Website Content, Expectations & Guidelines

Web page content linked to the Fairmont State University website is created and maintained by schools, colleges, and their academic departments; Fairmont State administrative departments; and officially recognized organizations. All web page content and design is managed and facilitated by University Relations & Marketing.

Since most “Contact Info” copy is directed toward academic programming, recruiting, or retention needs, you should add a second, less prominent statement that provides readers with an email link to the individual responsible for content appearing on that page. It can look like this:

For information on this department’s/office’s/unit’s website content, or to report content errors, please contact: [email of page owner/editor].

Users who wish to have additional information or report content errors are asked to email the person listed in the Contact Info.

The following is a list of expectations for page owners and page content editors.

• Page owners and page content editors must attend a training session (schedule through University Relations & Marketing) on how to use the content management system before they begin editing in the system.
• Page owners can assign content editors for their pages and must maintain a current list of these editors. Ultimately, page owners are responsible for the content of their pages.
• Page owners should routinely monitor page content for grammar, spelling, accuracy, and up-to-date information, this should be done approximately once per month.
• Page owners should update their pages regularly. Academic pages should be updated when the academic catalog is updated each year. Event and activity pages should reflect current information. Departmental pages should be verified at least once a semester.
• The web team will temporarily disable pages that are found to contain inaccurate or inappropriate content. Once the issues are resolved, the pages will be re-enabled.
• Page content editors must remove previous versions of files as they replace the files with newer versions. If an older version is not removed, it can still be found via the search feature on the website.
• It is expected that all pages will have a look and feel that is consistent with the Fairmont State style.

Publishing Guidelines

• Web pages must comply with all applicable institution regulations, State laws and codes, and WV State College System rules and regulations.
• Web pages must comply with all applicable United States copyright laws and licensing agreements.
• Web pages may not be produced or used for personal gain or for public or private commercial purposes.
• Web pages must not be offensive or obscene; they must not violate privacy laws.
• All school, college, and major administrative department "home" pages must be linked to an appropriate institutional page and back to the institution's home page. Subsidiary academic and administrative departmental pages should be linked from the relevant college, school or department home page and back to the appropriate college, school, or departmental home page.
• Institutional and department websites must physically reside on the Fairmont State web server and must comply with institutional policies.
• Each distinct unit of web page content appearing on the Fairmont State website must provide an active email link to the office/person responsible for that web content.
• Appropriate use of the names Fairmont State and Fairmont State University, along with their logo(s) and seals, is the responsibility of the Fairmont State University Relations & Marketing.
• Information on Fairmont State University web pages is continually open to review. Violations of the guidelines will be referred to appropriate university officials as identified in current faculty, staff, and student handbooks.

All applicable U.S. copyright and trademark laws and Fairmont State publication guidelines must be followed.
Photographs, graphics, videos, audio, or text created by another person may not be placed on an official Fairmont State web page or faculty-managed course web page, without first obtaining written permission of the artist or author.