Maintaining Websites

The internet has become one of the most important means of communication. It is therefore immensely important to maintain the content of the websites and keep them up-to-date.
The Senate discussed the concept for maintaining the university’s websites on 20 February 2019. The concept titled Managing the University of Greifswald's Websites [de] had already been discussed in detail with the members of the Rectorate and at the Rector’s weekly general meeting. 

Websites have become the most important communication channel for universities. Website visitors can find the information they are looking for within seconds. More and more visitors access the information via mobile devices.
The users’ preference to access information via the internet means more work for universities. Information must be presented in full, be clearly visible, comprehensible and appealing. Above all, the information must be updated regularly. Our experience shows that maintaining and keeping websites up-to-date only work if there is a clear definition of centralised and decentralised tasks and if all the persons involved work hand-in-hand.
The concept for creating content for the University of Greifswald’s websites defines the responsibilities for creating and maintaining the content of the central and decentral webpages and stipulates relevant dates for updating information.

The following information provides selected answers to frequently asked questions. Webmasters have access to a document with tips for updating websites [de].

The concept clearly defines who is responsible for the university’s central webpages. If you have any questions, please contact University Communications.
In principle: The University of Greifswald’s organisational units (administration, officers, facilities, Rectorate, Senate, faculties, departments, chairs, research projects) are responsible for looking after the contents of their own webpages in the TYPO3 content management system (CMS) and other webservers. They organise the maintenance of the pages and ensure necessary changes have been made. This does not apply to University Medicine, which has its own website that is run on different technology and maintained independently.
University Communications is happy to provide advice and support for questions related to editing webpages. The Central Translation Office coordinates the translation of the websites, can provide advice for creating English webpages and is also happy to copy edit existing texts. The Computer Centre provides technical and administrative support following consultation with University Communications. The Computer Centre provides regular TYPO3 courses [de]. The dates for the courses are announced in regular emails sent out to the responsible website editors. Information about working with TYPO3 [de] and how to create content for websites - which we ask you to observe - is available in German on the Computer Centre’s webpages.

If you are updating German webpages, you must always remember to check whether any changes are required for the English contents and make any necessary adjustments. If English content is not desired, it is essential that the persons responsible for the website hide the English pages using the corresponding language tab in the page settings in TYPO3.

English text is only permitted on pages that are located within the English page tree.

• English websites can always link to German content. To make this as user-friendly as possible, the link should be marked with a [de] at the end of the page title (e.g. Central user account [de]).
• German must not be used in the English page navigation. Pages that are linked in the menu, but have no English contents, can be listed in English, but must be marked with a [de].
• If only a limited amount of information is available or appropriate for an English website, it makes sense to gather the information on one page and to link to relevant pages.

The start pages for departments/institutes and chairs must be available in German. In order to meet the requirements of the various target groups, the following basic information should always be included:

• Contact information and members of staff
• Information about degree courses
• Information about important research topics and key fields of research
• If information is being provided for international degree courses, introductory information provided in German can link to detailed information located on the English website. Links to pages with detailed information in English must be marked with [en].

If the contents of the website are solely aimed at an English-speaking audience, it is not necessary to provide information in German. This can be realised technically by using a short informative placeholder (Example).
The faculty websites, down to chair level, should provide basic information in German for website visitors interested in learning more about the faculty’s activities, but who lack a sufficient level of English language proficiency. If detailed information is only available in English, it is user-friendlier to point this out specifically or to use a placeholder as mentioned above. Links that lead to more detailed information on English websites should be marked with [en].

British English is the default language variant for the administration (forms, statutes, but also job advertisements, data protection information and the terms and conditions) and for the webpages belonging to the central website and the central facilities (Library, Computer Centre). Consistent use of the English language is desirable for the university’s websites and can be achieved by using British English in the menu, introductory and organisational information on the start pages of the faculties and departments/institutes. The Translation Coordinator’s pages provide you with information about creating English pages - including a glossary, a style guide and standard sample texts. 
The Translation Coordinator has editorial access to all of the university webpages.

• For operational purposes, the Translation Coordinator may correct simple standard translations, e.g. office hours, telephone numbers and designations without obtaining prior permission. 
• Changes to detailed information will only be made following consultation with the person responsible for the webpage. Suggestions for changes, additional information and corrections shall only be made with a view to improving the quality and consistency of the University of Greifswald’s public image and shall only be implemented following consultation with the person responsible for the respective webpage.
• The Translation Coordinator makes sure that terms are used consistently in the main and dropdown menus and in the footer. If the faculties and facilities desire any changes or would like additional information to be included, they should contact the Translation Coordinator.

Every organisational unit that is responsible for its own webpages should organise the maintenance of its pages so that urgent changes or updates can still take place if the persons responsible for editing the webpages are not available (e.g. holiday, absence or illness).

Emergencies
If there are problems with page layout or the website is not available, please contact the Computer Centre or University Communications immediately.
Hotline Computer Centre +49 3834 420 1420 or via Groupware’s ticketing system [de].
University Communications +49 3834 420 1150 or hochschulkommunikationuni-greifswaldde WhatsApp +49 170 5669683

Errors on Websites
Errors, outdated or wrong information and missing internal or external links should be corrected asap by the persons responsible for the webpages. Errors found on webpages that are outside the area of responsibility of the person who found them can also be indicated to University Communications using the contact form on the University of Greifswald’s website. The notification must include the link to the webpage and a detailed description of the error. University Communications will arrange the rectification of the error.