How We Update Content

Title

How We Update Content

MyWorldAbroad's staff members are committed to high research standards and are working constantly to populate the site with top-quality information.
RELATED INFORMATION: Our Product Description page contains a full list of our content and features (view). Our Content Updates page lists the MyWorldAbroad Update Log which is a month by month description of what is up-dated on the site (view).

MyWorldAbroad Teams

  • Writing & Editing Team: Our lead writer is Jean-Marc Hachey and our managing editor/writer is Claire Seringhaus, who has been with the MyWorldAbroad offices for over a decade. We regularly collaborate with subject matter experts when writing new articles and we welcome inquiries from content providers. Richard Berthelsen is also a regular contributor on a wide range of subjects, with special focus on the US and Canadian governments, as well as on trends in social media. Contact us to provide feedback or to inquire about submitting content to MyWorldAbroad.
  • Research Team: We have a small team of permanent part-time researchers, all of whom have international experience (Dez Lamanilao & Marie-Josée Blanchard). We also work closely with junior researchers (Natasha, Brett and Dylan) who provide data collection and coding support. We regularly hire short-term researchers who have international experience, solid writing skills, and who generally have a master's degree. George Ong is our Photoshop technician helping clients implement our Global Nudge Social Media Campaigns. 
  • Translator Team: We assist our clients in reaching out to French and Spanish speaking students and work closely with three translators to ensure consistent and high quality translations. Marie-Josée Blanchard and Christian Blanchard provide French translations, and Daniel Castellanos Spanish translations.
  • Web Team: MyWorldAbroad version 3.0 (2022) was designed by Diego Casco and built by Sukh Singh. MyWorldAbroad.com version 2.0 (2015) was designed by Ian Pham and built by Chris Caple with the assistance of five other Drupal developers (Alan Dixon, Cleaver Barnes, Colan Schwartz, Dave Sykes and Sebastian Galindo). We also work regularly with senior design consultants to help with big picture strategies. Additionally, we ask university students to audit all our major decisions, to stay connected to the student perspective. We also respond seriously to feedback from our client schools and welcome their suggestions.
  • Client Services Team: Click here to contact MyWorldAbroad's publisher as well as our sales and client service representatives.

How often is our information updated?

  • Content Update Log: For the benefit of our clients, we maintain a monthly log of all the updates to MyWorldAbroad, including content updates and new features. View.
  • Management Guides and Systems: Our processes are carefully managed and documented within detailed guides covering every aspect of our Web site. Management guides include: Style Guide (10 pages), Data Entry Guide (91 pages), Drupal-7 Standards (55 pages), ACT Data Entry Guide (15 pages), Office Processes Guides (example file naming procedures) and the all important Standardized Research Process & Control Tools Guidelines.
  • Articles and Quick Guides are permanent and updated as new ideas arrive. Major reviews of articles are undertaken in conjunction with resource list updates (see above).
  • Stories from Abroad: Student submissions are added year-round, as they are received. Please encourage your students to submit a story.
  • Social Media: We are committed to staying present on social media, maintaining active feeds throughout the year: MyWorldBlog: once a day, four days a week; Twitter: three to five days a week; Facebook: three to four times a week; and LinkedIn periodically.
  • ALL LINKS within the 4,000+ Resources and 300+ Articles are checked and up-dated annually (generally in February).
  • Resource Lists are updated every two or three years (see bullet points below). Each profile is reviewed in detail and extensive new research is undertaken.
    • Resource lists located in Getting Experience (view) and All Job Boards (view) are updated every two years.
    • Resource lists located in International Skills (view) and The Professions (view) are updated every three years.
    • Individual resources in all categories are added regularly and upon request.
    • We continuously monitor and perform broad searches for new resources.
    • We are transparent in our resource updates by posting the "last update" date in the Detail Resource View (see screen shot below).

Screen Shot: Last Update Date

How are our resources selected?

Presenting high-quality, up-to-date resources is a high priority at MyWorldAbroad. We conduct exhaustive research and update our collections on a rotating basis. We have a predetermined set of rules (outlined briefly below) for including resources; and our researchers take the time to analyze each organization, company, government site and resource link, critically assessing content, programs, pricing clarity and usability. The result is a collection of thousands of links, each of which has relevance to users. When uploading and auditing resources, MyWorldAbroad staff ensure the following:

  • that the Web site is professional, well-maintained, up-to-date and that site navigation is understandable
  • that fees and program requirements are transparent and clearly defined
  • that our description is factual (minimizing qualitative judgments, and including relevant information and tags)

We are especially vigilant when listing NGOs, volunteer and internship organizations. We research all North America-based NGOs and service organizations. If an organization is based abroad, we ensure that the organization:

  • has links to North America (US or Canadian office or representatives, links to US or Canadian schools)
  • targets North American clientele and makes it easy for North Americans to apply
  • is sizeable enough to be relevant for our large user population
  • is a multi-country operation
  • some exceptions to the above standards may be made if an organization fills a niche market for our users.

We are often asked if we audit the reputation of programs abroad. This is a challenge since programs change so quickly and assessments are often individual. We take the precautions above to establish the organization's credibility. We also encourage our users to think critically when accessing resources, conducting their own audits of programs and organizations. Instilling a critical mindset in students searching for programs and opportunities abroad is the ultimate strategy for a successful online program search. As such, we offer a number of excellent articles related to this subject (you must log in to access the links below):

Note also that we take reader comments seriously. If there is a complaint about a resource or organization listed in the guide, we will take it into consideration and look into deleting the listing. Likewise, if users have suggestions for reputable, cost-effective programs that we have not yet included, we are also open to suggestions.