US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Office of Job Corps Style Guide for Public-facing Job Corps Web Sites Last Modified: 7/11/2012
Table of Contents Introduction... 3 General Information... 3 Content Management Overview... 3 Content Management Process... 3 Content Review... 4 Site Organization... 4 Dynamic Information... 5 Center Job Postings... 5 Content... 5 Writing... 5 Capitalization... 5 Acronyms... 6 Names... 6 Numbers... 7 Dates... 7 Formatting... 7 Fonts... 7 Italics... 7 Boldface... 8 Underlining... 8 Headings... 8 Links... 8 Email addresses... 8 Lists... 9 Prohibited Content... 9 Files... 9 Graphics... 10 Photographs... 10 Alternative Text... 10 Documents... 11 Multimedia... 11 Third-party Copyrighted Material... 11 Resources... 12 Job Corps Data Center 2
Introduction This document establishes the publication standards and content style rules for all Web pages posted on public-facing Job Corps Web sites. The standards and procedures noted in this document should be used by all Job Corps Web site Editors and Reviewers. Questions or comments regarding this document should be directed to the JCDC Webmaster at webmaster@jobcorps.org. General Information It is Job Corps policy that all public-facing Job Corps Web content reside on Job Corps servers and be accessed only through official Job Corps Web addresses using the following URL convention: http://yoursitename.jobcorps.gov All public-facing Job Corps Web sites utilize standard templates which allow Job Corps to establish a cohesive presence on the World Wide Web to the general public. These templates comply with the accessibility requirements of Section 508 and the policy and content requirements set forth by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of Labor (DOL). Content Management Overview The Job Corps Data Center (JCDC) is responsible for any technical issues concerning the standard Web templates and servers. Each center is responsible for the content appearing on its public-facing Web site. Each center should have at least one Web Site Editor and at least one Web Site Reviewer. Centers are free to determine who will fill these roles. Note: Due to segregation of duties, no individual can fill both roles. Content Management Process The content management process for public-facing Job Corps Web sites is as follows: 1. The Web Site Editor makes changes to the site then notifies the Center Web Site Reviewer. 2. The Web Site Reviewer approves/declines the changes. a. Declined changes are then re-edited and re-submitted for review by the Web Site Editor. b. When changes have been approved, the Web Site Reviewer notifies the JCDC Webmaster. 3. The JCDC Webmaster reviews the changes for compliance with accessibility and content requirements. o o If the changes are not compliant, the JCDC Webmaster will inform the Web Site Reviewer of the corrections to be made. If the changes are compliant, they are then published to the Web. Job Corps Data Center 3
Detailed training on this process is covered in the JC Public-facing Center Web Sites presentation available in SIMON (https://simon.jobcorps.org). Content Review Center staff will be primarily responsible for reviewing their Web content regularly to ensure that it is accurate, timely, and informative to the general public. Center staff should also ensure that any links leading away from their respective sites are in working order and in compliance with Job Corps Linking Policy (which is located on the Privacy & Other Web Site Policies page of each public-facing Job Corps Web site). Note: Information on the formatting and usage of links can be found in the Content section of this document. The JCDC will also conduct periodic reviews of each center public-facing Web site to ensure that the content is accurate, timely, and compliant with accessibility and content requirements. Site Organization In compliance with OMB requirements, the Job Corps standard Web templates include a number of pages and links that must appear on all Job Corps public-facing Web sites. These include: Accessibility Statement Disclaimer Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) page Privacy & Other Web Site Policies Link to USA.gov Link to DOL s Web site Link to No Fear Act Data (on DOL s Web site) Additionally, the following pages must appear on each site with content specific to its center: Home Page About Us Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page Center Jobs Contact Us Site Map In addition to these requirements, the National Office of Job Corps has mandated that links to the national Job Corps Public Web site and the Job Corps Recruiting Web site must appear on the respective home pages of all Job Corps public-facing center Web sites. All other pages of the Job Corps standard templates have been included to allow centers to showcase noteworthy features of their respective campuses and programs. Job Corps Data Center 4
Dynamic Information Information on some sections of all public-facing Job Corps Web sites is dynamically taken from databases overseen by the JCDC. However, centers are responsible for ensuring that their respective information is correct in these databases. This information includes the following: Center job postings Center Job Postings Information about job openings at each center is taken from the Job Board application (located within the Job Corps Community Web site inside the Job Corps Citrix environment). Changes made to information on the Job Board will be updated immediately to the public-facing Web sites. Center staff is tasked with ensuring that this information is correct and timely as it not only appears on the center s Intranet and public-facing Web sites, but may also appear on the national Job Corps Public Web site. Content Writing Each Job Corps public-facing Web site is meant to be an official representation of the Job Corps program on the World Wide Web. The content of these sites is meant to engage the public in a professional manner. Capitalization Written content on every page of a Job Corps public-facing Web site should