Lize Esterhuizen, Web Editor at Stellenbosch University, is in the spotlight and will be reflecting on how they created an electronic environment for academic and social networks through the e-life of students at Stellenbosch University.



They've been busy out there in the winelands. First, they ran an e-campus initiative to create a networked campus, so that students are always connected from any point in the university. From the hostel to the swimming pool, they'll have access.

Launch of bold and fresh Maties branding to carry the brand through everything: from registration to graduation and beyond. This includes branding on posters, bags, cardbooks and the revamped prospective student Maties.com site. The site includes virtual tours of their campus, including res options.

This was then extended to MyMaties.com, which is a personalised student resource, including exam results, timetables and all other relevant student info. Another add on is MatiesAlumni.net, for students who've graduated at Stellenbosch. What is pretty smart is that your username is automatically transferred from MyMaties.com to MatiesAlumni.net once you've completed your studies.

Some of the lectures are available online as podcasts and applying for academic assistance is simple enough, together with monitoring and payment of fees. By partnering with another provider, the site also offers 'My future', a job-student connection service that allows students to easily forward their CV to apply for interesting job offers that private business post on the site from time to time.

Over and above, students can even book their meals using the MyMaties system. This is new age education that's come a long way since I was a student. All of the online stuff ties into offline campus activity too, through MFM - Stellenbosch's campus radio, also available via live streaming online of course :)

Other online activity includes: online voting for SRC, Valentine's Day messaging and photo galleries from student events.

To create some form of revenue, the site sells limited advertising space and contributes to monthly costs.

Beyond the Maties sites, these guys have also got into 'The big F' with a Facebook group / page.