|
Helpful Resources
Contacts >>
Learning Opportunities >>
Tips >>
Accessibility >>
Other Resources >>
Contacts
For questions regarding the UAlbany Website Graphic Standards Manual or UAlbany web templates
please contact:
Fred Doyle
fdoyle@uamail.albany.edu
(518)442-3674
or
Hilary Knox
hknox@uamail.albany.edu
(518)437-5044
UAlbany's Creative Services department
offers graphic design services for publishing
to the web as well as printed publications. Contact
Fred Doyle at fdoyle@uamail.albany.edu or (518)442-3674.
Learning Opportunities
UAlbany offers classes specifically for creating
and maintaining web pages utilizing the UAlbany
web templates. In addition, classes are offered
for various web development tools in html,
Dreamweaver, FrontPage and Photoshop. These
classes are available to University members
free of charge.
It is strongly recommended that you sign
up for the ITS
Application Training in Web Design, Course I02: Creating and Maintaining your Departmental Web Page using UAlbany Compliant Templates.
Other Learning Opportunities:
Tips
Elements to be Customized
in the Web Templates
1. Update the html page title.
This is the title that displays in the browser
bar.
- In Dreamweaver (from the Modify menu) select
Page Properties and update the Title field.
- In FrontPage 2003 this can be done right
in the "save as" box (there is a
field above the file name) OR from the menu
in File, Properties.
2. Update the logo signature image to
the corresponding School, College or Non-Affiliated
Center (this does not apply to non-academic
departments using the Level 3 templates).
- School, Colleges, academic departments
and affiliated Centers should use the logo
for their School or College available in
the images/signatures directory.
- Non-affiliated Centers should contact Fred
Doyle in Creative Services to have the correct
logo image designed.
2a. Update the alt
tag on the logo signature image to
match the text of the signature.
2b. Link the logo
signature image to the home page
of the corresponding School, College or
Center.
3. Update the page title in
the content of the document where the default
text currently reads "Department Name" to
your department name or the title of the site.
This text should stay the same throughout the
site.
4. Update the contact e-mail address text
and link at the bottom of the page where the
default currently reads "geninfo@uamail.albany.edu" to
the correct contact for your department.
How to Organize your Web
Template
- Read the UAlbany Website Graphic Standards Manual – It is
important that you read all sections of
the manual before you begin implementing
the templates.
- Evaluate and plan your site – Consider
your department's goals and primary
audiences before creating or updating content
for your web pages. What kind of information
do you want to provide and how will visitors
expect to see it? Try planning and organizing
your site on paper or in a document prior
to implementing the web pages.
- Determine left navigation – After
your content has been organized, you can decide
on a navigation structure. Keep your viewer
in mind, and use clear terminology that corresponds
accurately with the content. Make sure the
left navigation buttons match the heading
at the top of the main content area so the
reader knows immediately that they have gone
to the right page. It may be useful to include
sub-navigation and/or blue separator buttons
on some pages to further organize the content.
In addition, include a link to your department's
home page on the top of the left navigation.
- Review content – Make
sure the content is up to date, and utilize
consistent language throughout the site.
Proof read all content for grammar and spelling. In
addition, clearly label downloadable files. If
there are links to file formats other than
to html pages, such as pdf, tif, or jpg images,
add the extension in parenthesis to the item.
For example, "Application Form (pdf)" would
be an appropriate label for a downloadable
file. This will inform the reader that they
will be downloading a file rather than linking
to a new page.
- Choose web template format – UAlbany
web templates are available in two-column
and three-column formats. You may use one
or both throughout your site as it is appropriate
to the content. The three-column format is
useful for additional navigation, icons and
for promoting news and events.
- Create graphics – To
customize and enhance your site you can include
graphics such as icons and photos. UAlbany
offers courses in PhotoShop to help create
and optimize images. All images including
graphical representations of text on UAlbany
web pages should have an associated text
alternative or html alt tag.
- Test your site – It
is important to test your site before uploading
it to the server. Be sure
to check how your web pages function and
look in a variety of browsers and platforms.
UAlbany web pages should run on at least
Netscape 6.1 or higher and Internet Explorer
6.0 or higher on PC and MAC and be AOL compatible.
Check to make sure that the style matches
the original template, that all links function
properly and that alt tags have been provided
for all images. Generally, pages should not
exceed 50k in total file size. In addition, web pages should be accessible to the disabled including the
visually impaired, meeting the Governor's requirements for all state agency
web pages (http://www.oft.state.ny.us/policy/99-3.htm) and must meet W3C
Level 1 accessibility standards as articulated at http://www.w3.org/tr/WCAG10/.
- Maintain your site – One
of the keys to a good website is maintenance.
Make sure your content is accurate and up
to date. Check your links periodically to
make sure they are still working and current.
Accessibility
Other Resources
|
