In late March, the Associated Collegiate Press announced its selection of 50 finalists for the annual Online Pacemaker awards.  The finalists represent online versions of print publications and online-only outlets at U.S. schools large and small, public and private, admin.-controlled and independent. Sites were evaluated for the quality of their “multimedia storytelling, writing and editing, site design, in-depth and complete coverage, interactivity, and graphics and photography.”

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In this occasional CMM series, I offer my personal take on some finalists’ standout innovations or positive attributes- aimed at helping other student media up their Web games.  Next up . . .

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The GW Hatchet

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The Hatchet site mixes a newsy content base with a bluesy color scheme- atop a CMN template.  The homepage does teeter a bit toward text-heavy and too-much-for-the-eye-ness, but the soft blue headlines and big-enough-to-actually read story teasers make it work.  I also like that staff do not give up on the below-the-scroll portion.  Instead of a used-car-lot-like links listing, the featured content is still organized with care into appropriate sections and with occasional accompanying images.

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The multimedia slate looks impressive- a collage of squared still images advertising photo sets, audio slideshows, and videos.  Organizing them by date and without even the briefest of explainers does make them a bit overwhelming/bewildering to take in all at once.

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The standout online Hatchet job is found in the paper’s blogosphere. The six blogs cover an array of areas- from basic news and “Beyond the Books” student life to glimpses inside the Hatchet newsroom.  For example, the latter blog recently featured a direct apology to readers for a scheduling error that caused the staff to miss covering one school’s graduation ceremony.

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Most impressive: Unlike many student news sites, the blogs do not exist in isolation.  They are all hyped and linked from a central site (see below).  Most also earn individual shout-outs in multiple spots on the Hatchet homepage.  The blog content overall is still a bit sporadic, but the organization angle is solid.  My favorite of the bunch: Passports, a rundown of GW students’ study abroad experiences.  It allows multiple undergrads to write reflections and post photos to a degree that would just not be desirable or possible in print.

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