WWW Style Guide for SDSU - Content

SDSU will have two types of pages, pages that consist of official business and other pages that are considered personal. Official pages will be expected to adhere to certain guidelines that have come about in various discussions.

Individual faculty, administrators, staff, and students may create home pages; these will be linked to the SDSU Home Page through a General Index located on the Rohan server. See the SDSU World Wide Web Policy and Guide to Making a Home Page on ROHAN for further details.

Click Here Syndrome:

For more information see The SDSU Style Guide

is preferred to:

for the SDSU Style Guide, click here.

Why: The eye quickly focuses on the highlighted text. If you highlight the actual document names, the user can quickly find the relevant link. Additionally, not all browsers (lynx) use a mouse driven interface, so the term "click" may not be meaningful. In general, it is best to avoid any explicit references that may be browser specific in the content of the pages. A good rule of thumb is to try to ensure that the WWW page is as meaningful on the printed page as it is on the video screen.

WWW Pages for Official SDSU Business:

• Departmental (Academic)
  
  • Academic Department Template
    
  • College Template
• Departmental (Non-Academic)
  
  • Non Academic Department Template
    
• Institute / Center / Program
• Auxiliary
  • Auxiliary Template
    
• SDSU General Information
  • Informational Template
    
• Course
  • Courses Template
    

WWW Pages for Official SDSU Business - Departmental/College (Academic)

• Be no larger than what would fit on a 640x480 screen
• Include either the SDSU Communications Mark or SDSU Signature in approved colors/styles (see Graphic Guide )

Additionally the following as text (not graphic) information should also appear preferably near the top of an Academic Department Page:

• Complete 'San Diego State University' text string
• 'Last Update' Date or 'Current Until' Date
• Department Name
• Name of Dean / Chairperson
• Campus Phone Number (with area code and prefix)
• Campus FAX Number (optional)
• Department E-Mail Address
• Office Location
• Office Hours
• Mailing Address with Campus Mail Code
• Either:
  • Link to Department Pages - if any (for College-Wide Pages)
  • Link to College Page - if any (for Departmental Pages)
• Link to SDSU Home Page (at bottom of page)

WWW Pages for Official SDSU Business - Departmental (Non-Academic)

• Be no larger than what would fit on a 640x480 screen
• Include either the SDSU Communications Mark or SDSU Signature in approved colors/styles (see Graphic Guide )

Additionally the following as text (not graphic) information should also appear preferably near the top of a Non-Academic Department Page:

• Complete 'San Diego State University' text string
• 'Last Update' Date or 'Current Until' Date
• Department Name
• Name of Department Head / Director
• Campus Phone Number (with area code and prefix)
• Campus FAX Number (optional)
• Office Hours
• Office Location
• Mailing Address with Campus Mail Code
• Divisional Affiliation (Student Affairs/Business Affairs, ...)
• Link to SDSU Home Page (at bottom of page)

WWW Pages for Official SDSU Business - Institute / Center / Program

• Be no larger than what would fit on a 640x480 screen
• Include either the SDSU Communications Mark or SDSU Signature in approved colors/styles (see Graphic Guide )

Additionally, the following as text (not graphic) information should also appear preferably near the top of an Institute / Center / Program Page:

• Complete 'San Diego State University' text string
• 'Last Update' Date or 'Current Until' Date
• Institute/Center Name
• Campus Phone Number (with area code and prefix)
• Campus FAX Number (optional)
• Office Hours (if any)
• Office Location
• Mailing Address
• Campus Mail Code
• Divisional/College Affiliation
• Name of Director of Institute / Center / Program
• Link to SDSU Home Page (at bottom of page)

WWW Pages for Official SDSU Business - Auxiliary

• Be no larger than what would fit on a 640x480 screen
• Include either the SDSU Communications Mark or SDSU Signature in approved colors/styles (see Graphic Guide )

Additionally the following as text (not graphic) information should also appear preferably near the top of an Auxiliary Page:

• Complete 'San Diego State University' text string
• 'Last Update' Date or 'Current Until' Date
• Auxiliary Name (SDSU Foundation, Aztec Shops, ...)
• Campus Phone Number (with area code and prefix)
• Campus FAX Number (optional)
• Operating Hours
• Auxiliary Location(s)
• Mailing Address
• Campus Mail Code
• Link to SDSU Home Page (at bottom of page)

WWW Pages for Official SDSU Business - Informational

• an SDSU Communications Mark in the upper left hand corner of the page
• a textual title for the contents of the page
• the string 'San Diego State University'
• the last update date or current as-of / until date
• a divider bar followed by image / text information

Sample template for Informational WWW page.

WWW Pages for Official SDSU Business - Course

• Be no larger than what would fit on a 640x480 screen
• Include either the SDSU Communications Mark or SDSU Signature in approved colors/styles (see Graphic Guide )

Additionally, the following as text (not graphic) information should also appear preferably near the top of a Course Page:

• Course Title/Number
• Room where course is taught
• Department for Course (as link to department page - if possible)
• Semester Date (Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter and Year)
• Name(s) of Instructor(s) (as link(s) - if possible)
• Instructor's Office Location / Phone number
• Office Hours