Where has the time gone? It feels (and has been) ages since I posted last. Mainly because of all the interesting projects that seem to be happening right now at Optiem. In-between all the exciting client work we've managed to find some time to expand on an idea presented by Vince who is part of our Media Department.
The Social Media Newsroom is something we've been talking about internally for some time - a resource to offer our clients that can adapt to existing sites and grow with future builds.
Looking at it now it it does seem like one of those "why didn't I think of that" things. We had already started talking to clients about making this part of upcoming builds we were planning when we found GM Europe had launched their own version, so it definitely is an idea who's time has come.
We noticed that theirs was missing a few elements that we consider important so that's why we decided to make our proof-of-concept public. Here is a run down of some of the features we're including:
- Focus Clouds - Instead of just relying on a normal tag cloud we decided to employ Aaron Bassett's Focus Cloud concept which gives a more relevant slant to the tags shown.
- Microformats - I personally considered these essential from the outset if this was going to stand the test of time. By using microformats on everything from the PR contact information to the listed events we ensure that the next generation of browsers can make use of the information presented and gives greater meaning to the content.
- AJAX - If it's Web2.0 it's gotta be AJAX. Though it's not shown in our HTML proof-of-concept there will be quite a few bits of functionality that will utilize this, but won't effect the usability or accessibility of the page.
- Social Networks - By using employees existing social profiles and online services such as ma.gnolia, del.icio.us, upcoming.org etc. we'll look to grow the companies online footprint. Mix in any Facebook, MySpace, ClaimID profiles and you're onto a winner.
Also making abundant use of RSS and a solid CSS design to accommodate both PC and mobile users has really got both us and our clients really excited about the possibilities for our social media newsroom.
If you're interested in this feel free to chat with me or contact anyone at Optiem and we'll be happy to talk about the possibilities.
Technorati tags: microformats, "social media newsroom", optiem
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