Finding out about what’s happening daily at the Lab is about to get much easier. SLAC Today, a new feature on the SLAC Web site, is a one-stop resource for Laboratory news, events, announcements and links.

Anyone in the SLAC community can post an item, and we hope everyone will participate in this service.

The SLAC Today main page

"SLAC Today is a great tool and will be a tremendous boost to internal communications," said Neil Calder (COM). "Make it your homepage and use it to announce everything that you feel the Lab should know."

Better yet, you don’t need to know html, FrontPage, or any other Web authoring tool to use the system. Announcements can be made within minutes, so important news will get to staff right away.

SLAC Today will be managed by the Communications group, which reviews every submission before it is posted.

SLAC Today will replace the existing Announcement system (currently found on the Detailed Home Page, http://www.slac.stanford.edu/detailed.html). SLAC Today will also replace the weekly QuickNews electronic newsletter (http://www.slac.stanford.edu/grp/do/quicknews/)

This application was developed under the guidance of a group comprised of staff from throughout the Lab. The group is building a series of tools to help improve Web-based communications within the SLAC community.

In August 2000, the Communications Task Force outlined a number of recommendations to help improve communications Lab-wide, including:

"To support good communication we must develop convenient and efficient tools. The right tools encourage the thoughtful use of appropriate media for the message and the audience."

SLAC Today is just one of many initiatives the Lab has undertaken to improve our Web site and communications in general. Other Web-based projects include upgrading the search engine, as well as redesigning the phone book, site navigation and public pages.

The SLAC Today application was built on an Oracle database by a team from SCS, TIS and Communications. The application could become the base for other applications that manage and publish Web content.

We want your input! After you’ve had a chance to explore this new service, please fill out the comments form and let us know what improvements or additions we can make.

For more information, please contact Kathy Bellevin (Ext. 2585, kathyb@slac.stanford.edu).