be clear, concise, and unambiguous. Keep in mind that our audience is the general public with a special emphasis towards young people ages 16-24 and their parents/guardians. All pages and documents available on a Job Corps public-facing Web site should be free from spelling and grammatical errors. Text should be written in plain language. Jargon, acronyms, and other terminology that the general public would not be familiar with should be avoided. Paragraphs should be brief, typically no longer than 50 words each. Content should not contradict other information found on the site nor contradict established Job Corps policies and directives. Content should be accurate and up-to-date. Outdated information should be removed as soon as possible. Capitalization should be employed in accordance with standard grammatical usage. Common words such as center or staff should not be capitalized unless they are used as part of a proper name. Correct: Schenck Job Corps Center employs various professionals on its staff. Job Corps Data Center 5
Acronyms Names Incorrect: The Center employs various professionals on its Staff. Also, the capitalization of entire words should only be used for acronyms and never for emphasis. (Words or phrases can be emphasized using italics and/or boldface.) The following is a list of terms that should always be capitalized whenever they appear on a Job Corps Web page: National Office of Job Corps National Director Regional Office Center Director National Training Contractor Internet Web Note: Web site should always be written as two separate words with a capital W. An acronym should be defined when it first appears on a Web page. The term should be spelled out followed by the acronym within parentheses. Thereafter, use the acronym without the parentheses. Examples: Department of Labor (DOL) Admissions Counselor (AC) To make an acronym plural, add a lowercase s only. To make the acronym possessive, add an apostrophe and a lowercase s. Examples: All ACs were invited. The AC s flight was cancelled. To avoid redundancy, do not repeat (next to an acronym) a word that is part of the acronym s definition. Examples (referring to Advanced Career Training): Correct: Students may enroll in ACT classes. Incorrect: Students may enroll in ACT training classes. Always use the proper name when referring to a Job Corps center. Correct: Quentin N. Burdick Job Corps Center Incorrect: Burdick JCC Job Corps Data Center 6
Numbers Dates Note: Per the National Office of Job Corps, a center should always refer to itself as a center (not as an academy, institute, etc.).centers operated by the U.S. Forest Service may refer to themselves as civilian conservation centers. Always spell out a state s name when using it within a sentence. A state s postal abbreviation should only be used within a mailing address. Correct: Gary Job Corps Center is located in San Marcos, Texas. Incorrect: Gary Job Corps Center is located in San Marcos, TX. Whole numbers 1-9 within text should be spelled out. Use numerals for numbers 10 or greater. Phone numbers should be written using the following format: o (555) 123-4567 If a phone number includes an extension, it should be formatted as: o (555) 123-4567 Ext. 890 If a complete date appears in the middle of a sentence, a comma should be placed after the year. Do not use ordinals to denote the day. Correct: The conference will be held on August 30, 2012, in Washington, D.C. Incorrect: The conference will be held on August 30th, 2012 in Washington, D.C. A comma is not needed between the month and year if the day is not included. Formatting Fonts Italics Correct: July 2012 Incorrect: July, 2012 Fonts used for text in the Job Corps standard Web templates have been pre-formatted to be accessible to the widest audience of Web users. Adjustment of the size and color of the fonts is not recommended. Italics can be used to emphasize a word or phrase within text. Italics can also be used to denote a title of an article or document. However, italics should not be used in the following instances: Anything longer than a single sentence Entire headings Entire image or table captions Job Corps Data Center 7
Boldface Underlining Headings Links Like italics, boldface can be used to emphasize a word or phrase within text. However, it should not be used for anything longer than a single sentence. Note: The use of boldface to mimic the look of headings is not recommended. Underlining should not be used for anything other than links. Headings used in the Job Corps standard Web template have been pre-formatted to help present information in a logical fashion on a Web page. The recommended uses for headings are: Heading 1 (for page headings) Heading 2 (for section headings) Heading 3 (for subsection headings) Heading 4 (for sub-subsection headings) Heading 5 (for sub-sub-subsection headings) Heading 6 (for sub-sub-sub-subsection headings) Note: Altering page text to mimic the look of these headings is not recommended. Words underlined as a link should describe what the user would find at the linked page or Web site. Avoid using generic phrases such as click here ; such a phrase does not adequately describe the link to the user. Email addresses All links on Job Corps public-facing Web sites should be in working order and in compliance with Job Corps Linking Policy. Per DOL, links to center operator corporate Web sites are not allowed. All email addresses appearing on public-facing Job Corps Web sites should appear as links and utilize an approved federal government domain. Job Corps email addresses should use the following address convention: user.name@jobcorps.gov Note: Per DOL, email addresses with the @jobcorps.org domain are for internal Job Corps use only and should not appear on public-facing Web sites. Email addresses with the @jobcorps.gov domain have been established for all Job Corps network users. Staff at centers operated by the U.S. Forest Service may use email addresses utilizing the @fs.fed.us domain. Job Corps Data Center 8
