Welcome to the Pintra Blog! You’ve found your way to the University of Antwerp’s new blog for staff. We want to use this informal blog to inspire you and keep you informed about what’s going on at our university. We’ll be bringing you personal stories from members of staff, interesting news, tips and tricks, and much more. We hope all this will create an even greater sense of connection.
Corona opens up new digital avenues
When the coronavirus surprised us all in March and we suddenly had to work from home, we immediately went looking for digital communication tools to help us keep in touch with each other: WhatsApp groups, online drinks, and of course ways to teach online and connect professionally. Some of the stories were so great that we wanted to share them with others. And that’s how the Pintra Corona Blog was born. The goal: to share colleagues’ stories, provide tips, inspire each other, and see or hear from each other when everyone was working from home and little or no face-to-face interaction was possible. Pintra Magazine was put on hold, because we felt the stories we’d planned would have little relevance at a time when the world had been turned upside down.
So we got to work, gathering stories, interviewing people on the phone and putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). And it paid off: the blogs were a success. Some articles on the Dutch version of the site attracted more than 900 readers. It’s clear that you enjoy reading personal stories. But the ‘Tips & tricks’ section turned out to be very popular too. Between the launch of the blog and the end of June we recorded 19 000 page views. On average, each reader spent 1 minute and 3 seconds on a page.
Every cloud has a silver lining
Of course, the reading rates went down as the summer approached and the lockdown was lifted. Everyone was sick of hearing about the coronavirus. We took a break and started thinking about whether to switch back to Pintra Magazine. The readers’ survey of December 2019 had shown that about 33% of respondents wanted both paper and online versions of the magazine, while another 33% were happy with just an online version. But that was before the lockdown. We’ve since got used to digital channels and new ways of working, like online meetings, and it looks like they’re here to stay.
So we went for it, and today we’re launching the new Pintra Blog. We know not everyone likes to read on a screen, but the advantages do outweigh the disadvantages.
- We’re no longer dependent on schedules, printing delivery times or the post service, so we can respond more quickly to current events.
- The articles can be shared on other media.
- Interaction is possible. You can ‘like’ and respond to the articles.
- We can use other media like videos and podcasts.
- It’s easier to look up articles you’ve already read.
- A blog is more environmentally friendly than paper.
- We can offer more content in English. Every article is translated to English immediately.
Of course, we’ve included feedback from the magazine’s readers’ survey in the new concept too. We’re going to focus even more on:
- A mix of short posts and in-depth stories
- Feel-good and easy-to-read stories from staff
- News from the faculties
- Games and fun elements.
Got a story to tell?
We hope we can inspire you to share your own ideas, tips, questions and stories. We’d be happy to give you the space to tell your story. Would you like to write a text yourself, submit a video or rather be interviewed and leave the editing to a copywriter? Or just pass on an idea? It’s all possible. Email us at pintra@uantwerpen.be. We also have help from the members of the editorial board. You can pass on any ideas through them too.
The Pintra Blog is part of the university’s internal communication mix, which includes the Pintra Intranet, the Pintra Newsletter, Pintra Alerts and the info screens for staff. Click here for an overview.
P.S. The coronavirus articles will remain accessible on the new Pintra Blog. You’ll find them under the ‘corona’ tag.