Opera Campus Crew Blog

Are YOU ready for your first (or next) challenge on the Opera Campus Crew? Hell, YEAH!

Many of you listed getting Opera installed on your campus as a key motivation (and indeed passion!) in joining the Opera Campus Crew. And here’s your 6-step guide to making it happen!

Remember that the browser features auto-update - which will be a very convenient feature for computer lab managers, and one that has long been a request!

How to

Step 1 – Know Your Lab

Find out more about the availability of Opera and alternative browsers at your campus, by visiting the computer labs or asking friends about the labs they use. Is Opera already installed on computers at your campus? Is it available on all computers, or just in particular labs or areas? If it is available, is it an older version that needs to be upgraded?

Step 2 – Know Your Stuff

Check out Opera in your computer lab for information about the features and benefits of the Opera desktop browser that are important for computer labs – such as security, capacity and customization. It also has information about Opera Connected Campus, which provides a seamless browsing experience via Opera desktop, Opera on mobile, and Opera Link. There are also links to a system administrator handbook, as well as support and documentation pages.

Step 3 – Make Contact

Speak to your IT help desk or computer lab assistant to find out how to get in touch with the central system administrator or lab manager. There might be one administrator for the entire campus or a different person handling each lab. Make contact with these administrators: you may wish to start by emailing them and following up with a phone call and/or meeting, or simply visit them straight away.

If the labs simply need to update Opera, let them know that new versions have been released and have new features, improved security, greater speed and better rendering. (See the changelogs.) If the labs do not currently have Opera, say that you would like to request the Opera browser in computer labs. You can highlight the importance of offering users choice, explain the features, address security and rendering, and introduce Opera Connected Campus. Show them the system administrator handbook, and be ready to demonstrate Opera for them!

If they agree with your request, fantastic! Skip ahead to Step 5. If they don’t agree with your request, don’t despair! Find out the reasons why they are not interested and address their concerns. Maybe they just have questions they want answered, or perhaps they have an incorrect perception of something. (There are still a lot of lab managers who do not realise that Opera is now free of charge.) Alternatively, some computer labs will only install new software at the request of staff, or after many students ask for it. If this is the case, proceed to Step 4...

Step 4 – Get Support

If the system administrator requires a request from a staff member before they can install new software, start by speaking to IT, computer science and multimedia professors at your campus - as they are most likely to be familiar with Opera or the importance of alternative browsers. Ask the professors to email or speak to the computer lab administrator to request Opera.

If a request from a large number of students is required, download the petitions from Opera Education, or translate it into your local language. The best places to collect signatures for the petition might be computer labs, and buildings frequented by IT, computer science and multimedia students. You can encourage your friends to sign the petition, or ask a professor if you can pass it around during a class. When you have a sufficient number of signatures, present the petition to the computer lab and ideally they will now approve your request. Well done!

Step 5 – Follow Up

If the Opera browser has not been upgraded or installed 1-2 weeks after you receive approval from the computer lab, contact the system administrator again. Perhaps they encountered some difficulty with the installation that you can help them with or let us know about.

Even after Opera has been upgraded or installed, let the administrator know that if they receive any questions from users you are available to help and can ask advice directly from Opera Software.

Step 6 - Promote

It’s not over yet! Once you’ve installed Opera you need to let students and staff know that it’s there, so they actually start using it . The radio, newspaper or magazine at your campus might be interested in hearing from you. You have two newsworthy elements to your story: your labs recently installed Opera, and their campus now has a representative working toward providing choice in the Web and promoting Web standards! Check out the Get Started Guide for information about how to approach the media.

If they are not interested in your story idea, never fear! We have the following promotional resources to help you spread the news:

• Posters for the computer lab, with “Opera Web browser now available in this computer lab” or "Opera Web browser coming soon to this computer lab"

• Posters about the Opera desktop browser and the new features in Opera 10

• Flyers for the computer lab about Opera Connected Campus (work in progress)

You can also arrange a Demo Day (here's how!), at which you demonstrate how to use the Opera browser and help people install it on their own computers and phones. You might be able to set up a booth in the computer lab, as you are providing a service to the system administrator by educating lab users about new software there (as it means the administrator will have to deal with fewer questions later).

And Finally...

Let the Opera Campus Crew know about it!

• Blog: Post about your success. Let us know which labs installed Opera, how many computers it was installed to, and any support you received from students and staff in making it happen. You can also share photos or links to media coverage.

• Forum: If you encounter difficulties or questions in working on the Computer Lab Challenge, share them on the Computer Lab Challenge forum. You can hear from the successes and learning points of others in the Crew, and have frequently asked questions answered by Opera staff.

Have fun, and good luck!

If Opera Is Already Installed

If you're thinking, "Well, my work is done: my university already has Opera!", you can start by checking if Opera is installed across your entire university, and whether it is the latest version. If it is indeed installed everywhere, you can puruse these other activities from the Get Started Guide:

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• Start spreading the word about the Web Standards Curriculum to professors

• Take a look at your campus website to see how it functions in Opera