Sample Only
Kitsap County
Web Site Structure and Operating Standards
By Mary Jo Rose and Dick Harty
DAS, Information Services and Purchasing
For Kitsap County Public Access Committee
Table Of Contents
A. INTRODUCTION.......................................1
B. BASIC OPERATING PREMISE.................1
C. THE WEB SITE IN GENERAL...................1
D. KITSAP COUNTY WEB SITE MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE... 1
E. CONSISTENCY AND CONTINUITY OF FORMAT (OVERALL LOOK/FEEL).....2
F. DATA.......................................................4
G. FILES FROM DEPARTMENTS TO BE LOADED TO THE WEB SERVER... 4
H. STATISTICS FOR THE COUNTY WEB SITE.......5
I. DIRECTORY STRUCTURE DIAGRAM..................5
J. FILE NAMING CONVENTIONS.......................... 5
K. THE WEB FRONT PAGE..................................... 7
L. COMMENT FORM................................................8
M. DEPARTMENT/ELECTED OFFICIAL INDEXING PAGE...9
N. DOWNLOAD FILES PAGE..................................9
O. CALENDAR OF EVENTS PAGE..........................10
P. SERVICES DIRECTORY PAGE............................12
Q. DEPARTMENT PAGES.........................................12
R. SITE MAP PAGE....................................................12
S. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ'S) PAGE...13
T. TELEPHONE DIRECTORY PAGE.........................13
U. VIRTUAL COURTHOUSE PAGE..........................13
The Kitsap County web site is our Internet connection to the citizens of the County. In order to present the County in the best light, a set of rules is necessary in order to provide information in a consistent orderly manner with one voice.
This document defines the standards and structure for building and maintaining the Kitsap County web site.
1. There will be only one official Kitsap County Internet web site.
2. The Kitsap County web site will represent the best interest and image of the County.
3. The Kitsap County web site will not be used to promote private enterprise.
4. The Department of Administrative Services, Information Services and Purchasing Division (Information Services) is responsible for the structure of the Kitsap County web site.
5. Information Services is charged with maintaining the technical aspects, as well as the structural integrity and conformance to structural standards approved by the Public Access Committee and the Board of Commissioners.
6. Kitsap County departments are responsible for the data content of the departmental portion of the Kitsap County Web Site creation and maintenance, and charged with the responsibility of conforming to accepted structural standards approved by the Public Access subcommittee and the Board of County Commissioners.
1. The Kitsap County web site will have a consistent look and feel from page to page, department to department, yet allow each Department room for limited creativity.
2. The Kitsap County web site will publish a disclaimer to protect the County from any liability issues.
3. Look and feel standards will be published and adhered to by all parties.
4. A "date published" on the Kitsap County web site will reflect when last updated.
5. Change history should be kept on the Web.
6. Web Statistics will be kept and made available for internal use.
7. Future enhancement schedules will be published on the Kitsap County web site so users are not surprised at seeing upcoming changes.
8. Backgrounds, layout, colors and fonts will follow a published standard for consistency.
D. Kitsap County Web Site Management and Maintenance
1. The Kitsap County web site will have a Web Master, whose responsibility includes Kitsap County web site structure development and maintenance, monitoring adherence to standards, collecting and distributing comments regarding the Kitsap County web site, collecting and distributing hit and error statistics, design continuity and data integrity.
2. The Web Master, an assigned Programmer Analyst within Information Services and Purchasing, will receive overview direction on the content of the Kitsap County web site from the Kitsap County Public Access subcommittee and will be the focal point for all Web activities.
3. Each department submitting data to the Kitsap County web site will appoint a Department Web Coordinator. The Web Coordinator will be focal point for creation, maintenance and currency of data for the department he/she represents.
4. Proposals for deviation from the approved, published structural standard will be submitted to the Public Access subcommittee for approval.
5. Additions of new elements, capabilities, etc., will be made to the Kitsap County web site only after obtaining approval from the Public Access subcommittee.
6. Changes will be made to the look and feel of the Kitsap County web site only after obtaining prior approval from the Public Access Committee.
7. The Department Web Coordinator will coordinate all new materials, updates and changes to their particular area with the Web Master.
