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Guidelines for Content on the UNE web

 

Summary

Content providers should read the UNEweb Policy and “Using non-discriminatory language”

Content providers and web publishers should follow special instructions if the pages they are editing are School, Faculty, Subject Area or New and Amended Courses pages.

 

Content on the UNE web takes a number of forms, such as text, documents, metadata and images. Writers for the UNEweb will need to supply content the content that will become web pages. They will supply this information to the web publisher (nominated by their Head of School or by the director of their administrative unit) who will enter this information into the UNEweb Content Management System (CMS).

Content writers should read the UNE Web Policy (http://www.une.edu.au/policies/pdf/web.pdf ) and the fact sheet, “Using non-discriminatory language” (http://www.une.edu.au/tlc/aso/students/factsheets/non-discriminatory.pdf ).

 

Contents

Content for Specific Types of Pages

Some specific areas of the web will have particular information that will need to be part of the content of the page (eg Faculty, School, Subject Area, and New and Amended Courses). In 2007 the Web Working Group (WWG) determined what content and navigation are appropriate for each of these special page types. 

You can download word document templates outlining the types of content for the various new pages.

Writing Content for the Web

Usability experts and others have been studying how people read web pages since the 1990's. This research has resulted in several important tips for writing for the web.

  • Write to meet the needs of your audience – what information are they looking for?
  • Write for 'scannability' - Studies show that nearly 80% of web users scan pages for headings, sentences and phrases to find the information they need. They do not read word for word.
  • Write succinctly - The word count of web pages should be 50% of the paper equivalent.
    • Write short sentences (no more than about 20 words)
    • Write short paragraphs (no more than 6 sentences)
    • Put the topic phrase or clause at the start of every paragraph
  • Use meaningful subheadings not clever ones, make them specific, they are summaries of what is to come
  • Use meaningful words for links – never use 'Click here'.
  • Never use 'Under Construction' as a place holder for content - if content is not yet ready for publication:
    • list the type of content that is not yet available, and
    • give users a way to get some information about it (ie contact email, interim policy, etc).
    • rethink the need for having the page at all - publish the page only when the content is ready.

Style

  • Be as clear as you can, making action sequences especially clear
  • Use verbs in the active voice
  • Avoid jargon
  • Language should be neutral and objective, leave out hyperbole

Structure

  • Start your page with a summary of what is to follow - use your keywords
  • Use the inverted pyramid structure (like newspaper articles) – start with the conclusion, move to the explanation and follow with any essential details. This means your audience will see the important information without having to scroll.
  • use bulleted lists, they break up blocks of text 3-5 bullets are ideal; if you have too many, try combining them. readers must be able to scan

Other Things to Think About

Links

  • Is there any information within the UNE web site that you can link to that would help visitors to your webpage (such as accommodation or maps)?
  • Is there any other information on the World Wide Web that you can link to that would help visitors to your webpage (such as tourist information or maps)?
  • If you are linking to external sources, are they up-to-date? Are they appropriate?
  • Have you duplicated any information that is already on the UNE web site? Could you link to that instead?

Text

  • Have you checked for acronyms and that your audience understands what the terms mean?
  • Have you answered the questions that a visitor may have?
  • Have you given people a contact point or some thing to do next?
  • Do you know who within your Faculty or School will respond to emails?
  • Have you had someone proof-read your copy, and do they understand it?

Metadata

Background information about metadata and its importance can be found at http://www.une.edu.au/guidelines/metadata.php. Title metadata will appear in the Title Bar of the browser window. Content writers should supply the web publisher with the required metadata:

  • Title – Create a meaningful title for the page. 
    • It should not be more than 60 characters long. As search engines often truncate titles, the topic of the page should be described in the first 40 characters.
    • Each page should have a unique title
    • Titles are written in mixed case and can contain spaces
    • The first word should be the most important descriptor of the page (do not begin with "Welcome to …", articles (A, An or The) or other generic terms)
    • Titles should make sense when viewed out of context (such as in a list of search engine results)
  • Keywords – List the words people might use to search for and find this page.
    • Include all the important words in the page and all their common synonyms
    • Include generic terms that might identify the content of the page
    • Include the keywords UNE, University of New England, Armidale and Australia
    • If the content relates to a faculty, school, subject area or field of study, include those
    • If any of the keywords is known to be routinely misspelled, include the misspellings
  • Description – Supply a short summary of the page to the web publisher.
    • Descriptions should be no more than 150 characters long.
    • Descriptions tell the web user what the page is about and whether or not it is relevant to their needs
    • Descriptions should make sense when read out of context
    • Stick to the facts – no hyperbole
    • If the page has a special feature, for example an application form, include that in the description

Images

You may be required to or wish to have an image on the page that is appropriate for the content. Here are some guidelines that will help you choose these images:
Purpose and Target Audience

  • Who is the target audience? For example: school-leavers, mature age, academics, alumni, staff
  • What is the purpose of the web page copy? For example: recruitment, invitation, advertisement, information, instruction
  • Does the chosen photograph relate to both the target audience and the purpose of the page?

Age and Gender Balance, and Equity Issues

  • Does the photograph address age, gender and equity balance appropriate to the target demographic?
  • In most cases it would be inappropriate to use photographs that depict only one gender or another.
  • On a page with multiple photographs it would be appropriate to achieve a gender balance overall.
  • Where possible the use of photos that represent different ages, genders and equity groups are required and without particular emphasis on any particular group unless specifically appropriate to the content of the page.

University Image

  • Does the photograph show the University in the most favourable light?
  • Do the subjects look happy and engaged (appropriate to the context)?
  • Does the photograph depict attractive buildings, trees or landscape in accordance with the University’s image?
  • Photo quality – is the photograph appealing and professional in terms of focus, lighting and aspect?
  • Does the photograph display the most appealing and relevant perspective according to the content?

Copyright and Sign-off

 

  • Does UNE own the copyright to the photograph? Does it require acknowledgement to the source and/or does UNE have the appropriate permission from the subject/s of the photograph? 
  • Original graphics, logos and images (other than photographs) should comply with UNE’s brand approval process and are not dealt with here. Please contact Marketing and Public Affairs for further information

 

Technical Guidelines