Campus is now open to the public for viewing.
Since June 25, the Office of Communications and Marketing has been operating various Web cameras around campus for the public to view.
Mike Clardy, manager of News and Web Services in the OCM, oversees the Web cam project.
He said some of the cameras have been in place for more than 10 years.
“We have expanded our project because of the huge popularity of Web cameras today,” Clardy said.
At www.ocm.auburn.edu/webcams, 10 cameras provide live feeds to viewers.
The cameras show images of popular sites on campus, like Samford Hall, Jordan-Hare Stadium and Toomer’s Corner.
The Web cams are separate from the security cameras operated by the Department of Public Safety and Security.
Clardy said the feeds are not recorded and are strictly used as a marketing technique.
He said the project has gotten a big response because of its recent relaunch.
It has gotten 154,000 total hits, averaging at least 12,000 hits on home football game days.
Clardy said the cameras have been an integral part of campus.
They have been used by the OCM for both recruiting future students and creating nostalgia among alumni.
“The live views allow alumni to see how beautiful campus remains today, and they remember the good times they had here,” Clardy said.
“We’re also catering to prospective students who may not have made a campus visit yet. They’re able to get a glimpse of how green the campus is, and hopefully we can entice them into coming to town or wanting to find out more about Auburn.”
However, some students seem to feel differently about the cameras, saying the site shouldn’t be open to the public.
“I think (the Web site) should be not as easy to get to,” said Ashley Byers, a freshman in chemical engineering. “It should be just for alumni or just for students, if that’s the case.”
Stephen Howle, a freshman in science and math, said he does not see the cameras as a successful recruiting tool.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily a good or bad idea, but I don’t think it will help recruit students,” Howle said.
Three Web cams were previously featured on the OCM Web site, but became inoperative because of weather conditions.
The new cameras were designed with the weather in mind.
They feature the most up-to-date technology.
Seven of the 10 cameras are operated by multimedia specialist Matt Laney, and other campus sources monitor the others.
“Our Web site also includes views from other cameras managed by other campus units and links to the city of Auburn cameras,” Clardy said.
The OCM has partnered with the city to cross-link their cameras on each other’s Web sites.
Clardy also said the OCM has several more camera views planned to add to the site.
He said the cameras have given students and their families unexpected benefits.
One of his favorite stories involves a student who hadn’t seen her parent for months because they were stationed overseas in Afghanistan.
When she told her parent to log in at a specific time, she was holding up a sign that said “Happy Birthday! I love you! Come home soon!”
“It’s very rewarding to be a part of something like that,” Clardy said.
