Branding/Hosting Collaborative Websites

Collaborative websites are sites shared by University of Maine Cooperative Extension and at least one other partner.

When UMaine Extension is providing the majority of funds for a collaborative program, we will host collaborative web pages on UMaine Extension’s website as part of the University of Maine content management system and provide staff resources for free. Pages will be branded to match UMaine’s site and the URL will adhere to UMaine’s domain naming policy, which means it must include “umaine.edu” in the site address. We can prominently include logos and links to all partners, which may be displayed below the top banner or on a separate sponsors’ page, depending on the number of partners and the amount of support they are providing.

When UMaine Extension is providing equal or less funding for a collaborative program, and our partner(s) does not wish to use UMaine’s template and free hosting services for a collaborative website, content may be posted on a third party site, either created and maintained by the partner(s) or created and maintained by UMaine Extension.

Please note: In either case, a summary of UMaine Extension’s collaborative content will be posted on a landing page hosted on extension.umaine.edu. The summary will be submitted to a Program Administrator for approval and all content (text, video, audio, images, etc.) will be submitted to the webmaster, who will recommend the inclusion of strategic keywords and navigational links to aid SEO (search engine optimization) and ensure adherence to best web practices, including ADA compliance and the prevention of copyright infringement, libel, and invasion of privacy. If staff would like to include video on any University of Maine/University of Maine Cooperative Extension website, they will follow the protocol for video creation.

When the third party site is created by UMaine Extension: The UMaine Extension webmaster will set up the collaborative website using WordPress on a third party hosting service. There may be an annual hosting fee. All partners can have administrative access to the site.

When the third party site is created by the partner(s): The UMaine Extension webmaster will be given administrative access to the site to allow for the rapid removal of illegal or inappropriate content, or deletion of the site in the event the site is abandoned by its original creators/owners. Content on the third party site should be either 1) reviewed by UMaine Extension’s webmaster before the site is made public, or 2) be a duplicate of the approved content on UMaine Extension’s landing page.