It’s Here: Hopkins Interactive, version 2.0
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Posted by: Admissions_Daniel | 
November 15 2006 | 
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Drum roll please … At 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 15 the re-launch of Hopkins Interactive (H.I.) took place. Eleven months after the launch of the first version of H.I., we are now celebrating the amazing evolution of Hopkins Interactive.
For the uninitiated, Hopkins Interactive is a web site designed by current Johns Hopkins students for prospective students and other audiences seeking information about the undergraduate experience at JHU. H.I. is a “gateway” to our campus, a “virtual connection” to our community, an access point to frequently updated information about all there is to know about Johns Hopkins University and our unparalleled students.
For those who have a disdain for marketing language and hype, Hopkins Interactive is simply a web site designed by a highly motivated and passionate group of 23 current Hopkins students. These students make up the Student Admissions Advisory Board (SAAB) and they represent the student voice and opinion of a cross-section of our community. H.I. is their vision; it includes the information they feel is most critical for prospective students to know about their school. H.I. is their way to dispel the myths about their school and a means to presenting the real Johns Hopkins. And H.I. is your way to directly connect with potential future classmates.
So you ask, what is so great about this re-launch of a web site that had already successfully existed? Well, as you will see H.I, v. 2.0 is 300% more impressive than version one, and contains an extensive array of new features. Version one had 8 student blogs, 2 university blogs, and a limited message board. It was a student-designed site, but it was not interactive. Version two has 23 student profiles, 13 student blogs, 4 university blogs, interactive message boards, and chat functionality. And that doesn’t even mention the other two of six sections, Hopkins 360 and Fun and Games. Since there is so much new information, let me take you on a tour of everything:
01 – STUDENT PROFILES
The centerpiece of the new Hopkins Interactive is a collection of 23 student profiles representing a true cross-section of our student community. Here you will have the chance to get to know an array of current students, learn about their lives at Hopkins, find out about their interests, and even experience some of their personal quirks. After reviewing the answers in their profile, you have the opportunity to direct yourself to the message boards and connect with any, some, or all of the students you “met” on the profile pages.
You might be interested in Philosophy so you check out Jackie’s profile — or you might be from Texas so you link to Tanmay or Roxi — or you are really interested in what it is like to be a senior at Hopkins so you connect with Michelle T. The profiles are your starting point to truly experiencing life as a Hopkins student.
02 – BLOGS
If the profiles are the centerpiece of the new H.I., then the Blogs section remains the pulse of the site. We now offer 13 distinct online journals documenting the day-to-day lives of 5 current freshmen, 4 sophomores, 3 juniors, and 1 senior. Joining our veteran bloggers Laura, Esther, Julia, Michelle B., Stefanie, Michelle T., Rachel, and Phil are the new freshmen bloggers of Jackie, Roxi, Ramy, Kate, and Blake. Each of these student blogs acts as a window into these students’ lives, allowing the reader to experience all aspects of being a Hopkins student. The blogs are truly a transparent, unfiltered, unedited look at the Hopkins experience through the words and digital images of an amazing group of students.
Additionally, the blogs section includes four unique University blogs that provides the H.I. visitor with even more usual information:
- Hopkins Insider: This is my (Admissions_Daniel) blog. You are reading it right now. And as the caption states, this is your “behind-the-scenes” look at the Admissions Office. At the same time it is a portal into my head and an access point to learn about my opinions about TV, and get updates on my niece Lilly and my dog Soze.
- Hopkins Interactive Guest Blog: One of my personally favorite blogs, the Guest blog features a new student each week presenting a summary of their Hopkins experience. This blog exponentially increases the number of student stories we can tell.
- The JHU Fun Blog: A blog that gets to the heart of dispelling the myth that “fun comes to die at Hopkins.” The Fun Blog will be a weekly access point to some stress-relievers and a look at what makes our students laugh.
- This Week@Hopkins: So much happens in one week at Hopkins and in Baltimore. This blog will be a collection of stories and articles summarizing what happened over the previous week and also looking forward to the upcoming week. Simply, we will scour the main Hopkins web site to present to you the most newsworthy and noteworthy stories and events.
03 – MESSAGE BOARDS
The main goal of H.I. is to be interactive, and what better way then through message boards / forums. Through the Johns Hopkins forums you have the chance to ask any and every question you have about JHU. Connect with Admissions counselors and learn more about the application process. Meet each one of the H.I. students and ask specific questions of them on their personal message board threads. We also have forums dedicated to questions about Academics, Student Life, and Life in Baltimore. We even have provided a separate forum for Parents!!! The message boards are truly your way to interact with us, get your questions answered, and even meet other prospective students going through the process.
04 – HOPKINS 360
One of the brand new sections in the new H.I. is Hopkins 360, a collection of pages and links that act as a portal to everything happening at Johns Hopkins. A truly 360 degree view of life on the Homewood campus and in Baltimore. Here we present virtual tours, web cams, various multimedia links, news links, and even a look at the residence halls in the widely popular Hopkins Cribs section. Also attached to Hopkins 360 is our new This Week @ Hopkins blog.
What you see now is just the beginning for Hopkins 360. Over the coming weeks and months we will add new features that will help to meet the goal of this section — providing a full view of our University for those who can’t visit campus or for those who just want to remember their past visit.
05 – FUN & GAMES
The brain-child of SAAB member Esther B., the Fun & Games section we hope will simply provide a way to de-stress about the whole college admissions process. Take a study break and enjoy a fun way to learn about JHU. The new Fun Blog is at the center of this section, but we hope you will also enjoy Hopkins Speak, a dictionary of commonly used JHU terms, and the Top 10 Lists.
Just as with the Hopkins 360 section, this is just the beginning for the Fun & Games section. We have a lot in store for you all in the coming months. I quote Esther: “[The Fun & Games] section is quite small right now but check back in coming months for quizzes, crossword puzzles, and much more.”
06 – CHAT WITH US
The final of the six sections that make up the new Hopkins Interactive is our Chat With Us section. In the past, we have sponsored online chats and have seen varying success. This coming year we will approach our online chats in a much different way. First, our chats will be “theme” oriented — each chat will focus on a specific topic of student life at Hopkins whether it be Athletics, Greek Life, living in Baltimore, or Multiculturalism. The second change to our chats will be that they will be by invitation only. This means that we will encourage students to complete our chat registration form and select which chat topics they are most interested in. Then as one of the topic chats approaches we will sent a special e-mail invite to the registered students inviting them to a private chat with our Hopkins Interactive students. Consider this a “work-in-progress.” For right now we encourage you to complete the registration form, and we will update with the chat schedule for the Fall 2006/Winter 2007 shortly.
Well, I hope you all have enjoyed this tour of the new Hopkins Interactive. Now go and enjoy the site…
…and of yeah, provide us FEEDBACK. Whether commenting on our blogs, posting on our message boards, or using the special feedback e-mail address (hopkins.interactive@jhu.edu) — we want to hear from you. What do you like about the site? What would you like to see in the future? The more feedback the better we can design this site to suit your needs.
CHEERS!!!
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