Build a better blog with UVic's Online Academic Community

Looking to create a personal website? A blog to discuss your latest research? Maybe you want a place to show off photos of your cat? Thanks to the Online Academic Community (OAC), current University of Victoria employees and students can now create their own websites and blogs-all you need is a NetLink ID.

With more than 100 themes and plugins available, UVic faculty, staff and students can create, customize and manage their own sites-professional or personal-through a university-supported WordPress platform.

Unlike much of the rest of the internet, the OAC doesn't default to kitten-related content, but it does make it easy to showcase your portfolio, photos, research or hobbies-or to connect with peers, discover and comment on sites, and facilitate forums. Engagement depends entirely on the user.

OAC can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection, meaning you don't have to be on campus to view or manage websites. And, it's mobile friendly, so you can access sites from a tablet or smart phone.

If you're new to WordPress, online instructions for the creation and management of OAC websites are available at oac.uvic.ca/help. Drop-in help sessions are also provided, and you can email tilhelp@uvic.ca for information about workshops. Contact the Computer Help Desk if you're having problems accessing OAC with your NetLink ID and password.

Official faculty, department and unit websites are not eligible for OAC and should instead use the standard UVic template in the Cascade content management system.

Log in through oac.uvic.ca to get started.

Updated Jan. 21, 2015.