Section 3.2 Topics

So far, much of the material in this document has been guidelines for all types of Web pages. These next three sections (3.2.1 through 3.2.3) address issues and content specific to city and county highway functions.

In describing minimum content, this document will use the terms “must” and “should.” These terms refer to meeting user expectations and are not used in any regulatory sense. Certain items must be included on a city or county Web site to meet a minimum level of user expectations. Other items should be included in order to make the site more useable, more accessible and ultimately, more successful.

In developing this list of minimum content, we have targeted areas that: 1) most appeal to the viewers of a Web site devoted to public works and highway functions, and 2) have the best chance of being maintained and kept current. Currency is critical to the success of a public works Web site. A Web site’s strength is the ability to edit or update data quickly, without the substantial costs associated with duplicating and distributing more material. A Web site - if managed correctly - will be the first and best place for the media, the public and other agencies to find accurate, up-to-date information.

“The best way to keep a project site current and consistent is to take small, steady steps forward instead of immediately implementing the most spectacular Web site imaginable. This is more difficult than it sounds, because a [Web site design] team’s enthusiasm can lure them into taking on too much too soon, and then the site falls behind or does not deliver what it originally promised.” [1]

Keeping a Web site current requires a commitment of staff time and resources. It might even require changes in normal routines and procedures. Often this commitment will be considerable initially, and an agency embarking on a Web project for the first time should plan accordingly. During the planning stage, how the update cycle will be managed must be carefully considered and resources budgeted adequately. Eliminating features or content that is too costly or difficult to keep current should be considered.

Mission Statement

Mission statements help define the goals for an agency’s projects. They must be a part of any enterprise project, and should be considered at the project level as well. Mission statements should be reviewed at least annually, or during any major revisions to the site, and changed as necessary.

Contact Information

A Web site should have consistent elements from page to page (see Section 3.1.2 - Persistent Navigation Icons). These elements help to form a Web site identity. An agency logo is a part of this consistent identity, and it will help distinguish one agency from another.

Contact information must be reviewed and updated as often as needed to reflect staff changes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Every organization has a number of questions that its clients ask repeatedly. Posting the answers for these Frequently Asked Questions reduces the amount of staff time spent answering repeated questions. The answers should be short and concise, and linked to areas with more detailed information.

A: Yes. You may read the specific ordinance [provide a hyperlink to the ordinance] OR download the proper form from our Web site [give hyperlink to form and provide instructions for completing and returning the form].

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are a standard feature on most service Web sites. Many users have encountered them on other sites and expect to use them first as a convenient way to access information. Links to the FAQ section must be easy to find.

It is common for a city or county to have several subsections, or smaller Web sites, within the main Site. For example, the various departments - public works, health and safety, parks and recreation, etc. - will have their own Web site, but are all accessible from the main URL of the city or county (for instance, http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us). Such an integrated site should have an FAQ section at the top level to direct those with common questions to the correct department’s Web site. Each department within (in our example, the Public Works Department) should also have a FAQ section as well. The goal is to direct the reader to their desired information in the fewest clicks. Not every Web site is large enough to require separation. The goal of an FAQ section is to bring the user to the desired page in no more than three clicks.

The FAQ section should be reviewed at least annually and updated when necessary. It should also be updated in response to Web site feedback, especially if several users provide feedback about a resource that is hard to find.

Road Conditions/Hazardous Weather Information

At minimum, a successful Web site must post contact information for hazardous weather driving and parking. Parking bans/policies should also be posted when possible. It is not feasible for most organizations to post up-to-the-minute driving conditions. However, it is practical to list telephone numbers, addresses and links to other sites that will inform viewers of road conditions and parking restrictions.

Information about road conditions or hazardous weather should be evaluated annually, ideally before the winter driving season, and updated when necessary. If the information linked from the site changes, this section must be updated immediately.

Spring Load Restrictions

Even if the agency simply follows state policy, Spring Load Restrictions policy and dates must be mentioned on the Web site and a link to the state policy should be provided for reference. Contact phone numbers or e-mail addresses must also be provided. Any changes from state policy should be noted prominently.

Sites should provide a map to note the load limits of roads in the system. Five, seven, nine and ten ton roads should be differentiated.

This section must be updated seasonally, and specifically the dates when restrictions are placed and when they are removed must be noted.

Maintenance Reporting

Instructions on how to report a street or roadway maintenance problem must be included. Ideally, this would include an on-line form that users can fill out and submit from their browser. An on-line form has advantages over e-mail links, as users do not need to leave the site to submit information. Programming an on-line form is reasonably straightforward, and there are a number of tutorials available on-line. Many Internet Service Providers provide the necessary technical resources as part of a basic Web site hosting package.

This information must be reviewed whenever there are staff changes, and new contact information must be posted immediately.

Project Information

The status of current projects and information about planned projects are also important for city and county Web sites. Suggested information includes copies of five-year capital improvement plans (or similar planning documents) with the appropriate disclaimers indicating that it is a plan and not a schedule. At a minimum, the site must include contact information for the staff member(s) involved in the project planning and scheduling.

A List of Items or Activities that Require Permitting

This information is a must and the list should be as extensive as possible. When feasible, include on-line forms for users to download and complete. For instance, if new driveway access to a road requires a permit, provide a link to the electronic form.

3.2.2 Other Useful Content

3.2.3 Policies

Every site should have a section of legal disclaimers. A link to the section of legal disclaimers should be included on every page. Best practice suggests that this be an HMTL text link (as opposed to a graphic) and that it be displayed at the bottom of every page in the site (some times referred to as the footer).

