I feel full...

This is an article which was published in The Companion, the magazine for the College of St George, Windsor Castle.

The internet has made access to information, and misinformation, easier than ever. We expect success when trying to find more of something and we desire it to be simple and immediate. Our problem now is not how to acquire knowledge or its availability, it is having the time to discern and absorb it. 

I need more time!

We make snap judgements on whether it is worth investing even a small amount of time in reading, watching or listening. If it doesn’t appear we need it, we’re not receptive to it. But one thing that we are very good at, is noticing change, not the detail, just the fact that something has changed. Change is our opportunity; the opportunity to communicate the vibrant and active life of the College of St George.

In designing the new website three primary objectives were identitified: 

First, to present the College of St George with its different departments alongside each other, opening up to the browser a more complete picture of what the College does.

Secondly, to be current. St George’s has a rich past and this carries forward to the present in all that it does and achieves. To be current is to be new and this requires change. The site has been designed so that it can be easily managed from within the College. If we can keep the site fresh it will be more relevant and this will encourage repeat visits enabling the browser to gain a better insight and engage.

Thirdly, to make a complex story appear simple. There is a lot to communicate about St George’s and browsers won’t give it a chance if looks complicated. This has meant developing a site which is broad but where you don’t have to dig too deep to find what you are looking for. If you want something specific we need to deliver it quickly, but we also want to increase dwell time and encourage lateral movement within the site. Navigating a site is a personal journey. We can define paths to follow but also need to provide the opportunities to entice the browser into making their own unexpected discoveries.

Having worked with the College over the last four years I’ve become very aware of the breadth, quality and quantity of its output. It is rich, diverse and relevant. And yet so much passes in a moment... gone.

The internet provides an opportunity to stretch that moment a little further, enough to cross oceans and open the doors to visitors returned home, or those who have not yet had the opportunity to visit.

As the website develops and grows I hope that you are not too full to discover more of, and participate in, this community of St George.

David Clare