Since I am not currently teaching (and I was unable to find the web publishing policy of my employer), I decided to look into the web publishing policy of the State of Tennessee website. This is a very informative website that has links to nearly all state departments, as well as links to local and federal government services. As stated on the website, “Here you will find the Governor's Web Publishing Policy for all Executive Branch agencies. The policy was designed to present state government as a seamless entity, help citizens find the information they need, and provide access for as many users and devices as possible.”
The Governor's Web Publishing Policy requires specific headers (which includes a skip navigation link, banner graphic, and horizontal navigation table), footers, and cascading style sheets. Visual examples of the header and footer are shown throughout the website, and the HTML code for the templates is provided. Even the background image for the horizontal navigation table is included (this shows how easy it must be to create a bogus “official looking” website).
According to this web publishing policy, NIC Inc. has a contract with the State of Tennessee to maintain the state’s official Web site (also known as the "portal"). State agencies and departments maintain their own main and secondary pages, and each agency or department’s web publisher (application developer) is responsible for the accuracy of content on those pages with the Governor’s Office reserving the right to review all web pages to ensure consistency. There are no guidelines given for attaining permission to create an “official” TN state webpage and no steps are given in terms of putting the files up and maintaining them on the state server (though I assume that this info is given to those who work for the state and have a need to know).
The web publishing policy itself is a 6 page PDF document intended for state web publishers, web application developers and communications officers. It covers the following areas:
- domain name - the only name approved for marketing the State of Tennessee is www.Tennessee.gov
- requirements for all pages - specific font styles, white background, proper header, footer, etc.
- site maps - for easy navigation, each page should have a site map or table of contents
- frames - use of frames must be approved by the Governor’s office (“Frames can be an obstacle to two major goals of the Web site: presenting government as a seamless entity and allowing users to easily locate information and services.”)
- portable document format - user should be notified that the link leads to an Adobe Acrobat PDF file
- accessibility - reasonable steps should be taken to develop Web sites that serve the largest possible audience (includes a list of standards, i.e. “A text equivalent for every non-text element shall be provided.”)
- links to the state website - while this cannot be controlled, a message should be given to those who request permission that “the page you link to may change without notice.”)
- links from state websites - links to web sites outside the state’s domain must meet certain criteria (i.e. “Link leads to additional information about government services.”)
- advertising - commercial advertisements are prohibited on state web pages
- forms - “Official forms are to be displayed on the Internet in the same format approved by records management officials”
- obsolete pages - web pages that are not current or not linked from the agency’s main web presence should be removed
They link to a page of definitions of terms such as FTP, HTTP & JAVA, and stress that new TN state webmasters become familiar with the difference between web publishing and web application development (though shouldn’t they already be familiar with these terms?)
A very important aspect in website design is accessibility. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Titles II and III requires entities to provide effective communication, regardless of the media used. A comprehensive checklist is provided so that all compliance requirements can be met. It includes standards such as text tags, multimedia & data tables, and each standard links to a separate page with more detailed info (such as requirement, reason, examples, and suggestions). I think this is a great way to make sure the webpage is ADA compliant and useful to people of all abilities.
Exploring an Organization's Web Publishing Policy
