Server Content Policy

Guidelines for the Central Web Server

If your unit/department/division/school Web pages are hosted on Northwestern's central Web server, called "NUInfo," you are required to familiarize yourself with these NUInfo server guidelines and policies.

Web Site Content Guidelines

Do not duplicate authoritative content. The University maintains extensive Web-based information that should be referenced by linking rather than duplicated on your Web site. Examples of authoritative sources:

Obtain Copyright Permissions and Personal Releases

Obtain the necessary permissions (PDF) to use any copyrighted materials. Obtain personal releases (PDF) before using materials that could violate the privacy of individuals.

Building and Maintaining Site Content for Effective Searching

Site administrators should become familiar with the University's search engine and the correct use of meta tags to improve search results. Web Communications and NUIT will provide guidance on search engine indexing and meta tags.

Site administrators should take steps to make invisible to the indexing system the older, obsolete versions of Web pages replaced during the normal maintenance of site content. Ultimately, unnecessary Web pages should be deleted to conserve disk space and reduce maintenance confusion.

Do Not Endanger Server Performance

Time-sensitive interactive applications and streaming multimedia content endanger the security, stability, and performance of the central Web server and are not appropriate. Web Communications and NUIT are available to discuss specific uses at webmaster@northwestern.edu.

Accommodate Those Who Visit Your Web Site

Consider that visitors to your Web site may not possess the latest hardware and software technology or may be physically challenged. To learn more about accommodating your visitors, consult the accessibility portion of the University Web Standards at http://www.webstandards.northwestern.edu.

University Relations
Web Communications