Communications Update
April 2006
Image of the Day went live this month, featuring the best of our ever-growing photography
and illustration collection. It rotates every 24 hours, 365 days a year on whoi.edu internal and
external. Since launching on April 5 there have been +1,250 visits to Image of the Day page http://www.whoi.edu/imageOfDay.do. We also invite submissions from WHOI staff.
Soft launch of the WHOI image management system, called WHOI ImageSource internally
and to the media. Melissa Lamont, who leaves WHOI end of May, is transitioning project
mgmt to Jayne Doucette. They are jointly making the rounds to science departments to
introduce ImageSource and collect feedback.
Stranded walrus pups (Ashjian) and red tide studies (Anderson) drew major media attention
this month: Washington Post, MSNBC, and other stories in the LA Times and IHT. Also a
rotation of film crews from the History Channel, Korea and France.
Submitted wide-ranging NSF proposal with Chris Linder for informal education during
International Polar Year, covering outreach support for expeditions by R. Reves-Sohn, B.
Gast, S. Das, and J Toole. Alliances with Museum of Science, Boston, Smithsonian,
NPR-Science Friday, Washington Post and Scholastic.
Life Beyond Ink: We continue to benefit from Terry Joyce’s 2002 NY Times op-ed, “The
Heat Before the Cold.” It made the Brookings Institute’s Joint Center's "Top Policy
Matters List" for the month of March (76 downloads). Since posting, the piece has been
downloaded 1,841 times. To view the abstract and Policy Matters:
http://www.aei-brookings.org/publications/abstract.php?pid=228
Oceanus marketing

Sent promotions to ~600 chairs of marine science, oceanography, and environmental
sciences programs at US universities (from Julia Westwater’s list).

Email promos to Stephanie Murphy’s +800 teachers. Most contacts in the US; 25 from 13
other countries. Also marketed the Oceanus collection CD-ROM.

Dave Gallo demo’d Oceanus site at National Science Teachers Association meeting to
200 educators, and handed out 50 print copies.

Julie Allen set up a separate URL for SEA to use in promoting Oceanus online
subscriptions, so we can track how may are coming from SEA promotions. SEA launches a
promo to 4,100 SEA alums May 15th.

UNOLS Oceanus promo going out in May to1,900 UNOLS newsletter readers.

Marine Technology Reporter plans to repurpose three Oceanus articles in the May issue:
Nootka boy (Detrick) HROV (Bowen) and Sentry (Bradley, Yoerger)
Launched updated Graphics Web site: http://www.whoi.edu/graphics/ and continue to meet
growing demand for PodCasts (T. Shank, W. Sellers).
Annual report and donor report ready to go to printer 1st week of May, for delivery in time
for the May trustee meeting. Annual is 12 pages shorter than last year, cutting printing costs
by 35%.
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Media Relations (Manager: Shelley Dawicki)
MR Office Visitors: 20 (excluding Communications Department staff)
Press clippings: 122 Broadcast stories: 7 News release initiated clips: 40
Phone calls: 333 Emails: 2,107
Licensing Revenue: $ 6,727.93 Web visits: 17,677
Visual Requests (non-WHOI): 60 WHOI: 15 Cameras (still and video loaned to staff): 4

Prepared news releases with Carin Ashjian on abandoned walrus pups in the Arctic and
with Don Anderson on the 2005 New England red tide outbreak and hints for 2006.
Articles appeared in The Boston Globe, The Providence Journal, The Washington Post,
Portland Press Herald (ME), The Standard Times (New Bedford, MA), Cohasset
Mariner (MA), radio stations WCAI, WQRC and WBUR, LiveScience.com,
newkerala.com (India), sciencedaily.com and MSNBC, among many others.

Prepared March/April issues of the tip sheets Ocean Pulses and Eyes on the Ocean.
News items and photos featured the work of Scott Gallager, Michael Moore and Darlene
Ketten, John Toole and Terry Joyce, Breck Owens, Bill Jenkins, and Adam Soule.

A crew from MBC television in Korea interviewed Lauren Mullineaux, Susan Humphris
and Dave Gallo for a program on deep sea exploration and hydrothermal vents scheduled
to air in late May. A crew from “Thalassa: The Magazine of the Sea” on France3, that
nation’s public broadcasting channel, interviewed John Toole, Terry Joyce and Breck
Owens for a program on the Gulf Stream to air later this year.

