Web Publishing Guidelines

These are general web publishing procedures for web content

(adapted from a presentation to web publishers/maintainers in 2011)

Web File Naming Convention

Format guidelines:
officename-sectionname-programname-docname-date.PDF

Example;
eq-ep-mostep-examiners-handbook-date.PDF

• Section Name Examples:
  • Effective Practices: ep
  • Compliance: com
• No spaces in file name
• Hyphens between parts
• Program name: You choose, but be consistent
• If dates used, consistently shorten (i.e. 012411 or Jan11 or 0111) Date not always needed

No # signs in file names

Do not place a # sign in your file name. Drupal will cut off your link path at the # and you'll receive a file not found

When To Use Dates in Filenames

Should I put a date in the file name?

Ask yourself this question:

1. Is the same file updated yearly or on some particular cycle? 
   1. If your answer is NO - add a date to the file name to make file distinct
      Examples: Admin Memos, Newsletters
   2. If your answer is YES - do not add a date to the file name
      Examples: Administrative Manuals, PDF forms with MO500 numbers
      EXCEPTIONS: if you need to have multiples years of a guide published at the same time
       

Why is this important to evaluate? If you begin publishing multiple versions of a file  incorporating different dates or numbers, you run the risk of the old versions staying on the server and still being located. There may be situations you don't want this to happen.

Where To Store Your Documents

Documents should be stored on the I drive (ed-dese-intranet/public). If you need access to this location as a web publisher/maintainer, contact Lainie.

Documents are organization in office folder (se, ccr, etc.) From there, they are typically then divided by '/documents, then /images, then abbreviated or unabbreviated versions of the section names.

When To Have Links Open in a New Window

Links should open in a new window if they are links to non-.gov sites. (even if they DESE content). When setting up link in Linkit window, expand Options section if it's not expanded already. Under target, select New Window (_blank) 

Archiving Information

The general rule for archiving information is two years plus the current year.

Examples include but are not limited to:

• Administrative Memos
• News Releases
• Newsletters
• Memos
• Meeting agendas/minutes
• Statistics
• Etc.

Reviewing and clearing out archived information older than two years plus current year keeps the site more accurate, clutter-free and improves search engine results!

Exceptions will include things such as webinars that are still relevant which are older than two years. Please talk to Communications if you have business reasons to keep information older than this rule.

Section Sidebar Navigations: How Many Maximum Links Should Programs/Sections Have?

To keep right sidebar navigations manageable and to improve usability, a program/section should keep topics to 12 links or less. I know in some cases, this can be difficult, but keeping it around this number will give you an opportunity to review and reorganize content if you find you are going over this amount.