Standardized information can include small bits of information such as dates or phone numbers, or larger groups such as fields in a content type. Standardized information can also include snippets of data, such as hours of operation. For example, Spencer Grill hours might appear in the context of dining options, as a restaurant suggestion in visitor information, and in a listing of hours for services located in the Rosenfield Center. Pages of record are pages referenced in several places throughout the site. These include:
- Campus map
- Hotel and restaurant information
- Course information
- Academic calendar
Standards for Shared Information
- Always think about the information you are presenting within the context of the entire site, not just your sub-site.
- Use the correct content type.
- Use shared nodes—such as file, image, and video nodes—correctly.
- Follow writing standards.
- Don't duplicate large chunks of information that are available elsewhere on the site. If content appears elsewhere on the site, link to it, or add it to your pages using a filter, view, or block.
- Consider whether shared data might be better coming from external databases (such as the calendar or directory).
- If you find information that appears to be duplicated across the site, contact the other content managers or webguys@grinnell.edu to see if it can be coordinated.
Why are These Standards Important?
- Having fewer people updating it speeds work flow.
- If an error is found on one place, it can be automatically corrected in all places.
- Visitors find it easier to locate what they need when it's in the same place and/or format throughout our site.
Examples
- Course information is linked to with the same word on all academic sites, making it easy for students for find.
- Rather than having many different versions of the map and hotel information, we have "pages of record" in the About information of the site.
- Files owned by Financial Aid can are maintained by them, and Admission uses filters to link to the forms.