E. Consistency and Continuity of Format (Overall Look/Feel)
1. There will be consistency and continuity from page to page, ways of referencing, and linking.
· Footer - The standard footer to reside at the bottom of each page, centered.
[Home] | [Department] | [Search] | [Comments].
Last updated: 09 June 1998 (Right margin, below header)
Kitsap County Disclaimer
The footers should link to Kitsap County Main Page, Search, Comments, and whatever the department is within. (i.e.; if in DCD area, Kitsap County| DCD| Search | Comments) in that order. If the page is not within a department, i.e.; Directory, etc., the footer should contain only Home | Search | Comments.
If the page does not reside within a Department, like the Phone Directory, Department Index, etc., the footer link to [Department] is omitted. The footer is text only with a horizontal bar located directly above the footer. The horizontal bar is to be the same throughout the web site. The Kitsap County Disclaimer is a link to the disclaimer portion of the web site.
· Graphics -There will be one common graphics area. Files to be loaded to the Web server are to be placed in the g:/common/web_updates/graphics/).
a) The Download directory will be the Web Masters responsibility to develop and maintain using these standards.
b) All Department Web Coordinators can utilize the graphics. This will insure consistency of the standard graphics, and reduce redundancy. (See Directory Structure Diagram).
c) Department Web Coordinators are responsible for creating and/or acquiring needed graphics.
d) Standard Graphics format is .GIF, .JPG or .JPEG format.
· Header - Consistent with the front-page header with exception being the text within. Header to be present on all pages throughout the County Web Site.
a) A standard graphic is to be used in the Header bar. The Header bar will not change from page to page.
b) Departmental identification will not replace or overpower the common graphic. The difference would be that the department name would appear in the graphic. Use the same font size, color, spacing, etc.
· Text - Text on all pages is to be HTML default, Times New Roman, color Black with the exception of headings, etc., which are default H1, and bolded. Underlines are to be used for links only. The use of Italics and Bolding may be used for emphasis. Scrolling and blinking text may not be used. Italics and bold font may be used for emphasis.
· Links - Are to be default colors and underlined.
· Background Color - Front page background color to set precedence for all pages throughout the site.
a) The standard background color/style will be a "White Brick" (light gray and white).
b) The standard button color will be blue marble set on a White Brick background.
c) Button text will be white.
d) Buttons will appear in the frame to the left of the screen.
e) All buttons at the top left of the screen will appear on all screens.
f) Department buttons will appear below the standard buttons in the left frame.
· Frames - Standardized frames to be used on all department index pages. Department front-page to adhere to frame standard with customizable buttons, but pages within may be without a frame should the Department Coordinator choose to. All pages within the departments index page will adhere to the overall look and feel standards (see exception below).
· Buttons - All buttons throughout the County Web Site will adhere to the look of the front-page buttons. Text is the only item that changes. The same font and color however will be utilized.
· Bullet Lists Links, example:
· Standard Left Menu Bar to reside in Frames - (Template)
Elected Officials
Departments The top area to be standard
Directory
Comments
---------------------- Line separating standard items
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx Customizable within each Department
xxxxxxxxxxx
2. Exceptions may be granted for some County Sponsored events. Example: Car Wash program, Kitsap County Fair. Any exceptions need to be signed off by the Web Committee and Web Master. The exception is to allow for that page to have full flexibility to promote that event. (Like a flyer, marketing type.) Once the event is over, the item must be removed from the web and links will also need to be removed.
In the footer however, a link to the County Home page must be available. Other than the footer requirement, look and content is up to the department coordinator creating the page. Once the page is completed, it must be approved for upload to the web server.
1. All data to be included in the Kitsap County web site will be coordinated with the Web Master.
2. All data will reside together in one directory location as defined in R. Directory Structure Diagram.
3. Data Currency is responsibility of the department Web Coordinator.
4. The Web Master will monitor the currency of the data and recommend the need for updates as needed.
G. Files from Departments to be loaded to the Web Server
1. Files to be uploaded to the Kitsap County web site are to be placed in the
g:/common/web_updates/your department directory. These files must be coordinated with a Department Coordinator.