Email addresses of non-government, third-party entities are not allowed on Job Corps publicfacing Web sites. Example: name@yahoo.com Lists Unordered lists should be organized in a logical order. Alphabetical order is preferred. Example: Apples Grapes Oranges Ordered lists should be used to denote a sequence of events. Example: 1. Outreach and Admissions 2. Career Preparation Period 3. Career Development Period 4. Career Transition Period Prohibited Content Files The following types of content are not allowed on a Job Corps public-facing Web site: Offensive, inflammatory, or otherwise inappropriate content. Protected personally identifiable information (PII) of students, staff, or other persons. Soliciting for advertisers and/or sponsors not approved by the National Office or DOL. Content that lobbies for a particular political party or position. All files appearing on Job Corps public-facing Web sites (including pages) should have relatively short, yet meaningful, names. Long titles can be abbreviated, and known acronyms can be utilized in the name. Spaces should not be used within a file name. Use underscores in place of spaces or simply merge the words in the file name together. Examples: filename.pdf file_name.pdf Note: When selecting a name, consider how the name may be perceived. If it is possible that someone may find the name inappropriate or offensive, choose a different name. Job Corps Data Center 9
Graphics The only permitted graphic file types are.jpg,.gif, and.png. Each individual graphic file is limited to a maximum of 150 kilobytes (KB). Graphics should be Web-ready with a maximum resolution of 72 dpi. Animated.gifs are not allowed on Job Corps Web sites. Note: When placing graphics on a Web page, keep in mind that a sizable portion of the Web audience may be using slow Internet connections, such as dial-up, to access the page. Care should be taken to ensure that users are not inconvenienced by long loading times. All graphics must be reviewed by the JCDC Webmaster before being uploaded to a center Web site s libraries. Graphics for consideration should be sent to webmaster@jobcorps.org. Graphics depicting individuals must be accompanied by the appropriate releases. (See the Photographs section of this guide). Photographs A photograph of a person or persons (students, staff, etc.) cannot be used without a signed release for each individual appearing in the image. Copies of signed releases will need to be kept on file at the JCDC. PRH Exhibit 6-13 is the release form for adult students and for staff. (Please indicate on form if it is being used for a staff member.) PRH Exhibit 6-14 is the release form for minor students. Photographs for consideration should be sent to the JCDC Webmaster at webmaster@jobcorps.org. Copies of signed releases may be sent to the JCDC Webmaster via email or by fax to (512) 804-2046, Attn: JCDC Web Team. Photographs from third-party sources cannot be used on Job Corps public-facing Web pages. This includes photographs taken from online image searches, newspapers, royalty-free sources, or collections included with software applications. Alternative Text Graphics must have alternative text (or alt text ) as required by Section 508. The alt text describes the graphic to users of text-based browsers and screen readers. Ideally, alt text should be a concise, literal description of the graphic s content. Example (describing a photo of the Center Director meeting volunteers): When writing alt text: Correct: The Center Director meets with student volunteers in the cafeteria. Incorrect: Director and volunteers Avoid using names of colors to describe items in a graphic. o Correct: Smiling student wearing a hardhat with the Job Corps logo Job Corps Data Center 10
o Incorrect: Smiling student wearing a yellow hardhat with a red, white, and blue Job Corps logo Avoid using image of, photo of, or graphic of in alt text as these phrases are redundant for users of text-based browsers and screen readers. Avoid using words or phrases that may be misinterpreted when spoken aloud. o o Documents Correct: Student reading about young people in Asia Incorrect: Student reading about youth in Asia (may be misinterpreted as Student reading about euthanasia ) Documents posted on Job Corps public-facing Web sites should be in Portable Document Format (.pdf). Links to documents should include the name of the document, its file size, and file type. Example: Parents Guide to Job Corps (919 kb PDF file) PDF files should be generated from text or Word files, rather than generated from a scanned image of a document. Scanned documents tend to produce very large files and are not accessible to screen readers. All documents must be reviewed by the JCDC Webmaster before being uploaded to a center Web site s libraries. Documents for consideration should be sent to webmaster@jobcorps.org. Documents with photos of individuals must be accompanied by the appropriate releases. (See the Photographs section of this guide). Note: When adding PDF files to a Web page, be sure to include the link to the free downloadable PDF viewer (which is included as a control within the Job Corps standard templates). Multimedia The standard multimedia format for Job Corps public-facing Web sites is Flash with synchronized captioning. Note: Due to possible accessibility issues, centers should not post multimedia content on their sites without first consulting the JCDC. Third-party Copyrighted Material Copyrighted material from third-party sources should not be used on Job Corps public-facing Web pages. This includes clip art, photographs, or other graphics taken from online image searches, newspapers, royalty-free sources, or collections included with software applications. Job Corps Data Center 11
Resources Job Corps Style Guide - Available from inside Citrix only at http://jcweb.jobcorps.org/pages/userguides.aspx HowTo.gov: Web Content http://www.howto.gov/web-content Section508.gov: The Road to Accessibility http://www.section508.gov PlainLanguage.gov: Improving Communication from the Federal Government to the Public http://www.plainlanguage.gov Job Corps Data Center 12