Background and purpose of guidelines

Web pages offer a uniquely powerful medium for the creative and effective dissemination of information. Sometimes, however, the ease of publication and the multitude of content possibilities can lead to confusion for both Web page authors and readers. These guidelines have been created in an effort to help authors avoid potential pitfalls, while allowing space for creative design. The guidelines have grown out of a review of policies and standards in place at various institutions around the country including Colorado State University, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, and the University of Arizona. We offer these guidelines in order to provide encouragement and guidance in the creation of quality Web-based communications. 

Current DASNR web page guidelines
(Legal requirements and other crucial considerations)

1. Material appearing in Web pages should receive the same care in preparation and review as analogous printed materials. Units creating Web pages should establish or extend review procedures, including peer review when deemed proper, to cover Web-based information. 
2. Reviewers should ensure that spelling and grammar are correct and that page contents, including links, are appropriate, professional, and accurate. 
3. Text and especially graphics should reflect the gender and racial diversity of the OSU community. Equal opportunity statements should be included on or linked to pages where needed. 
4. Photographs of individuals should not be used without their permission. Photographs of children should only be used if the subjects cannot readily be identified by name, address, or specific location. Portrait-type photos of children should be used only with the permission of a parent or guardian. 
5. Links to commercial sites should exist to provide complete, accurate, and unbiased information and/or recognition of support, rather than to promote specific goods or services. Decisions to include or exclude specific sites should be fair and impartial, based on uniformly applied standards that reflect the mission of the Web page. Any such links should be accompanied by a disclaimer or a link to a disclaimer describing official policy regarding endorsements. 
6. Web pages should not violate intellectual property rights. Explicit permission should be obtained before using any copyrighted materials. When used, credit should be given to the owner or creator of the materials. 
7. Pages should be maintained in a timely manner. All links should work--broken links should be identified and fixed promptly. 

1. All top level (home) pages should use text or logos to identify the organization responsible for them. 
2. All top level (home) pages should contain a link to OSU and/or OAES, OCES, CASNR, DASNR as appropriate. 
3. Only "Web-approved" logos for OSU, CASNR, DASNR, OCES, and/or OAES should be used. 
4. An author and/or preparer name and an e-mail link should be included on all pages. 
5. All pages within a Web site should have a link to the site's home page. 
6. Pages containing time-sensitive information should include the date the page was created or revised. 
7. The title tag should be used to provide a concise, accurate page description. 
8. All image maps should provide a text-only alternative. 
9. URLs should be as intuitive as possible. Directory and file names should be kept short, abbreviations should be limited, and the use of lowercase letters only is preferred. Also, try to avoid the use of underscores or special characters. 
10. Once a Web page is posted, make sure that people can find it.  Always include keyword and description Meta Tags. This allows Web bots to find your page and list it appropriately.   Submit your URL to several search engines and contact the Division's Webmaster and request that appropriate links be added. 

1. Take care with graphics: 
• Limit the size of your graphics to speed download time. A good rule of thumb is to keep individual graphic files below 30K. 
• Use "alt" tags with graphics to provide a brief description of the picture. This text will tell users something about the image if they cannot see it. These tags are also used by search engines for page indexing. 
• Use image height and width tags with graphics to allow browsers to load and format text while waiting for larger images to download. 
• Be aware that some browsers may alter the palette used to display an image. Try to use a "Web-safe" color palette. Keep in mind that what appears as "OSU orange" on your computer monitor may appear red or brown on someone else's. 
2. Give your readers an opportunity to give feedback: 
• A "mailto" link to the author is an easy way to give viewers a chance to respond. 
• Think about providing a suggestion box for readers to use. 
3. Try to keep pages as short as possible to minimize scrolling. Links to subpages and other information should be placed near the top of the page so that users do not have to scroll down to find them. 
4. Be careful with backgrounds: 
• Colors may change on other systems rendering text hard to read. 
• Using dark colored backgrounds with light colored text may interfere with printing. 
• Certain color combinations may make text difficult for readers to see. 
5. Provide text-only alternative pages for critical information. 
• Vision-impaired and other clients may need or choose to use a text-only browser to access your site. 
6. Try to support a reasonable base of browsers. 
• As a practical matter, this may be defined as Internet Explorer version 3+ and Netscape Communicator/Navigator version 2+. 
7. Design pages to fit various screen resolutions. 
• Be aware that backgrounds will repeat if the screen size exceeds the width of the background image. 
• Graphics containing text may be distorted when viewed at a resolution different than the one for which they were designed. Using image height and width tags will minimize or avoid this pitfall. 
8. Give users links to needed support. 
• For example, provide links to download any plug-ins that your page requires. 
9. Use plug-ins only when needed. 
• If the information appearing on your Web page requires the use of a plug-in or helper application, include a link to the site where the necessary software can be downloaded. 
• If the benefit of a specific plug-in is not compelling and obvious, your visitors may simply decide your site is not worth the effort. 
10. Counters can backfire. 
• Counters may be good advertisements for pages with many visitors. Otherwise, they are either of limited use or an embarrassment. 
• Access logs are a much better way to monitor traffic, if that is your goal. 
11. Use browser-specific features with caution. 
• Browser-specific HTML tags or other tricks will annoy those readers who do not share your particular browser preference. 
12. Frames can easily cause problems if created incorrectly. 
• Frames are best used with great care, if at all. 
• Frames can be useful for certain presentations such as indexes or tables of contents. However, improper use of frames will frustrate users and confound search engines. 
• Be sure to consult a good tutorial if in doubt. 
• If frames are used, an "escape" button link to a no-frames version of the page should be provided. 
13. Blinking text, marquees, or animation may easily be overdone. 
• Motion on a page draws the eye to it. This may be useful if the lively item helps to convey information or serves a purpose. 
• Motion used strictly for entertainment may be fine, but a trick that amuses at first can quickly become a distraction or an annoyance. 
14. "Under Construction" banners will usually irritate visitors. 
• Keep in mind that if a page needs disclaimers about its functionality, it is probably not ready for public viewing. 
• Users expect, even demand, that pages continually grow and evolve. 
HTML Guides/Tutorials

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Questions or comments? contact tdh. 

Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
Oklahoma State University