2. Email the Web Master for updates and for guidance as to where to place files.
3. If the Web Master is unavailable, Technical Services, x5555 will upload files.
4. Download files will be updated weekly on Friday.
5. The Web Master will strive to have updates loaded within 1/2 day of notification for special needs. Once loaded, the Web Master will notify the person submitting the file(s) of a completed upload.
6. Once files are uploaded the directory will be cleared out.
7. The Download directory will be the Web Masters responsibility to develop and maintain using these standards.
8. Links to the Download directory should be designed to go right to the topic area of downloadable files.
9. Department Web Coordinators are responsible for creating documents, content and format of files.
H. Statistics for the County Web Site
A tool (Web Trends) is used to track statistics of the County Web Site. Some of the statistics are: hits, topics searched, missing links, download times of documents, overall performance, etc. Graphical displays of the data and Report Formats will be made available via the Intranet. Currently, statistics are unavailable. This feature will be added when we install our own County Web Server hardware.
I. Directory Structure Diagram
1. Files that reside in directories need a naming convention for ease of maintenance.
2. Directories and file naming conventions:
a. Downloads - Files to begin with Department or Elected Official
initials. See examples below.
|
Name |
Code |
|
Administration |
ADM |
|
Assessor |
ASR |
|
Auditor |
AUD |
|
Board Of County Commissioners |
BOC |
|
Board of Equalization |
BOE |
|
Clerk |
CLK |
|
Commissioner District 1 |
CO1 |
|
Commissioner District 2 |
CO2 |
|
Commissioner District 3 |
CO3 |
|
Community Development |
DCD |
|
Cooperative Text |
COT |
|
Coroner |
COR |
|
District Court 1 |
DC1 |
|
District Court 2 |
DC2 |
|
District Court 3 |
DC3 |
|
Elections |
ELE |
|
Fair & Parks |
FRP |
|
Fire |
FIR |
|
Personnel & Human Resources |
HR |
|
Public Works |
PW |
|
Purchasing |
PUR |
|
Prosecutor |
PRO |
|
Sheriff |
SHR |
|
Superior Court 1 |
SC1 |
|
Superior Court 2 |
SC2 |
|
Superior Court 3 |
SC3 |
|
Superior Court 4 |
SC4 |
|
Superior Court 5 |
SC5 |
|
Superior Court 6 |
SC6 |
|
Superior Court 7 |
SC7 |
|
Treasurer |
TRS |
These codes will assist with file clean up and knowing who to contact and which department/elected official has ownership over documents in the download directory.
b. Meetings (all subdirectories) - use a date convention, example A011298 (agenda for Jan 12, 1998) or M011298 (Minutes for Jan 12, 1998).
c. Graphics (people subdirectory) - save the file as first initial followed byfirst seven characters of the last name, example: mjrose or dharty.
1. The front page identifies the Kitsap County web site, serves to provide navigation to the content of the Kitsap County web site, as well as provide late breaking news ("Headline" information, i.e., and summaries).
2. The front page will be developed and maintained by the Web Master based on Public Access subcommittee approval.
3. Pointers should be imbedded in the web front page to point to more details.
4. Pointers should be consistent for each department index.html page.
5. Navigation buttons will appear only on the left side of the screen. Buttons sequence will be pre-defined and adhered to.
6. Submissions for front-page headline content should be directed to Web Master. This content will be changing as headline news changes.
7. The front page should be the only page with external links to general-purpose agencies, if any. (i.e.; ferry, Kitsap transit, chamber of commerce, etc).
8. Department level external links should be of a specific, specialized nature having to do only with departmental business.
9. Development and maintenance of Page Indexing is the responsibility of the Web Master.
10. The format of the page shall consist of the following:
· Header - To set the standard throughout Site.
· Footer - [Home] | [Search] | [Comments]
· Left Menu Bar - To contain the elements listed below in order.
· Elected Officials
· Board / Councils
· Departments
· Directory
· Calendar of Events
· Permits
· Elections
· Road Construction
· Meetings / Minutes
· Virtual Courthouse
· Job opportunities
· Download Library
· Other Links
· About Kitsap
· Comments
· Customizable Left Menu Bar - The standard left menu bar items/order are listed below:
· Elected Officials
· Departments
· Directory
· Comments
· Colors - Background, Left Menu Bar, Text, Buttons, Links, etc. are to utilize standard colors. Front page sets look/color scheme/button standards, etc.