This discussion of legal disclaimers is not meant to substitute for the advice of legal counsel. Consult with your agency’s legal counsel before formulating the site’s legal disclaimer. Experience suggests that good legal disclaimer section will cover the following:

General Disclaimers

Every Web site is published “for informational use” and “for the convenience of the reader.” A general disclaimer should include language that indicates the information on a Web site is accurate to the best of an agency’s ability to publish that information. If there is a definitive source of information, it should be indicated, as well the location of that definitive source. The disclaimer should not be used to avoid accuracy. Every effort should be made to keep on information a Web site current.

Some technical issues, which can affect the accuracy of a Web site, are outside of the control of a Web publisher. Data transmission errors, proxy servers (see Appendix A.3 - Glossary of Terms: Proxy Server) that cache pages incorrectly, browser incompatibilities and other issues can cause problems for viewers. Indicating that a Web site will not be held liable for these issues is a good idea. An illustration is this part of the disclaimer found on the City of Minneapolis’ Web site, http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/about/disclaimer.html:

“The City of Minneapolis takes efforts to minimize cache issues, unauthorized modifications, and input errors. However, several factors can affect the quality of the information displayed on this Web site that are beyond the control of the City of Minneapolis - including browser incompatibilities; information which has been cached on the local computer, network proxy, or other storage device; unauthorized modification of electronic data; errors in transmission; or other issues with Web transmission. To minimize cache issues on your end, the City of Minneapolis recommends that you verify that you have the most current version of a page by clearing your cache. For information about clearing your cache, check your browser's help files.

Updates, additions or corrections may have been made to a Web page since the time you previously viewed it. You may wish to confirm information, such as dates and meeting locations, immediately prior to the event, in case updates have been made.” [2]

And finally, if your Web site links to data files (such as Microsoft Word Documents or PDF files), it is a good idea to indicate that your agency makes every effort to scan the files for viruses, and detect for outside tampering by third parties, but can make no warranty that the data files presented are free of defects. The disclaimer found on the LRRB Web site (www.lrrb.gen.mn.us) illustrates this:

“The LRRB and Mn/DOT make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this Web site and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this Web site. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to the contents of this Web site or its hyperlinks to other Internet resources. Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by LRRB or Mn/DOT.” [3]

Advertising Policy

If the site is sponsored by a commercial agency (such as the local Chamber of Commerce), that relationship should be disclosed. If the site accepts links to other groups or agencies, especially in return for financial considerations, that relationship should also be disclosed. If the agency forbids advertising on the Web site, that should be stated as well.

Many organizations will wish to protect the images, information and other intellectual property displayed on their Web site. Any organization wishing to make such a claim should consult legal counsel. If such a claim is made, it should be noted on the Web site. If a site uses copyright material from a third party by permission, those copyrights and restrictions on the material’s use should be noted as well.

It is better practice to publish the information on a Web site free from copy restrictions. Often, an agency will request that the source of information or material used be noted, and publishing agency be credited. Providing specific language for the attribution of quoted material is a good practice.

Links Policy

Links to other Web sites - Many organizations link to other agencies and organizations, public and private, from a Web site. Often this is provided as a public service. In such cases, it is generally good practice to note that the link does not imply an endorsement on the part of the agency or organization. If an endorsement is implied, that should be noted in the advertising policy.

“Our Web site has many links to our partners, especially other transportation agencies, associations, or academic organizations. When you link to another site, you are no longer on our site and are subject to the privacy policy of the new site.” [4]

If there is a policy to follow for outside agencies and organizations to include a link on the Web site, that policy should be clearly outlined and a contact for adding the link should be posted. If a site forbids links to Web sites that publish a certain type of material (commercial vendor, for instance), it might be a good idea to note that as well.

Before linking to an external Web site, it is a good to check the site’s policy on linking.

Links from other sites  - it is not a best practice to limit or seek to regulate how other Web sites link to your site. Other Web sites should be free to link to a specific page (sometimes called “deep linking”). Linking Web sites together is part of the strength of the Web.

However, some organizations prefer that all links to their sites be limited to specific pages (for instance, a “front page” or “home page”), and forbid deep linking to specific pages. This policy is often enacted to make sure that a user sees a disclaimer or reads the most current page, or so that the visit can be counted or copyright material can be protected. If such restrictions apply, they should be noted in the disclaimer section.

Privacy/Data Use Statement

Any time a public agency requests information from a user, it should inform the user how that information will be used. The privacy policy should be part of a general legal disclaimer, and a link to the privacy policy should be present on any page that requests information from a user. For example, if a Web site form is provided for user feedback and requests e-mail addresses, there should be a link to the specific section of the disclaimers that covers privacy/data use somewhere on the page with that form.

Some Web servers gather information about each user in the form of a log, or track the number of visitors with a “hit counter” or similar technology (see Section 4.0 - Measuring Success). If an agency uses that information to track from where a user has come (the referring Web site) or does any type of statistical analysis with the information, it should be disclosed in the general privacy statement as well. It is not standard practice to inform the user on every page, however, as with the example of the feedback form above.

ADA Requirements

The federal government requires all Web sites that are published as part of a federal grant or contract to conform the requirements outlined in the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA). There is currently no such requirement at the state, county or municipal level. However, as most of them make good sense for a readable Web site, it is good practice to follow them whenever feasible.

[3] Local Road Research Board (Internet); http://www.lrrb.gen.mn.us/.

[4] Local Road Research Board (Internet); http://www.lrrb.gen.mn.us/.

3.2 Topics

3.2.1 “Minimum” Content for City and County Highway Functions Web Sites