Standards for Official UMaine Web SitesThe standards included in this document are intended to promote a consistent
interface for those accessing information about the University of Maine via the
World Wide Web. The
document is not meant to impede the creativity of University of Maine information
providers or address HTML authoring in detail.
Overview
The World Wide Web at the University of Maine has two primary goals. The first is to
present an informative and attractive site to prospective students. The second is to
provide accurate information to the campus community. Each document on the University of
Maine Web site is considered part of the university's public presentation, and therefore
should be edited with the same care and diligence one would apply to a printed
publication. Each page linked to the University of Maine's Web site must be
accessible, contain accurate
information, follow a clear and cohesive style, and be appropriate for the university.
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.
Requirements
Publishing on the Web should be taken as
seriously as publishing in print. Therefore, please follow the checklist below
when designing your Web site.
Web Site Accessibility
It is important to provide your information in a way that is accessible to
as wide an audience as possible. To assist you in attaining this goal, we
have developed guidelines and recommendations, and have provided
information and examples of what's
required for you to develop an accessible Web site.
These guidelines follow closely those proposed by the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C) in their Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), and the
standards the government has adopted for federal Web sites as Section 508 of
the Rehabilitation Act Amendments. Information on the W3C WAI
guidelines is available at: http://www.w3.org/WAI/.
The full text of 508, including comments and interpretations can be found at:
www.access-board.gov/508.htm.
We hope you will embrace these guidelines to help achieve improved Web
usability for everyone. UMaine
Web site Accessibility Information.
Include Contact Information (name, address, phone, e-mail)
Please provide a way for curious users to contact your department for
further information. Parents, students, and other interested individuals want ready access
to the human beings behind your Web site.
Revision Dates
If your pages are out-of-date, people will not trust the information on them. Revise
your pages regularly and, if you use revision dates on your pages, update the date information whenever you do make changes.
Current, Accurate Information
This goes with "revision dates" - please keep an eye on your information and
keep it current. Some data changes more frequently than others. If you do not have the
time to keep information on your site current, you may want to look at other methods of
providing that information. In these cases, it is doubly important that you indicate a
contact address for further information.
Use Official Graphics
We have a library of
official UMaine graphics for your use.
Please use them to indicate that your Web site is an official site of the University of
Maine. This will enhance continuity throughout the Web site.
University of Maine System Requirements
Each campus is required to use the words "A Member of the
University of Maine System" on all Web pages where the campus
identifies itself as the source, so please include the line on all of your pages.
Correct Usage of University Name
The official forms of the university's name are: The University of Maine and
UMaine.
Please do not use any other abbreviation or arrangement. UMO is an example of an
unacceptable abbreviation. Also, when referring to the University of
Maine simply as "the university," the word "university" should be lowercased.
Correct Spelling and Grammar
As with any publication, check for spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. If one is
pointed out to you, please fix it. Spelling errors hurt credibility almost as much as
inaccurate information.
Links to Official Pages and Site Navigation
From your department's "top-level" Web page, include a link to the
university's top page, located at www.umaine.edu. If
appropriate, make a link back to your college's home page, as well. On subsequent pages of
your department, include links to your department's top-level page. This enhances your users'
ability to get from one area to another on your site.
Descriptive Title Information
When a user "bookmarks" your site on their browser, the title information you
have placed in your <title></title> tags is what is used to describe your
site. Therefore, if you have no title, or a title that doesn't describe your site
accurately, users may delete your bookmark at a later date. Please, make your page titles
descriptive. Also, for your top level page, indicate that this is the "University of
Maine: Department of 'widgets'." This separates your Widgets Department from all the
other Widgets Departments out there on the Web.
UMaine Web Advertising/Sponsorship Policy:
The criteria for soliciting external funding in exchange for space on a
UMaine Web page is as follows: Only departments with an
existing
and approved advertising/sponsorship program may extend it to the Web.
Commercial banner advertising on UMaine authorized Web pages must not occupy
more space than 468 x 60 pixels total or be broken down into more than four
different ads per page.
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Definition of Advertising Related to the Web:
"Advertising" includes the use of a corporate symbol and/or
tagline or product graphic with a hyperlink to that entity.
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Definition of Sponsorship Related to the Web:
"Sponsorship" is defined as the use of the corporate symbol
with no hyperlink but with limited text that identifies the company or
entity as a sponsor.
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UMaine Advertising/Sponsorship Acceptance Policy:
Various University of Maine publications and projects are approved for
the solicitation of advertising and sponsorship support. The University of
Maine will not accept advertising for alcohol, tobacco or political
campaigns. Acceptance of all other advertising is left to the discretion
of the administration of the institution. Allow at least one week for
review.
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Policies and Guidelines