Hosted visits/tours of the Institution for the new reporter from the Cape Cod Times
assigned to cover WHOI, Aaron Gouveia, and a visit/tour of Alvin and Atlantis for a
writer from WGBH writing a book on Alvin for Random House.

Articles/stories about other WHOI research projects appeared in such print and electronic
publications and broadcast programs as The Los Angeles Times, The Post & Courier
(Charleston, SC), CNN.com, Science News, Christian Science Monitor, Boston TV
stations WHDH, WCVB and WBZ, forbes.com, The Independent (Bangladesh), UPI,
International Herald Tribune, Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL), Minneapolis Star-Tribune
and Boston Business Journal. Cape Cod Life magazine featured Chris Reddy, Amy
Bower and Don Anderson in its annual people issue of the Cape’s finest 400 individuals.

Images and information were provided for a number of individuals and groups around the
Institution, including Chris Linder, Brendan Foley, Nobu Shimizu, Andrew Daly and
John Toole.
Coming in May: A History Channel film crew will visit WHOI May 4 to interview Lloyd
Keigwin, Ray Schmitt, Konrad Hughen and John Toole for a program on abrupt climate
change, part of a 12-part series called “Mega Disasters”.
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Web Group (Manager: Danielle Fino)
1) Image of the Day
a. Launch on external site, internal homepage media page, and as an RSS
feed in MyWHOI
b. Since launching on April 5 there have been over 1,250 visits to Image of
the Day page - http://www.whoi.edu/imageOfDay.do
2) Launch of new external staff directory
3) Launch of PO and MC&G department people pages. Plan to launch AOPE,
Biology, and G&G in May.
4) Launch of new OCCI topic pages
5) Development and launch of a new “What is an Ocean Observatory?” site which
includes general information about ocean observatories and why they are needed
6) Developed new system for flag on internal page so that it automatically is lowered
for four days when Media Relations publishes a new obituary.
7) MyWHOI
a. Continued work with Human Resources and MIS to develop and
application to store and create employee IDs
8) New pages/sites/content highlighted on WHOI.edu this month include:
a. Two Oceanus Magazine articles
b. Two press releases
c. Image of the Day
d. “What are Ocean Observatories” website
9) Work on 2005 Annual Report website. To be released in May.
10) Site Builder Lite help for Jim Broda, Jim Price, and Ellen Baily and updates made
to Buoy workshop site and NENIMF site
11) Conference call and preparation for on-site visit to Harvard Business School’s
technology and development department
12) Visit to Smithsonian to discuss their upcoming ocean web portal and WHOI’s role
in providing content for the portal
13) WHOI.edu redesign/site builder full/content management system (cms)
a. Preparing site builder administrator for user testing
b. Work on programming for dynamic navigation
c. Continued template development and definition of roles and groups
14) WebTrends – new reports and maintenance
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Graphics (Manager: Fritz Heide)
Publishing and Illustration
1. Launched revised Graphics web site
2. Printed and mounted maps for D. Gallo presentation for D. Merlicourtois
3. Posted 6 articles and updated global research map for Oceanus
4. Produced illustrations for A. Pleuddemann, H. Caswell, G. Terray and Oceanus
5. Nearly finished the Annual Report and Report to Donors
6. Produced posters for F. Bahr, A. Pleuddemann, and J. Stegeman
7. Updated DOEI and Geodynamics websites
8. Produced postcards for L. Reilly and K. Patterson
9. Produced 2 maps for a K Hughen proposal for A. Rogerson
10. Printed and laminated posters for MBL clients
11. Produced a Buoy Rider t-shirt design for T. White
12. Produced a 3D centerspread illustration for Oceansites brochure for B. Weller
13. Created a vehicle family tree history for Exhibit Center for K. Patterson
14. Prepared two Technical Reports
15. Prepared 1 business card order
Video, Animation, and Conference Support
1. Videotaped oral histories of Wylie Pogue, Joe Botda, and Tom Brian at USGS
2. Videotaped Oceans Alive lecture series for Sea Grant, and Alvin transfer to
Atlantis and the beaked whale strandings for Media Relations
3. Produced podcasts (W. Sellars,T. Shank); videotaped others for future podcasts
4. Provided various tape duplications and transfers for S. Dawicki