· Other Links - Other Links to be available from front page, left menu bar only. Other resource links to be added upon acceptance. Common repository for all external links.
· Other Resources -Strictly Business / County related links as set forth previously. Additions of resource Links to be added upon acceptance from the Web Sub-Committee (Design group).
· CD Law Library
· Emergency Management
· Kitsap Transit
· Washington State Ferry
· Legislative Contacts
· JTPA (Kitsap County Job Training Program Assistance)
· Chambers of Commerce
· Schools within County
· Other County Sites
· Bremerton Kitsap County Health District
· Animal Shelter/Humane Society
· Economic Development Council
· Domestic Violence Task Force
· Washington State Coop Extensive Program
· Top News - To contain County related top news. Graphics and paragraph to be added upon acceptance.
1. The Web Master is responsible for the development and maintenance.
2. The purpose of Comments Page is to provide interactive comments forms from users that will allow for capturing of the following information:
*Name (Required)
Organization
*Email (Required)
Mailing Address
Nature of Comment (Suggestion, Problem, Request)
Subject
Message/Comments
3. The format of the page shall consist of the following:
· Header - To be consistent with County Front Page with the word "Comments" added within the header logo.
· Footer - Home | Search | Comments
· Left Menu Bar - Not necessary. If available, customizable menu bar. (Elected Officials, Departments, Directory, Comments)
· Colors - Background, Left Menu Bar, Text, Links, etc. are to utilize standard colors.
· Submit - Upon submittal of form, user to receive notification form of successful transmission.
Example:
Thank you! Your message has been received and will be e-mailed to the appropriate County agency. You should receive a response from Kitsap County within two business days of the submission of your comment. Please advise the Web Master if you do not.
M. Department/Elected Official Indexing Page
1. The Web Master is responsible for the development and maintenance.
2. The Department/Elected Official Indexing Page will include all links to elected officials, departments and sub-links. This will eliminate users from having to jump to 5 or 6 different pages to get to desired topic.
3. Departments will notify Web Master for a link to be added, changed or deleted.
1. The Web Master is responsible for the development and maintenance.
2. There will be one common download area. Files to be loaded to the Web server are to be placed in the g:/common/web_updates/download directory. The top section will be a brief description of our download area. Access to download Adobe Acrobat must be made available. (Licensing clause must be accompanied on page, logo, etc.
3. The format of the page shall consist of the following:
· Header - To be consistent with County Front Page with the words "Download Library" added within the header logo.
· Footer - Home | Search | Comments
· Left Menu Bar - Not necessary. If available, customizable menu bar (Elected Officials, Departments, Directory, Comments).
· Colors - Background, Left Menu Bar, Text, Links, etc. are to utilize standard colors.
· Format - All documents are to be in .PDF format. (Additionally, you may supply document in .ZIP format as well) File Size to be included with all download files.
Note: Download methods should include all necessary tools in order that anyone accessing can complete the download successfully. This includes any readers, un-zip and fix programs as indicated above.
· Description - No more than 2 lines of text describing the contents of the document. This area is to give the users a feel of what the document is about, etc.
· Name of Document - Name of the Document, with a brief description below the link to explain what the document is.
· Link - The link to the download is to be the file itself.
This is an example of what a download entry should look like.
Example: Growth Management Act (Draft)
(Acrobat 3.0-379K) (PK Zip 3.0---510K)
1. The Web Master is responsible for the development and maintenance of the Calendar template.
2. The Department Web Coordinator is responsible for Calendar contents (activities, Dates/Time, etc.). The Calendar will be updated weekly.
3. All items for the calendar shall be submitted to the Web Master. The calendar will be updated weekly. The Web Master will strive to have updates loaded within 1/2 day of notification for special needs.
4. Department Calendar input will be put in the g:/common/web_updates/calendar/month directory.
5. Below is a sample calendar. By default, the properties will be set to view [ALL], current month and year. Users may select a specific topic/event and a specific month year to view.
