New website creation policies and procedures
Recommendations will typically be one or more of the following offerings:
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UM-Dearborn Drupal (i.e., content as part of our main university’s website)
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UM-Dearborn Drupal siteroot (i.e., content as part of our main university’s website but on its own “branch,” like College of Business)
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Google Sites (non-branded)
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Blogger as part of U-M Google (e.g., the Deans’ blogs)
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Hosting on UM-Dearborn without use of the domain name umdearborn.edu (e.g., a university-related, separate initiative, like michigandifferencemakers.com)
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Hosting on UM-Dearborn on a different supported platform with use of the domain name umdearborn.edu (e.g., a website supporting specific faculty research, like research.umdearborn.edu/urise). These would also be subject to ITS governance.
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Hosting off UM-Dearborn without use of the domain name umdearborn.edu (e.g., a website for a student project)
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Social media (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
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VictorsLink
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Canvas
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Course Catalog
Sites in Options 3-6 are subject to review, approval, and semesterly renewal. Sites in Option 5 fall under the governance of ITS.
The existence of a website and/or application does not guarantee its approval and inclusion in UM-Dearborn’s ecosystem. Web Services should be contacted early in the process.
Generally, Web Services and ITS provide support for the following. All requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
| Type | Subdomain | Hosting | Theming (UM-Dearborn colors)** | Theming (UM-Dearborn branding & logo)** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recognized centers, institutes and labs | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Special projects & initiatives | case-by-case | case-by-case | case-by-case | case-by-case |
| Faculty research | case-by-case | case-by-case | case-by-case | case-by-case |
| Student organizations (USOs)* | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Student organizations (RSOs) | no | no | yes | no |
| Student organizations (non-recognized) | no | no | no | no |
| Blogs | no | case-by-case | case-by-case | no |
| Student projects | no | yes | no | no |
| Faculty personal sites | no | yes | no | no |
Note: Users with social media and/or blogs should work with our Social Media Specialist for advice on comments.
Note: All sites on our subdomain need to meet WCAG AA standards for accessibility.
Note: Blogger is available as part of the U-M Google Suite. However, from a content strategy perspective, we’ve found that blogs are hard to maintain over time and difficult to generate traffic to. Social media may be a better option.
*Note: University-sponsored student organizations can have a logo and theme, but Web Services doesn't currently have the capability to support a CMS template for these organizations.
**Note: As of September 2018, Web Services does not offer non-Drupal website templates that are in line with university brand standards. We are happy to advise and review sites for branding.