Kansas State University

University home page feature guidelines

The Division of Communications and Marketing manages and maintains the university home page, including the feature section of the page. A variety of audiences — both internal and external — visit the university home page. Therefore, every feature we post must have broad audience appeal. That said, priority will be placed on external audiences wanting to learn more about Kansas State University through our:

• Accolades/achievements
• Research
• Opportunities for engagement
• Other exceptional news

Scheduling

The static feature space is updated approximately once each week, keeping the feature content fresh, timely and aligned with institutional priorities as they evolve. One feature displays at a time, a practice established as a result of the latest usability research conducted by the Division of Communications and Marketing. A feature calendar is curated in advance to ensure diversity of imagery and topics and an inclusive institutional representation across the board.

Submit a feature topic for consideration

The Division of Communications and Marketing is open to hearing your ideas for future home page features that follow the strategy outlined above, as all feature content should serve the university mission/vision, goals and strategic initiatives.

Feature submission requirements and policy

1. If you would like to submit a home page feature for consideration, please email a desired feature image, desired text (which may be edited for style), a desired go-live date, and a website to link to the feature administrator, Ashley Martin, ashley07@k-state.edu.
   1. Please note that the image you provide should be sized to 1280 x 465 pixels at 72 dpi. It should also be optimized for the Web.
2. Please contact the administrator and submit your materials no less than four weeks before your feature's requested start date, as the feature calendar is built out in advance.
   1. Failure to submit all materials by this deadline could delay an approved request being posted.
3. The Division of Communications and Marketing has the right to both prioritize feature submissions and to decline feature submissions that do not meet these criteria.
   1. If a feature is declined, please note that that decision may not necessarily be based on the topic itself; it may be based on space availability and scheduling priorities already established.
4. If your topic is approved/selected, the Division of Communications and Marketing will take your submitted image and text to create a feature.
   1. Feature images will then be approved by the administrator and the Division of Communications and Marketing through our editing/review process. Images and text are subject to change during the review process.
5. Home page features will be displayed for a maximum of one week unless an exception is permitted. Scheduling is done at the discretion of the home page administrator and will be based on priority.

For questions or to submit a feature idea, contact the administrator, Ashley Martin, at ashley07@k-state.edu or 785-532-2535.

Featuring events

Event-oriented features are discouraged in the university home page feature space, as the university home page has a dedicated Events Layer connected to Localist, the K-State event calendar.

To have a featured event on the K-State homepage, events must include an appropriate and engaging image. The image must be square. It should be at least 300 x 300 pixels to be considered as a featured event.

Please note that depending on the time of year and the number of events listed per day, your event may or may not appear in the home page list. It will, however, appear on the full calendar list. Adding an event-specific image is a best practice to increase the visibility of your event.

The Web Services unit within the Division of Communications and Marketing also provides additional instructions about the Localist K-State event calendar system on its website. Instructions are also available for attaining calendar access if needed.

Please note that events can also be promoted on-campus by utilizing the digital signage network.