Policy for Assigning Names on UVM's Website

Several hosting methods and URL formats are available for departmentally managed web content:

Option #1: Drupal Hosted Sites

UVM departments should prefer to host web content on Drupal, the University's preferred and supported hosting platform. When possible, only sites and pages using the Drupal platform will be granted top-level URLs like www.uvm.edu/departmentname. While other hosting options like WordPress or Silk exist, Drupal, as configured and managed by the UVM Web Team, is set up to ensure the most consistent experience for departments and users.

Option #2: UVM Hosted WordPress

For a similar self-service experience, UVM also hosts two WordPress domains available to departments: site.uvm.edu and blog.uvm.edu. Affiliates can create any number of sites with names such as site.uvm.edu/mysite or blog.uvm.edu/mysite.

WordPress does not require a technical background to work with and is a good option for smaller departments or organizations that do not have a dedicated web manager able to work with the Web Team to maintain a Drupal site. See the UVM Blogs page to get started.

Option #3: Silk Hosted Sites

Some departmental content is more appropriately hosted on UVM's Silk platform. Silk is a service that allows for more customized site-building by departments and individuals but does not include the support and integrations with UVM branding that are provided by the UVM Web Team for Drupal-hosted sites. Silk sites are attached to a particular NetID, and their URLs will normally look something like this:

netid.w3.uvm.edu/
or
netid.w3.uvm.edu/mysite

While discouraged, it is sometimes permissible to create a top-level "uvm.edu/*" URL for these sites.  Developers who believe this would be appropriate for their site should reach out to the UVM Web Team.

In contrast to WordPress options, Silk is a more “DIY” hosting solution and is best suited to departments and organizations with dedicated web developers.  Additionally, while the Silk hosting service itself is supported by ETS, user-created applications and sites are not.  Groups using Silk hosting must be prepared to take on the cost and effort required to keep their apps working and up to date.

To maintain consistency on the UVM website, make URLs easier for web users, and adhere to the University's broader communications strategy, departmentally hosted URLs must comply with the following naming conventions:

1. In Drupal and WordPress, page names should be in title case and may contain any alphanumeric character. The system strips out disallowed URL characters and converts spaces to hyphens.
2. Names for Silk sites should avoid using capital letters, spaces, hyphens, dashes, apostrophes, underscores, or other non-alphabetical characters.
3. Departments offering services marketed toward a more universal audience and reflecting not only departmental but university concerns should work with the UVM Web Team to create an appropriate name. In such cases, the name should reflect university, not departmental, concerns, e.g.: www.uvm.edu/news instead of universitycommunications.uvm.edu; www.uvm.edu/calendar instead of universitycommunications.uvm.edu/calendar.
4. Name requests may be rejected to reserve them for university-wide use or to avoid confusion for users (in cases where the name could be misconstrued for other departmental, organizational, or university-wide sites).
5. Any name that might diminish UVM's academic mission or reputation may be rejected.

A word about virtual domains

To build consistency on the UVM website and to minimize the impact on UVM's system programmers, the university does not create virtual domains, such as departmentname.uvm.edu for existing sites.

A word about departmental servers

Departments seeking to run their own servers should contact dns@uvm.edu. An accepted server will be granted a single name, such as arabic.uvm.edu. Server names will be run by the UVM Web Team to conform with UVM's naming conventions policy.

A word about subdomains

For UVM's policy on subdomains, see DNS policy.

Users agree not to use uvm.edu personal webpages for the operation of private enterprises or private fund-raising as required by the Computer, Communication and Network Technology Acceptable Use Policy. Content should also comply with applicable University policy including Political Engagement, Advocacy, and Campaign Related Activities.

Personal (individual faculty, staff, and student) web pages or sites hosted on Silk (*.w3.uvm.edu) or WordPress (blog.uvm.edu/* or site.uvm.edu/*) will remain as created and are not eligible for any other naming options.

UVM departments and organizations are highly encouraged to maintain their websites under departmental accounts and not under those of individual staff, faculty, or students. This practice enables more than one person in a department to access the account, protects the department, and preserves the Website once an individual leaves the university.

Occasionally, UVM may agree to provide a Web site for professional or other non-profit organizations as a community service.

To do so, the non-UVM organization will be responsible for the following:

1. Maintaining a relationship with a UVM department or organization to sponsor its website by registering it under a departmental NetID they control.
2. Keeping its site, via the UVM sponsor, hosted on UVM's web infrastructure. If there is a compelling reason for one of these sites to be hosted outside of UVM's hosting options, contact dns@uvm.edu. All such outside servers must abide by all UVM's security regulations.

Further, all such organizations must comply with the following:

1. Hosting must be approved by the chair, director, or assignee of the sponsoring UVM department/organization.
2. Sites should have a clear connection to UVM's academic mission.
3. Organizations benefiting from this service should be prepared to cover costs if significant resources are required from UVM.
4. Sites may not include partisan politics or commercial material
5. Sites should include an acknowledgment that the web space is provided by the University of Vermont, by adding a specified web graphic, provided by UVM. To include this graphic, add the following HTML code to the body of your top-level web page:
   
   <a href="http://www.uvm.edu"><img src="http://www.uvm.edu/www/images/sponsoredby.jpg" alt="This Web Site is sponsored by The University of Vermont" border=0></a> 
    
6. All sites must be maintained by UVM employees or students, or in collaboration with external contractors after approval for the work is granted by Purchasing Review.