Working with the World Wide Web

Policies and Philosophy

Fort Hays State University Web publishers are responsible for the content of the pages they publish and are expected to abide by the highest standards of quality and responsibility. These responsibilities apply to all publishers – whether colleges, departments, student organizations or individuals. Each document on the FHSU Web site is considered part of the university’s public presentation. Each page linked to the FHSU page must contain accurate information, follow a clear and cohesive style, be handicap accessible, and reflect positively on the university.

Web page publishers are required to comply with all university policies and rules and with state and federal laws concerning appropriate use of computers. Consideration must be given to the following when constructing Web pages:

• Web resources should support the mission of the university.
• Resources should be evaluated for authority and accuracy.
• Restricted and/or copyrighted resources should be identified and secured.
• All accessibility guidelines must be followed. See http://www.fhsu.edu/accessibility/.
• Control and maintenance of Web page content is the responsibility of the page creator/designated maintainer.

General Guidelines

When creating pages, focus on the needs of your viewers in both design and content considerations. Determine if the information being presented is for internal viewers (and further, if it is for staff/faculty, students, or both) or external viewers. Depending on the audience, the pages may require different information, priorities and presentation.

The content of pages is the responsibility of the page maintainer. When designing a page, the following items should be considered:
• Each link should be descriptive (unlike: Click Here).
• Graphics and illustrations should follow university identity standards and policies and have alt tags.
• It is helpful to identify file size on downloadable files in kilobytes (e.g., 3K).
• Web page creators are strongly encouraged to label university-owned images and resources.
• Navigational tools (e.g., table of contents and anchors) are helpful when a page gets lengthy.

College, Administrative, Departmental and Office Sites

Since the FHSU Web site was redesigned in 2002, all college, administrative, departmental and office sites must use the template provided. There is much to be said about having a consistent look throughout a university Web site, and we have had very positive responses from our various audiences regarding our new look and navigational system. Our viewers have commented that they always know if they are on the FHSU site as they go from page to page.

The header and footer are not to be changed; however, each unit should add its own contact information. This can be done as a link on the navigation bar at the left or as text at the bottom of each page. Also, each unit should be sure to include its name at the top of every page on its site.

A style sheet was provided with type specifications and background colors. Again, these are not to be changed. They provide much flexibility as far as size of type and use of bold and italicized type. The style we chose is very clean and readable on any browser or platform. This adds to the consistency throughout the site. It also ensures that viewers can see your pages correctly as the Web only supports a select group of fonts.

Individual Web Pages

Faculty members are encouraged to create individual Web pages in order to provide students with course information, syllabi and some biographical information. These pages should include the full name of the university and should link back to the departmental page and/or to other FHSU pages. Faculty members do not have to use the FHSU template, but may if they wish.

Individuals who use FHSU computers to house their pages, or who use an “fhsu.edu” address for their pages, or if the contents of their pages will cause them to be associated with FHSU, need to be aware of the Acceptable Use of Computing Resources policy of the university. The main concerns about these pages include the use of state/university equipment for purposes other than those for which they are intended, and the use of “fhsu.edu” (sort of an “electronic letterhead”) which would cause an individual’s actions to be inappropriately associated with the university.

If, however, an individual uses an address from another information provider and his or her own computer to house the links/materials without any direct reference to the university, the university would probably have no grounds to interfere.

Most importantly, though, and legalities aside, individuals need to think very carefully about their Web pages. The net offers unprecedented power for people to display and market themselves to the world instantaneously – not only to strangers, but to friends, family, prospective employers, virtually everyone. First impressions are hard to overcome and individuals may wish to think twice about the personal risks versus the benefits associated with how they present themselves to the world through their site. Once done, it can’t really be taken back. “You never have a second chance to make a first impression” rings especially true for the Internet.

The Web has created a powerful new opportunity for personal expression, and that is especially positive in the university setting where the free exchange of ideas is so highly valued. On the other hand, remember to keep a professional look while personalizing your pages.

Use of Identity Marks on the Web

University names, the logo and other university identity marks are reserved for official university use only. Personal Web pages may not display the logo, the university seal or other university identity marks. Personal pages should not lead Web readers to believe that they are official university Web pages. In the case of student organizations or affiliated faculty/staff organizations, some exceptions may be made. Contact the FHSU webmaster for prior approval. For approval to use any other university identity marks, contact the Office of University Relations.

Accessibility

Most of you have heard about the accessibility rules for government Web sites, including educational institutions, that were established in 2000 by the federal government and adopted by the state of Kansas. Basically, what they mean is that all Web sites should be device independent. In other words, you should not need to use a mouse; you should be able to pull up a given page on a PDA or a cell phone. Also, people should be able to go through a particular page from link to link using the tab key rather than having to click the mouse. One of the main groups to which the accessibility guidelines apply is the visually impaired. If they have to use a screen reader, it is imperative that you have designed the site with usability in mind. This is another reason why it is important to give your links meaningful names, as mentioned above.We have a Web site that includes accessibility guidelines and links to methods for testing your pages – http://www.fhsu.edu/accessibility/. It contains links to state and federal information sites.

Advertising on the Web

Advertising policy is determined on the state level. For information about advertising on the Web visit http://www.fhsu.edu/univrel/web.shtml.