The first impression is that the website is rather bland, uninspiring and off the mark. The home page is plain white with a top-left logo and a narrow strip providing the necessary Cambridge sky blue accent. The page's menus are organized in two categories: "information about" and "information for," which is confusing in spite of its logic. After many years of Internet surfing, users have been conditioned to look for "products" on the left, and "departments" on the top. More creative alternatives can add to a site if the usability remains high, which is not the case for cam.ac.uk.

Similarly puzzling, the Job Opportunities page rotates a series of photos as visitors return, but the dozen pages in the University & its Departments section all display the same picture depicting a couple of professors in deep red robes. Again, Cambridge selected to show its back rather than a more socially engaging side.

The lack of attention to detail also contributes to a poor image overall. Why is “its” in the title University and its Departments lower case? Why is “Fundraising” in the heading Alumni & Fundraising or “Undergraduates” in New Undergraduates capitalized while “applicants” in Graduate applicants not? We’re not just being picky here; one expects better and more consistent style usage from a university website.

The problem is that the site's branding is simply ill managed. But what’s worse is that the site could fit almost any university of almost any small town. With its history, faculty and college tradition, Cambridge is not any university. It belongs to a distinctive league, and should aspire to higher standards than this website connotes.

For the University of Cambridge, it is commendable to accumulate awards and Nobel Prizes, which can be found in reference to on this website. But in an era of short attention span, few will overcome bad form to reach the substance. This web presence is no beacon.