Get Started

• Planning Your New Site
• Contacting OIS to Have Your Site Made

Planning Your New Site

Take Stock of Your Current Site

This is a great time to evaluate things. Is your navigation intuitive? Can users can easily find the information they're looking for? Do you really think users want to see a shot of your kid? (No matter how cute he/she is?) Try to see things from your users' perspective—if possible, ask a person or two for their opinion about the ease or pain of finding info on your current site.

Separate Internal and External Information

Information meant for internal audiences (e.g., colleagues) tends to clog up web sites. External users should be able to find the information they need quickly and intuitively without having to sort through information that isn’t related to their needs.

Determine Your Navigation

This site design allows for 3 levels of nested navigation:

1. Primary Navigation
   This is the first level of navigation, i.e., what users will see as soon as they arrive to your site.

2. Secondary Navigation
   If a user clicks on a primary navigation link, you have the option of giving them more options through secondary navigation. For example: Under the current School of Medicine web site, At a Glance is an example of primary navigation. If you roll over At a Glance, you’ll find secondary navigation links to School Mission, School History, Alumni & Friends, Virtual Tours, and Campus Map.

3. Tertiary Navigation
   If two levels aren’t enough, you can always add a third nested level! For example, if Virtual Tours were actually tours of both the School of Medicine and UNC Health Care facilities, we could add another level of navigation links that point directly to these two pages.

Determine Role Distribution

There are three major editing roles in this system: Site Manager, Content Publisher, and Content Creator. Read the descriptions below and decide how you would like to distribute these roles in your organization.

• Site Manager
  Every site will need a site manager (you). This is a user who will serve as the web master for the entire site. Site managers can add/edit/delete all content (including folders), even content he/she does not own.

• Content Publisher
  Site publishers will be the most common role for users editing in this system. Publishers have the ability to create and edit content with the exception of folders. Publishers can delete content they own.

• Content Creator
  Content creators are users who can only create and edit content (with the exception of folders). Unlike publishers and managers, creators cannot publish content. Content must be passed to publisher or manager for publishing.

Determine Site Features

Homepage Image ("Hero Graphic")

In order to maintain the professional look and feel, OIS will work with your organization to determine the most appropriate picture/caption/design free of charge. Choose from the available images.  If you would like something specialized (e.g. a flash animation, reloading images, etc.) we would be happy to work with you on a charge basis.

Two or Three-column Layout

Each organization will be able to select either a two ir three column layout for their site. The first column, the navigation column, will always be present. The second column holds the main content of the site.  The third column (if needed) may hold features such as news, events, and/or your own special feature (e.g. grand rounds, announcements, etc.). OIS will work with you to determine the best layout for your needs.

Homepage Features

The second and third columns are customizable to fit homepage features such as news, events, announcements, etc. What would you like to highlight on your homepage? Would you rather keep it simple with a welcome message to users, or do you need to display upcoming events and special announcements?

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Contacting OIS to Have Your Site Made

If you are ready to get started, register for an introduction and hands-on training. These are two, separate sessions. At the introductory session we'll start the process of having your site created and give you an overview of it's features.  In the second, hands-on training session, you'll learn how to add content yourself and build your site. Each session lasts an hour.

School of Medicine Web System: Introduction

At the introductory training session, a department/center/program/office root site will be created by OIS. We’ll find where it belongs in the School of Medicine structure, place it there, and give you (the site manager) access.  To do this, we'll need to know:

Your site will be void of content until you attend...

School of Medicine Web System: Training

We'll show you how to start building your site, as well as how to delegate varying degrees of site maintenance to others (if you so choose). The site manager is responsible for assigning appropriate roles and permissions to others. After this training session, you'll be able to build and maintain your own site, and OIS will be available to answer questions and assist you as needed!

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