Web communications are an essential medium for the University of Idaho. They serve as the primary interface between organizations and their audiences, offering a platform to share information, engage with users, and promote services or products. They enhance our digital presence, improve customer engagement, and provide a seamless user experience. By integrating our design, navigation, and interactive features, we can effectively convey messages, build brand identity, and foster trust with our visitors, colleagues, and students.
Not all communications are for every audience. As we revamp our main site it is important to identify our content and usher audiences to the right web repository. Many of the locations are controlled by login. Also, some enhancements to the content may not be possible available based on departmental resource availability.
Below is a list of standard web content locations and intended content for each. The links in the last column take you to the various locations for requesting access.
INTERNET VS. INTRANET
Internet (uidaho.edu)
The external website (uidaho.edu) is used primarily to promote the university and inform prospective students, families, community members and public entities about what the university has to offer.
Intranet (InsideUI)
The intranet (insideui.uidaho.edu) is used for everyday work within the university, including official forms, departmental information, meeting minutes, etc. The intranet is typically much larger than the external internet site, since most departments keep internal documents that should not be posted on the internet on the university intranet. Intranet users are employees and/or students who know about the university’s structure, terminology and circumstances. The intranet is much more task-oriented than the internet, focusing on efficiency rather than aesthetics.
Other Web Site Sources
VERSO (Vandal Expertise, Research, and Scholarship Online)
VERSO preserves and provides access to the research and creative output of the U of I faculty, students, and staff.
Canvas
Hosted by Instructure and intended to be used for all content used by students.
Research (Hosted by RCDS)
Web hosting for research specific services and needs across institutions.
MANAGING YOUR SITE
There are many groups that support the various platforms referenced in this document. Below are links to various university resources for support and use.
Quick Tips to Remember
- FERPA, HIPAA and other confidential information should ONLY be used on these sites if University of Idaho authorized authentication is used.
- Accessibility is a requirement. Please see FSH 6400 for more information.
- Users don’t read - they scan.
- Users follow their intuition.
- Users appreciate quality & credibility.
- Users are looking for clear and direct information.
- To avoid confusion, it is recommended that each content area reference their contact information for any questions related to their area.
University Communications and Marketing Web Team
University Communications and Marketing (UCM) is the site owner for any uidaho.edu branded site. The UCM Web Team offers a variety of resources available to help with planning and maintenance related to your external facing page.
Office of Information Technology
OIT is the site provider for the platform that is used by InsideUI. These are maintained by the individual departments as the owners of their specific content. Those areas are responsible for any support for their area.
Support information for content owners of InsideUI content can be found on the OIT Support Knowledge Base.
Library
VERSO is provided by the UI Library. Support information can be found on their FAQ page and other associated pages. Technical questions can be sent to lib-verso@uidaho.edu.
Canvas
Hosted by Instructure and supported by CETL. Please reference support information on the Canvas Help pages.
Research Sites
Hosted by Research Computing & Data Services. Please refer to the RCDS website for contact information on support for their services.
ACCESSIBILITY TOOLS
To assist with keeping your content accessible to all audiences, below is a list of resources available for your use. In addition, Canvas has a tool built into the platform.