What is a Self Serve Website?

Already using our Self-Serve Service? Check out what's new!

For faculty lab sites, student group sites, and any other simple site that needs to be up and running quickly, we offer a self-serve website service that uses our web-based content management system, MODX

Highlights of This Service

  • A responsive design that is viewable on all Penn-supported devices and browsers
  • Robust options for news feeds, calendar feeds, banner images/slideshows, and formatted special features
  • Detailed training, so you can edit and maintain the site on your own using your web browser
  • Ongoing technical support

Is a Self-Serve Website for You?

Self-serve websites are best for PSOM organizations which:

  • Have content that fits into a simple navigation structure (max three levels deep)
  • Are not in need of assistance analyzing or organizing content
  • Do not require a high level of customization in terms of site design, font, colors, etc.
  • Wish to launch a site quickly with minimal assistance

Note: The Self-Serve Website Service is the only PMACS-supported option available to PSOM faculty lab sites and student groups.

If you are unsure if a self-serve website is for you, please contact us.

Features

  • Customizable design options allowing you to choose from a selection of themes, color combinations, font pairings, text size, navigation style, and more! And as we create more themes, colors, and font pairings in the future, they will be made available to you the moment we release them.
  • Global
    • SEO fields
      • Google Analytics Tracking ID
      • Site-wide meta-description
    • Linked Social Networking/Syndication icons
      • You may display any/all of the following: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Publications, YouTube, Instagram, & Flickr
    • The ability to PennKey-protect select pages and/or files within your website
    • List of quick links or links of interest
    • Announcement/featured content section
    • Site-wide search feature (Note that this only searches publicly-available pages and will not search secured pages)
    • Slideshow or static banner image on each page with or without captions
    • Sitemap
  • Homepage
    • News
      • either TwitterRSS, or manually-entered news items
    • Events
  • Subpages
    • Optional sidebar
    • Special Features
      • Accordions
      • Personnel page grid and list layouts
      • Responsive, flexible buttons
      • Flickr or Manual Photo Galleries
      • Publication lists populated by PubMed
      • Agenda layouts with optional timezone picker
    • Other features available on request:
      • Simple web forms using MachForm
      • Video hosting
      • Blog
      • More customized security options for pages and files

The Process

  1. Submit your request via our online form.
  2. Once received, we'll follow up with you within the next 4-5 business days to assign MODX training and set up your "sandbox" to practice in.
  3. About a week from when we receive notification that you've completed the MODX training, we'll delete your sandbox and grant you full access to your site on our development server. You will then be able to add your text to the site, create new pages, customize the available feature options, and incorporate imagery.
  4. When you're finished, submit your request to go live and we'll review the site. (This can take 1-3 weeks, depending on our workload.) If everything looks good, we'll launch the site and you'll be able to continue to maintain your live site on the PSOM web server.

Sound right for you?

REQUEST A SITE!

Still not sure?

VIEW A DEMO!