Many WHOI Web pages use a graphics (.gif) file that presents a blue-gradient line to delineate major sections:



 Its source is http://www.whoi.edu/icons/blue-line.gif.
 

• Include contact information for your audience to turn for help or to provide feedback. At WHOI, the information provider or page developer is responsible and accountable for the data presented. Generally, contact information is provided at the bottom of Web pages; it is often included in the <ADDRESS> </ADDRESS> tags. Alternatively, an e-mail address may be sufficient. If you include one, use the MAILTO: protocol but also include the text of the e-mail address; for example:

 

 
 
 

<ADDRESS>Contact the WHOI Information Office by sending e-mail to <A HREF="MAILTO:information@whoi.edu">information@whoi.edu</A>.</ADDRESS>

 which translates to:
 
 

Contact the WHOI Information Office by sending e-mail to information@whoi.edu.

 
• If your material is dated, include the date of last activity somewhere on the page. Use this or similar language:

 

 
 
 
 
 

Last updated 19 February 1998

 

 
 
 

and remember to keep the content up to date!
 

• Include copyright notices where appropriate. Current copyright law automatically protects intellectual works - original creations in all media, including the Web. You gain increased protection and compliance, however, by including explicit copyright notices on your Web pages. A minimal notice reads:

 

 
 
 
 
 

Copyright © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

 

 
 
 

The text of WHOI's full copyright statement is available at http://www.whoi.edu/copyright-whoi.html.

 Likewise, you must assume that all other work you find on the Web is copyrighted as well. Seek and obtain permission before you copy and use text, images, and artwork from someone else's Web page in your own page(s).

Keeping Your Audience in Mind

• If the presentation of your contents requires more than one or two 13-inch screenfuls (that is, it requires extensive scrolling to navigate through it), consider breaking it up into a set of pages. The base page serves as an index to, or jumping-off point for, linked pages representing subsets of the original content.

 

 
 
 

 If you prefer to present only one page, at least include - as this document does - a quick way for your audience to jump from the top of the document to the various subsection starting-points within the document. Include links internal to the base page. For example, these tags:

<A HREF="index.html#keeping">Keeping Your Audience in Mind</A>

 and

<A NAME="keeping">Keeping Your Audience in Mind</A>

 enable a link between the table of contents at the top of this page and the beginning of the subsection you are reading now.
 

• Remember that your audience can arrive at your page through many means. Don't assume that they all will come through the "front door," or will navigate through your pages in the sequence that you want them to! Each page you create should be able to stand on its own to some degree; a page should not be entirely dependent on another to provide context. Using the common elements described in the previous section of this guide will subtly help your audience know where they are (at WHOI's Web site, at least!) at all times.

 
• Remember also that many in your audience will choose to print your Web page, especially if it's a long document or is filled with complex data. As a courtesy, put the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - the Web page address - in plain text at the bottom of your page. When the page is printed, the URL will appear with the page contents and will serve as a reminder of the source of the printed document.

 
• Use simple, small artwork, graphics, and photographic images to allow faster loading and presentation. If you wish to present a large or complex image, consider putting a small version (a "thumbnail" view) of it on your page and making that thumbnail a link to the full-size view.

 
• Once you've created your Web page(s), go back regularly and check links, review text and graphics, and keep the content current. Your audience will want to return again and again if they see that your pages evolve and the content stays fresh.

 

Last updated 24 March 1998.
Send comments about this guide to webmaster@whoi.edu or information@whoi.edu.

Copyright © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.