| |
Concentrate on
original work
|
|
Readers
are looking for information on your college, department, or
organization. The most valuable contribution you can make to your
readers is to publish original work. A collection of pointers to
the work of others is valuable service, but is not a substitute for
publishing your own documents and materials.
|
Take advantage of the
work of others
|
|
Cooperation and coordination are two prevailing principles among
Web publishers on this campus and throughout the world. Rather than
duplicating the work of others, take advantage of it. Incorporate
links to the work of others into your own pages, when appropriate.
Reducing redundancy lets you concentrate on original offerings.
|
Proof and Review
Content
|
|
Information on all KSU World Wide Web Pages must be kept accurate
and conform to editorial standards including spelling, grammar,
style, etc. Any use of copyrighted material must have the express
written permission of the person or organization that owns the
copyright. This includes copy, photos, and images. When using
photos and images, you may need the permission of not only the
person or organization who owns the photo, but also, from any
individuals or persons included in the images. The University
reserves the right to require proof of such written permission and
to remove the material if that proof cannot be produced.
|
Preview your pages
|
|
Before you
put your pages up for the world to see, take a look at them locally
in your browser. This way you can make sure your pages look as you
expect them to.
|
Design pages with
browser compatibility
|
|
Test test test! Test across all major
browsers including Netscape, Explorer, and Lynx (a text based
browser used by the visually impaired).
|
Design pages for
accessibility
|
|
Responsible web design includes making pages accessible even to
users with disabilities such as hearing or sight impairments. When
designing pages for accessibility, there is a greater reliance on
the structure and text within the document. Content in graphics may
be completely lost. Therefore, do not create pages with
graphic-only content or graphic-only navigation. All graphics must
have alt tags. All graphic navigation bars and buttons must have
text alternatives on the page. Avoid creating a second set of
text-based pages. Instead, integrate graphics and text on the same
page.
Be sure to check out creating
Accessible Web Pages in the
Tips & Methods section.
|
Keep pages up to date
|
|
Web
publishing is not a one-time task. In many ways you'll find
updating your web pages easier than updating paper. Keeping a site
up to date depends on how easy it is to maintain. A web site that
is not designed with maintenance in mind quickly becomes obsolete.
Unmanageable sites are invariably inaccurate, outdated, and
unusable, reflecting the same on your college, department, or
organization. Each unit which creates a home page must assign a
faculty or staff member to update its page as appropriate.
|
Keep navigation simple
and design elements consistent
|
|
Complex
designs will confuse end users. You want them to concentrate on the
content rather than trying to figure out how to maneuver through
your web site. So keep navigation simple. In addition, keep colors,
typography, logos, and all other design elements consistent across
your web site. All colleges, departments, and service units are
required to include the official university logo on their home page.
To download the university logo, go to
University Logos. Student organizations are not required to use
the university logo on their web pages.
|
Optimize images for
the web
|
|
Use an
image manipulating package like Adobe Photoshop to optimize images
for fast download times.
|
Do not use gratuitous
graphics
|
|
Use
graphics to compliment and reinforce the concepts in text. Do not
overuse graphics. Blinking text and other decorations are only
distractions that get in the reader's way. Background colors and
textures are strongly discouraged because of additional download
time. If you cannot avoid backgrounds, think very carefully about
the colors and textures you choose and the effects of those colors
and textures on the readability of the text. More information about
colors and images can be found in the
Browser-Safe Colors page
in the Tips & Methods section.
|
Provide contact
information
|
|
Official
Home Pages must have a readily-apparent e-mail address of the
web author or other person responsible for placing information
on the web.
|
Always provide a link
back to home
|
|
Official
Home Pages must have at least one link back to the Kennesaw
State University Home Page.
|
Announce new pages
|
|
After your
site is approved and published, promote your newly created web site
by announcing it to your target audiences. KSU Web Authors may
announce major new pages by e-mailing the Web Authors' listserv.
Additionally, with the exception of student organizations, KSU Web
Authors may wish to send out a campus-wide e-mail message to the
faculty and staff. Do not announce test sites, sites under
construction, and pages that are not hosted on a KSU web server. |
