Guide for Web Editors

Unit heads (department head, dean, vice president, or their designee) are responsible for identifying individuals to serve as Web Editors. These Web Editors are full-time, continuing employees of the University. The University Web Team advises having a minimum of two Web Editors per college or division. The maximum number of Web Editors per area will be decided by the University Web Team to mitigate the number of individuals with CMS permissions.

As a Web Editor, you are responsible for:

• Maintaining web content that is pertinent to your individual area, as directed by the University Web Team.
• Completing the mandatory CMS training module as conducted by the University Web Team.

Web Editors may be assigned the following roles within WordPress:

• Web Author (Secondary-level role for slightly more advanced contributors):
  • Has greater access and can publish and create new pages.
  • Possesses strong writing skills, basic knowledge of working with multimedia, and a basic understanding of web accessibility guidelines.
  • Required to complete basic CMS training and stay current with all CMS access requirements.
  • The Web Team advises a commitment to spend at least two years as a contributor, devoting a specific set of hours per week (5-10 hours minimum) to web content maintenance.
• Web Contributor (Entry-level role):
  • Can make text edits to existing content.
  • Cannot publish changes to the live site, upload files, or create new pages. They will save changes and work through their college/division Web Author to publish updates.
  • Required to complete basic CMS training and stay current with all CMS access requirements.

The Web Advisory Council also plays a role by serving as liaisons between their units and University Communications and Marketing and reporting website issues to the Web Team.

Getting Started & Maintaining Access

CMS access is available to Georgia Southern employees who have been designated as a Web Editor. Student employees, graduate assistants, or term employees may have CMS access at the Contributor level, with the permission of their unit head and the University Web Team Webmaster or their designee. To request access, review the UCM guide to Website Login Credentials and Training.

To keep a CMS account in good standing, CMS users will need to:

• Log into the system at least once a year.
• Follow all web standards and guidelines in maintaining pages.
• Review pages each semester to ensure content remains up-to-date.
• Complete annual refresher training and stay up-to-date with required video trainings.

Accounts that remain inactive for more than one year will be deactivated by the University Web Team.

Website Support

To request support from the Web Team, follow the process outlined within the Web Policies & Procedures document. Requests will be received on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please allow a minimum of two business days for request review before a member of the Web Team reaches out to confirm receipt and begin discussion on implementation.

Requesting a New Website

The University’s CMS is the primary platform at Georgia Southern for public-facing websites. Requests for new sites outside of the CMS will be considered if there is a distinct business need not supported by the University CMS and alignment with university strategic priorities.

• Vanity URLs require approval from University Communications and Marketing, should be limited to two words, and should not include more than one navigation level. To request a vanity URL, follow the process outlined within the Web Policies & Procedures document.

Additional Resources

• SiteImprove – weekly reports of broken links & misspellings on your area’s websites.
• Event Calendar