The University of Notre Dame has launched the Notre Dame Video Channel (http://video.nd.edu), a place to watch stories, lectures and other content straight from the Notre Dame Web site, and a way for the University to archive and organize its rapidly growing video library.
“We knew going in when we designed our new Web site that video was key to the future of communications,” said Todd Woodward, associate vice president for marketing communications. “Since that time it’s only expanded and we always had planned that the next logical step would be to have a home for videos where people could come and learn about the University.”
Utilizing the latest Web technology and sporting a sharp, edgy look, the Video Channel prominently features a sliding selection of spotlight videos and also offers smaller tabs that categorize content by topic, most recently added and most viewed clips, and collections, such as the “What Would You Fight For?” commercials that air during football broadcasts on NBC. Visitors also can search for specific titles or see videos listed by college or school.
Notre Dame ramped up its efforts with the introduction of the redesigned http://nd.edu and its rotating video “carousel” in 2007. Since that time, material has been available in various locations on departmental pages and through a number of external services, including the University’s YouTube channel, NDdotEDU, but there has been no central clearinghouse for video on the Notre Dame site.
The intention of the Video Channel is not to replace YouTube and other sites; video still will be shared across campus and some content likely will be posted on more than one Notre Dame page at a time. Rather, the idea is to add to the suite of options available to audiences who want to watch and learn about Notre Dame.
“There are tons of distribution outlets for video,” said Chas Grundy, director of interactive marketing in Notre Dame’s Office of Public Affairs and Communication, which designed and developed both nd.edu and the Video Channel. “We wanted our own that we could maintain and where we could develop the quality that we demanded and meet our own needs, rather than trying to fit into the noise of YouTube.”
The Video Channel is only the beginning, says Woodward, who also is looking ahead to the upcoming launch of Notre Dame’s iTunes U channel and other new avenues for sharing video down the road.
In the meantime, he considers the Video Channel a valuable tool and an important step forward for Notre Dame’s multimedia enterprise.
“We’re excited to be one of the few universities to have its own video channel,” he said.
Contact: Chas Grundy, Office of Public Affairs and Communication, cgrundy@nd.edu