5. Provided video conference support for committee meetings, JCPO conference (J.
Pedloski,) a WHOI/Raytheon/Scripps conference (R. Detrick) and JP classes.
6. Provided A/V support for Oceans Alive lecture series, W. Delahunt Community
Meeting, Academic Programs Guest Lecture Series, and various thesis defenses
7. Edited and compressed various video clips for T. White and A. Nevala
8. Completed WHOI DVD project for the Chamber of Commerce
Photography
1. Ongoing event, lab and people shots: Alvin tests, Oceanus upload, French film
crew, L. Mullineaux and R. Campbell-Malone teaching classes, loaded in IMS
2. Photographed Bay Paul Center lab and MBL Marine Resources
3. Photographed the Center and various people for the MBL Ecosystems Center
4. Prepared photos for Image of the Day
5. Photographed equipment for the Ocean Instruments web site
6. Scanned and printed 24 core sample photos
Reproduction Highlights for the month:
a. 6 proposals
e. 1 envelope
i. 1 forms
m. 1 summary Report
b. 2 Theses
f. 1 letterhead
j. 1 postcard n. 7 Financial Statements
c. 2 memos
g. 2 notepads
k. 1 reprint
d. 3 Tech Reports h. 3 Brochures
l. 1 meeting minutes
Coming in May
Updated HROV animation
Printed Annual Report and Report to Donors
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April 2006: Information Office & Exhibit Center (Manager: Stephanie Murphy)
ACTIVITIES
MARCH 2006
APRIL 2006
Visitors to Exhibit Center
98
634
(Closed for season)
Group Visits to Exhibit Center
6
12
Gift Shop Sales
$3,555.35
$5,976.57
Exhibit Center Donations
$35
$427
Peanut Butter Club attendees
201
208
Peanut Butter Club donations
$276.75
$273
 PUBLIC INFORMATION
o Produced & distributed four issues weekly calendar
o Arranged tours for the Mass. Marine Educators conference.
o Information Requests – received 507 email requests for info.
o Conducted training session for 30 volunteers in prep for heavy visitor
season. Recruited 8 new volunteers to help as Exhibit Center greeters, gift
shop help, and Information Office assistants.
o Forty-seven requests from educators for “Discovery of Hydrothermal
Vents” CD
o Thirty-three requests from educators for “Oceanus” CD
o Sent Oceanus magazine promo email to 828 teacher contacts
o Seven requests for teacher packets
o W/T. Silva to create WHOI video for Falmouth Chamber of Commerce
o Installed an “About WHOI” kiosk in Information Office
 INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
o Headlines - produced & distributed four issues
o Presentation to IEG: recommendation to make the meeting quarterly;
provide group updates; presented changes to “all hands” email tools and
procedures.
o Met with GMPC for input on internal communication
o Conducted two “focus groups” on institutional core values
o Presentation to the AP Forum on internal communications
 EXHIBIT CENTER
o As a result of 2006 budget cuts, the EC was open only to school groups &
employees in April, with Kathy serving as staff. Because of the reduced
schedule, April sales were ~$1300 lower than last April. Donations were
also down from last year.
o Installed sperm whale “cast” in marine mammal area
o Display of student “dioramas” from Dive & Discover expedition
o Women’s Committee coffee in EC
Coming in May
o Exhibit Center open 6 days/week
o Support for Corp./Trustee meeting (Gift Shop)
o Busy month for school group visits to EC
o WHOI Buoy newsletter
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Editorial (Managing Editor: Lonny Lippsett)
• Oceanus: Vol. 45, No. 1 published in print
• Published 6 articles on www.oceanusmag.whoi.edu involving 21 WHOI scientists, students, or
staff: (Joyce, Fratantoni, Lund, Weller, Toole, Gallager, Girard, Lerner, Miller, McGillicuddy,
Buesseler, Jenkins, Davis, Ledwell, Yoerger, Bradley, Fornari, German, Walden, Tivey,
Tarantino.)
Reporting, writing, and graphic development for stories: (Karchner/Hahn, Ashjian, Gallager,
Kite-Powell, Tarantino/Alvin, Hammerschmidt, Sims, Cenedese, Foley/Singh.Camilli,
Polz/Gast, Polz/Lerzcak, Gast, Anderson/Keafer/McGillicuddy/Erdner, Buesseler, Valdes,
Stanton, Singh, Michel, Jakuba).
• Oceanus marketing:
-Researching new subscription/mailing/database/marketing operations to lower cost and increase
effectiveness
-Sent to ~600 college/university science chairs to send promotional complimentary copy
-Sent e-mail promo to send to Murphy’s list of ~800 science educators
• Freelancers: Interviewed and set up two freelancers to do editorial work, to cover for
