DDD Letter #78

Web Page Statement

Reformatted: February 18, 1998

As a service to the University community, the University of Connecticut Computer Center offers University students, staff, and faculty with individual Computer Center Accounts the opportunity to maintain individual World Wide Web home pages. Similarly, many departments and individuals have equipment which allow for the creation of individual World Wide Web home pages. The privilege of maintaining such a page will ordinarily terminate when the individual's account expires or when he or she severs official connection with the University.

Any person maintaining such a page on any University equipment must of course maintain it in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, and with the policies and rules relating to University Computer Center accounts and must conform to the University's policy on Computer Use dated December 1994. Additional information and references exist at web site: www.uconn.edu/about/. In particular, you should know that most written or graphic material prepared by others is likely copyright protected, and it is improper to display on your Web page material copyrighted by someone else without the copyright holder's permission. Both of these policies can be found at web site: vm.uconn.edu/~wwwucc/uccpols.html.

We hope you remember that the University community is dedicated not only to free inquiry but also to civility and respect for others. Inevitably, outsiders' impressions of the University are influenced by the words and acts of members of the University community. Although the University is not in the censoring business, you should avoid personal abuse and needless offense to other people.

These Web pages are maintained by individuals in their individual capacity, and statements of fact and opinion on them do not represent official University opinion or policy. To avoid confusion, if you have reason to believe that something on your page is controversial, we urge that you include on your home page an explicit statement that the views are yours and not necessarily those of the University. You can get a standard disclaimer for your use at www.uconn.edu/about/disclaim.html. In rare cases where it appears that confusion has or is likely to occur, the Computer Center reserves the right to insist that an appropriate disclaimer be included.

Space on an individual's Web page is for that person's use only and may not be rented, leased, hired, or given to any other person or entity. In addition, Web pages are for personal, not business uses. You may not use a University-hosted Web page for business purposes, whether the business is yours or someone else's.

The University maintains a "classified ads" bulletin board on the "paperboy.uconn.edu" news server as news group uconn.forsale. You post to this as you would any news group. We urge you to make use of this board for personal items you may have for sale, since you are more likely to reach a broader audience.

Remember that material stored on your Web page will be discarded by the Computer Center or your webmaster when your account expires. In addition, Web pages are not for commercial use. If you have stored material that you want to use later, be sure to make arrangements for its permanent storage (probably on your own computer) before the account expires. As a courtesy to others, if your home page includes links to other pages, please check the links from time to time to make sure that they are active and still serve the purpose for which you put them there. Outdated links are always annoying and sometimes misleading. It is always good practice to include a "last updated" date on material you post for others to view. See www.uconn.edu/about/ for suggested criteria and guidelines.

As usual, this communication and other informational mailings to Deans, Directors, and Department Heads are viewable on the Computer Center Policies web page at the following address: http://vm.uconn.edu/~wwwucc/uccpols.html.