The new Pitt-Johnstown website’s summer release came as a mixed blessing. The website deserves praise, but there is still work to do.

With the Internet’s significance in college students’ lives, a professional and appealing website is vital for a university’s success.

Few would argue the previous website was a point of pride for the university with its sometimes-confusing navigation and egregiously outdated information.

The new website is certainly more aesthetically pleasing with its clean borders, plentiful photographs and embedded videos. It also uses color that are soft on the eyes, like blue hues and a muted gold.

The website also seems to be practical, with useful information and a straightforward navigation setup.

There are even links at the website’s base for site locations students would likely use.

Of course, some may find the website initially difficult to navigate, but this is to be expected with any major website update.

Perhaps it could have been avoided with classes on the new website, but it is to be hoped that users will figure out the navigation by themselves given time.

Easy to find on the site’s home page is a link to a page for applying to the university.

Also near the home page’s top are three photographs accompanying Pitt-Johnstown’s achievements and statistics.

Under that, a changing graphic sifts through the university’s various selling points.

The website is obviously targeted at recruitment. This is good news, because many prospective students look to a school’s website for information, and a website can make an important impression.

But the university’s website is expected to be more than a recruiting tool. It is also supposed to be a tool for students, staff and faculty to find and post information.

There are additional practical websites such as My Pitt and Campus Services, but the main university website still plays an important role.

The website’s creators had to find a balance between these roles, and it is yet to be seen whether they succeeded.

It is hoped that current users and prospective students will get what they want from the site.

At least temporarily, this is unlikely. Some site aspects still do not function properly, and not everything is up to date.

Some site locations will not open in some browsers, and there are gaps in student organization information and the faculty and staff directory.

It was probably wise not to delay the website’s release, but the kinks need to be worked out and information updated quickly.

Once this is finished, the website’s creators can be proud of a job well done.