Site Maintenance Tips

Tips

Maintaining section 508 compliance

• Check for compliance regularly: you can install and run HiSoftware's ACCVerify (from DCIT's page). Also, I would suggest going into your browser settings and disabling all features (including images). You should still be able to navigate and understand the website.
  
  
• Avoid converting powerpoint presentations to web pages: these converted web pages are not automatically compliant because of two problems:
  1. Each slide is converted to an image. All images must have attached text (through alt tags) relaying the information provided by the image. So you need to have an alt tag restating everything in the image. (Powerpoint doesn't do that for you.)
  2. Powerpoint presentations converted to web pages currently rely on Javascript. However, section 508 requires the pages to work without the scripting.
  
  
  
• Avoid converting a word document to a web page: Word tends to depend on some advanced features as well. If you do use Word, run HiSoftware's ACCVerify to confirm that the converted page is compliant.
  
  
• Avoid blink tags and quick animations.
  
  
• Don't use color coding to convey information: color blind may not be able to tell. e.g. You can't differentiate between good and bad gardening tips by putting good in green and bad in red. Or if you do, you must have some other way of relying the information.
  
  
• Use relative text sizes: text can't be a fixed size (14 pt, 18 pt). You need to use relative sizes (small, medium, large).
  
  
• Pages must be usable without style sheets.
  
  
• Audio and animation information must be available in text form.



Maintaining organization

• Group files by type: if you have related files that are the same type (images, movies, pdfs), consider making a folder for them, named appropriately.
  
  
• Group related files: if you have more than three web pages that are related, consider making a new folder named for the topic.
  
  
• Make an index page for each folder: It is a good idea for every web folder to have the main page named index.php. This prevents visitors from viewing the file list for the folder and helps provide clearer naviatigation. Links to that directory will default to index.php.
  
  
• Name clearly: Long names are better than vague names. You are not charged per character for names. Organization is easier when everyone knows what each file/folder is for. (e.g. SCHDCI is not as clear as SC_hort_dept_contact_info)
  
  
• Use site solely for departmental information: yse your own personal web space for information that is yours to update or track. (e.g. Your personal web site, class handouts, etc.) All faculty, staff, and students have web space. This helps with clean up when people leave. (When a person leaves, his webspace is removed.)
  
  
• Use site solely for web content: store in the web folder only the files to be displayed on the web. WWW isn't a storage bin.
  
  
• Clean out old files: if a file is not used or linked to on the web, move it to the "old" folder. Once it's been there for a while, see if you can delete it altogether.