Today was a ground-breaking one for us: we launched our first library intranet, WIG. We've taken all the elements we liked from a number of different websites, re-thought our existing services, and tried to incorporate it all into an easy-to-navigate design. We have made extensive use of databases created in DBTextworks WebPublisher Pro to populate the various sections.
The launch was a success! Let's hope this translates into use. Some of the things we did to promote WIG:
- advance "teaser" ads including various library staff members in barristers' and judges' wigs. These were produced by photocopy and manual cut-and-paste (no graphics software in sight) and then scanned into PDF. Very funny.
- lots of fun sayings in e-mails and the teaser ads. E-mail me for the list.
- the ads incorporated a hand-drawn character, "Wiglet", featuring a pig in a wig. This was a last minute inspiration by one of our team, and proved to be a good "stickiness" factor to get people hyped. We managed to come up with a real Wiglet (stuffed animal with doll's hair added). We plan to include a bio of our new mascot on the site and the addition of a feature called "Where's Wiglet?" with photos in various locales.
- dramatic launch, including the whole library staff in colourful wigs in a boardroom. We crammed 30-plus people in a little room for extra hype. Yours truly was made to wear a judge's wig for the launch. Supremely embarrassing! (Pun intended.)
- still to come: we are also sending out quizzes that can be answered by using the site; bookmarks with the URL ("bookmark it!") handed out personally with a special treat.
It does help that people in the firm were very, very ready for these changes. I'm very pleased with the launch and the feedback so far. All we need to do now is incorporate updating of the site into our regular routines, and promote it at every opportunity. Stay tuned for updates on our success!
If you want to know what "WIG" stands for, e-mail me. 8-)
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