BUSU goes mobile

Due to the fact that mobile Internet has become a standard of living in North American culture, businesses and organizations that wish to survive and stay fresh have begun to show a priority in mobile accessibility.

This can be seen through large banks like Scotia and CIBC putting out smart phone apps, RIM and Google adding app compatibility to their smart phones and most recently and locally, the Brock University Students' Union (BUSU) going mobile with their Web site.

On Monday Nov. 14, BUSU launched their mobile site, which allows users — namely students — to stay up to date on events and news, as well as gaining access to contact info and an interactive campus map.

When asked why BUSU made this update, BUSU's Web Content Coordinator, Jordan Hallawell commented on the increase of smart phone usage BUSU has seen in the past few years.

"We realized that a lot of students were on their phones, and we found our site, while being a little accessible, was not at the point we wanted it to be," said Hallawell.

Hallawell further explained that while the mobile site is basic at this stage, only pulling text content from the site, the campus map is worth checking out.

"The mobile version pulls content from our site, specifically news, events, contact and an interactive campus map," said Hallawell. "The map is actually powered by Google Maps, and it has exclusive markers of important locations on campus."

Besides the map, the site is fairly basic. It has standard text content plus the interactive map – however, be warned: the map is too much for early smartphone generations, like the iPhone 3G. For any student out there with a more updated device, there should not be a problem  reading it.

When asked whether BUSU has any other modern initiatives in place, Hallawell commented on more work with the Web site.

"We've been using QR codes for about two years, and we're looking to make the Web site more accessible, possibly by adding a ride-share program," said Hallawell.

All in all, this site is BUSU's first step into the next generation of web-interactivity, nothing more or less.

As for a BUSU app, the next step in the mobile-accessible site transformation?

"We've considered it," said Hallawell. "For now we'll monitor the mobile site to see how it does, and then we might put some money towards developing a full-out BUSU app."