Carlowicz now half time editing for the Web.
• Annual Report: final 2 Dept. features completed (Singh, Peucker-Ehrenbrink
• News releases: Anderson/HABs (Carlowicz, Dawicki); Ashjian/Walrus pups (Madin,
Dawicki)
• Editorial help developing climate panel for May Trustees meeting
• Editorial help with Fornari Congressional testimony on Ocean Exploration bill
• Preliminary work on OCCI Oceanus
Coming in May
• Work on Vo. 45, No.2 and OCCI Oceanus
• Oceanus marketing poster for EC
• Editorial help with poster for WHOI Arctic research
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Metric
December
January
February
March
April
32,467 (-10%)
28,969 (-11%)
24,623 (-15%)
28,209
26,512 (-4.3%)
Visits Average/day*
2,299 (-15%)
2,517 (+10%)
2,093 (-17%)
2,264
2,559 (+13%)
Visited more than once
654 (+23)
713 (+59)
769 (+56)
801 (+32)
864 (+63)
Total Online subscribers**
*Visits include visitors and search engine robots
** (54% from .com/.net; 20% .edu; 15% international; .06% .org; .02% .gov, .01% .mil)
Of interest: United Nations, NOAA, ONR, Boeing, EPA, NewScientist.com, IEEE, EOA Scientific Systems, NASW,
Scholastic, Petrobras, Exxon, and various aquariums subscribe
Top 4 referred sites: 56% direct (know us or emailed from friend), 18% Google, 9%
Referrals
WHOI.edu, .9% Whyville
Sample referrers: NOAA’s NMFS, Wikipedia, Google’s Scholar search,
Top 5 Pages: One of the Greatest Volcanic Shows on Earth, Photo Gallery, What Brings
the Food That Brings the Whales?, Dust Busters for the Oceans
Top 5 keyword phrases: Nafanua, big sharks, fish farming, squirts, arctic ocean food
web
Oceanus Visits: December 2005 - April 2006
35,000
32,467
28,969
30,000
28,209
26,512
24,623
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
December
January
February
March
April
Months
We dipped in traffic this month, which might be related to tune up of Webtrends, trying
to reduce artifacts that may have inflated the stats, or to further integration of Oceanus
content across WHOI.edu. Or audience saturation.
We booked a record increase in online subscribers (up 63 this month). We also made our
way into Google's Scholar engine, which is favored in academic communities. Danielle's
effort with Wikipedia is also paying off.
Another trend that is interesting is that the top articles went up in March. It seems that the
viewership is a month behind, but still fairly current.
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Image Management (IMS) (Melissa Lamont)
ImageSource holds over 108,000 images.
Jayne Doucette has been training to take over the administration of the database,
following my departure from WHOI at the end of May.
Metadata assistance this month from Brad Butman and Nancy Soderberg of USGS, Rob
Evans, Jed Goldstone, Amy Billings, Patrick Harrington, Julia Westwater and Marsha
Gomes, as wall as Kathy Elder and Mike Brennan.
Jayne and I have introduced ImageSource at the Geology & Geophysics Department
meeting, and the Woods Hole Information Technology group meeting.
Coming in May
Demonstrate the system for the PO Buoy Lunch and the AOP&E department.
Soft launch of beta internally, and then to the media list of editors and reporters.
Other (Jim Kent)
Met with Smithsonian Ocean Portal team and managers to further refine WHOI
involvement in the project, and collaborations with Scripps and MBARI.
Discovery Channel nondisclosure agreement on HROV documentary passed legal review
and is with Andy Bowen for signature. Filming expected to start in May.
Presented communications plans to accreditation examiner (Bruce Carmichael).
Met with Washington Post editorial page editor to pitch various op-ed ideas and other
story leads. Special interest in polar science angle.
Collaborating with Chris Linder and Paul Fontaine (Museum of Science, Boston)
submitted NSF- IPY proposal for outreach in 2007-2009 promoting science on polar
expeditions by John Toole, Becky Gast, Sarah Das, Rob Reves-Sohn & Susan Humphris
(with Dive & Discover), called “Live from the Poles: A Multimedia Educational
Experience.” Collaborative plans with National Museum of Natural History, with MaryLouise Timmermans and Peter Winsor, and media outreach plans with Scholastic,
Washington Post and NPR Talk of the Nation-Science Friday.
Coming in May
Possible op-ed for observatory support, in collaboration with Google.
Further discussions on Smithsonian collaborations & means of sponsoring WHOI PI
time.
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