A-Z Web Directory
Last fall we introduced the new combined VCU search page (example here) which combined the web search and people search results. Only a month or two later, we reworked it to add in search results from the A-Z system (another example). Even as we added the A-Z results, we wanted to make it easier for you to improve the findability of your sites. During the spring semester, we built a new A-Z Web Directory backend that’s more powerful and yet easy to use.
The new system allows you to add, update, and even remove your sites from the VCU A-Z list yourself. Other than a title and URL, you can specify categories, keywords, aliases, and a description for each of your sites. You can also grant permission to edit and view your site’s information in the system to other owners. Categories control which sections of the A-Z list your site appears in publicly. Setting keywords for your site allows you to define additional searchable terms that will cause it to appear in queries. Aliases are secondary titles for a site that your users may look for instead of your main title (for instance, Technology Services has two aliases: Information Technology and Computing). Your site’s description is currently only used to provide additional information on the backend system; we may one day use this for other purposes.
Feel free to get started using the new A-Z Web Directory backend. We’re planning to roll out the public portion of the new A-Z Web Directory in the next week or two. You can read more about the A-Z Web Directory in the TS Knowledge Base.