Purpose of these guidelines
Virginia Commonwealth University recognizes the World Wide Web as a powerful tool for communicating with external audiences as well as facilitating the exchange of information within the university community. Therefore it is important that our pages provide the best possible representation of Virginia Commonwealth University.
Determine your type of website
This Web site outlines relevant information to guide individuals in the creation of four types of Web sites that may be hosted on VCU servers:
| Institutional | Personal | Student Organization | Community |
|---|---|---|---|
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This is a departmental site or any site linked off the VCU homepage. 
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This is a personal site on www.people.vcu.edu or ramsites.net.
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This is a student organization site on www.studentorg.vcu.edu.
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This is a community organization hosting their website at VCU.
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Refer to each page to determine which type of site pertains to you. It should be noted that any organizational unit may establish additional policies and guidelines governing content and style of Web pages under its jurisdiction. Download the checklist [pdf] to help you keep track of the policies and guidelines as you plan, design and develop your Web site.
Terms to know
The following terms will be helpful to you as you navigate this site.
- Home page - The initial HTML document for VCU, for an organization or for an individual, from which any subsidiary Web page or others' Web pages can be accessed.
- Information providers - They are the "owners" (publishers and maintainers) of documents. They are the contact persons for the individual colleges, schools, departments, organizations or individuals.
- Technical contacts - They are the coders of VCU's institutional Web pages. They are responsible, in conjunction with the information providers, for ensuring that VCU institutional Web pages adhere to the standards and guidelines set forth in this document.