Today, we want to consider what we are changing and why. Who are we trying to reach with our site? How will the experience of the visitor improve? The answers to these questions are about the site architecture, how the site is organized and the content of the pages and not so much about the look and feel.

Beginning in May of 2007 the University engaged a nationally known, educationally focused consulting firm, Dotmarketing. In the ensuing time span we have worked with Dotmarketing to dissect every piece of the current University site at www.uakron.edu. The site at www.uakron.edu is better known as our homepage and comprises our forward looking face. In other words, the primary audience for this site are visitors who are, generally, from outside the University community; prospective students and their parents, corporate and university researchers, potential employees, the press, etc.

Today, the fruit of that labor is ready to show as we have New Web Page Designs, layered over a much improved architecture available to view and a Design Feedback Survey so you can tell us what you think.

Password policy at the University has changed. There are many good reasons this is being done, but, the most important is to protect your data from people who would steal it.

Passwords now expire
Back in the day, if you were particularly daring, you could get through your entire college career without changing your UANet password. No more.

Beginning June 1st of this year, passwords expire every 180 days. An email will be sent to remind you to reset your password as the 180-day expiration
period draws near.

To change your password, go to https://gozips.uakron.edu/zid/app/, login with your
UAnet ID and current password. Select the “Password” tab and click on “Change the
password of my UAnet ID.”

Make a strong password
The basic rules for you new UANet password are:

• Minimum of 8 characters consisting of at least one letter and one number.
• Mixed case (upper and lower) and special characters ($ # (& * @, etc.) are acceptable, but not required.
• NO Spaces.

There are many sites out there that can help with strong password creation like:

Strong passwords: How to create and use them
Password strength – Wikipedia
The Strong Password Dilemma – from the Center for Password Sanity