bloggers usually read & respond to their comments. If you are interested in discussion, commenting is a great way to get one started.

3)   Comment sections have many social features such as “up-voting and down-voting.” If you have something to say, and you want to see what others think, commenting on a post could be the way to do it.

4)   Comments encourage bloggers to write more. If you enjoy reading blogs, then leaving comments is a way to encourage your favorite blogger to write even more. It shows them that people are reading their work, and that they care enough to interact with it.

5)   Commenting is fun. Leaving comments is almost as fun as writing your own blog, especially when the rest of the community is doing it too.

Today, we’re pleased to announce the Roundtable Commons’ Photo Contest 2010. It’s part of our continuing effort to make the TrCommons more interactive than ever!

The concept is simple: What are you doing at nine o’clock? Having a ball down on Pro Row? Getting your study on over at “Club Tisch”? Kicking back with your pals watching this weekend’s big game? Whatever it is, you could very well be on your way to winning a $25 Amazon Gift Card, just follow the instructions below. NOTE: Please categorize your posts as “Photo Contest 2010″

One of the lesser known facts about the Roundtable Commons site is just how easy it is to include videos in a post.

In the brief screencast below, I’ll show you that it really just involves copying the URL of your video, and pasting it in one of two locations =).

As always, if you have any further questions about features of the site, don’t hesitate to email us at help@trcommons.org. More videos will be coming to ensure that everyone knows how to fully take advantage of the site!

Hello Roundtable Commons Community! Today’s unveiling of the new site marks the beginning of a new chapter in our community. After months of work, not only have we redesigned the site from the ground up, but, on the backend, we’ve moved from Joomla to WordPress, allowing for a much more streamlined, easy-to-use, and efficient website that makes it just as easy to post your thoughts, photos, videos as it is to read them!

A few important notes (Updated 10/3/2010 @ 3:30 PM):

1. If you had an account previously on the old site, and you had at least one post, you have an account on the new site. Check your email for information regarding slightly different login details for the new site. The subject of the email should be “Account Update (Tufts Roundtable Commons)”. Be sure to edit your avatar and profile information (using “Edit ID Card” and “Edit Avatar”, both accessible on the User Bar) so that people know who you are!
2. If you’re a user that imports his/her post from offsite, please ensure that your site’s RSS feed displays the full, complete blog post. Currently, some feeds are only giving us the partial posts, causing truncated posts to appear on the site. If you have any questions about how to do this, email us at help@trcommons.org
3. If you had an account previously but had no posts, you’ll have to make a new account, which is a quick, less-than-five-minute process—Go ahead and get started: Sign Up !
4. You’ve probably noticed the User Bar following you around as you scroll around the site. From here, you can quickly access your profile, create new posts, upload photos, and interact with all the site’s social features.



5. Speaking of which, you’ll notice the numerous community-oriented features now available to you: Profiles, activity streams, messaging, friendships, forums and groups are all part of our new social layer for the site.

Naturally, you probably have further questions about how the new site works, and what may be different. No worries, we’re in the process of writing a FAQs and Help section, which you should definitely take a look at as it will continue to be updated. Screencasts (videos) to walk you through various elements of the site will be coming in the next few days. If all else fails, feel free to email us at help@trcommons.org and we’ll try and assist you in all ways possible =)! We sincerely hope you enjoy the new site as you navigate.

If you do encounter any bugs, send those to bugs@trcommons.org.

Sincerely,
Aeden Pillai
Executive Webmaster