6. When a user selects the day they wish to view, a HTML page will appear showing the topic, data time and location.
7. In certain topics, i.e.; Commissioner agenda/minutes, the user would select that item from the topic drop down list, select the month or day. Click the day and the actual agenda &/or minutes will appear on screen. They will the option to print the data.
8. Links may be provided to point the user to more information, i.e.; road closure, news article, etc.
9. Monthly View - users may elect to view an entire month, and then have the same features as the daily options.
1. The Web Master is responsible for the development and maintenance.
2. The purpose of the Services Directory is to be a one stop, alphabetical listing of all links throughout the Kitsap County web site in alphabetical order by topic.
3. The format of the page shall consist of the following:
· Header - To be consistent with County Front Page with the word "Directory" added within the header logo.
· Footer - Home | Search | Comments
· Left Menu Bar - Standard Menu Bar (not customizable).
· Colors - Background, Left Menu Bar, Text, Links, etc. utilize standard colors.
· Data - Alphabetical Order. All items must be links, just straightforward text. Items in Directory appear only once.
1. The Department Web Coordinator is responsible for the development and maintenance.
2. The purpose of the Department Page is to provide the Kitsap County departments a way to provide the Internet user Department level information and data.
3. The format of the page shall consist of the following:
· Header - To be consistent with County Front Page with the word "Departments" added within the header logo.
· Footer - Home | Search | Comments
· Left Menu Bar -Standard Menu Bar
· Colors - Background, Left Menu Bar, Text, Links, etc. are to utilize standard colors.
· Data - To be in bulleted list format. Items are to be broken down within Department.
1. The Web Master is responsible for the development and maintenance.
2. The purpose of the Site Map Page is to provide a point and click navigation aid to the contents of the Web site.
3. The format of the page shall consist of the following:
· Header - To be consistent with County Front Page with the word "Site Map" added within the header logo.
· Footer - Home | Search | Comments
· Left Menu Bar - Not necessary. If available, customizable menu bar. (Elected Officials, Departments, Directory, Comments)
· Colors - Background, Left Menu Bar, Text, Links, etc. are to utilize standard colors.
· Graphics - Folder icon to be used for all links within the site map.
S. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) Page
1. The Web Master is responsible for the development and maintenance.
2. The purpose of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page is to answer commonly asked questions before they are asked.
5. All FAQ's are to reside in 1 common repository sectioned off by County and Department. Input to the County FAQ will be put in g:/common/web_updates/FAQ.
3.
4. The Department Coordinator is responsible for the maintenance of the Department level FAQ Page.
5. Department Coordinators will submit their questions/answers (FAQ's) to be inserted into document. Note: Frequently asked Questions that pertain only to a department should be added to a Department FAQ Page. Questions of a general nature shall be added to the County level FAQ Page.
6. The format of the page shall consist of the following:
· Header - Standards with "FAQ's" added.
· Footer - [Home] | [Search] | [Comments]
· Left Menu Bar - Standard Customizable menu.
1. The Web Master is responsible for the development and maintenance.
The purpose of telephone directory page is to provide a countywide telephone directory.
2. There will be one common telephone directory that will be:
· Searchable
· User Friendly,
· Set up in Telephone Book fashion
· Linked
3. The format of the page shall consist of the following:
· Left menu Bar - Not necessary, if used Standard Customizable menu.
· Header - Standard with "Phone Directory" added.
· Footer - [Home] | [Search] | [Comments]
· Data - All data populated from Telephone Database.
4. There will be a telephone listing by Service
5. There will be a telephone listing by Department
· The Department Listing will include a single phone number. Below in list format, will be Division telephone numbers within that department.
· No names will be used.
1. The Web Master is responsible for the development and maintenance.
2. The purpose of the download Library Page is to provide a point and click download of .PDF and .ZIP files.
3. The format of the page shall consist of the following:
· Left menu Bar - Not necessary, if used Standard Customizable menu.
· Header - Standard with "Phone Directory" added.
· Footer - [Home] | [Search] | [Comments]
· Data - Virtual Courthouse to include but not limited to:
· Interior Map of the Courthouse
· Direction to the Courthouse
· Boundary map of Kitsap County
· Telephone Listing