Appropriate Use of Personal Web Page Publishing on People.unt.edu

By Dr. Philip Baczewski, Associate Director of Academic Computing

Over the last several years, there has been some confusion as to the appropriate use of the personal Web page service provided by Academic Computing Services via http://people.unt.edu/. Most of these cases have come to our attention when excessive space has been used or requested. The following policy statement describes the appropriate use of personal Web pages:

The following standards apply to all individuals who use a UNT Internet

Account to publish a Web page on people.unt.edu.

 

* Web pages published on people.unt.edu are for personal expression only and should not be used for any official business of the University of North Texas, including but not limited to:

 

Class Notes;

 

Class Assignments;

 

Departmental or Organizational information.

 

* Web publishers are responsible for the content of the pages they publish

and must abide by all applicable UNT policies, and State or Federal law

 

* Commercial use of Web space on people.unt.edu is prohibited by UNT policy and State law

 

* Web publishers are expected to maintain standards of quality that will earn the university respect in all of its communities of interest

 

* Academic Computing Services reserves the right to disable Web pages that occupy excessive space, generate excessive traffic, or which violate Copyright law, UNT policies or State or Federal law

The complete UNT Internet Services policies can be found at http://www.unt.edu/ACSUNIX/policies/general.html#internet

Why the restrictions?

Because people.unt.edu is intended for personal Web page publishing, there are several reasons why it is innapropriate for other use. Publication of official information or required use for University business such as teaching could cause the entirety of pages published to be considered a University publication. This could impact the University negatively should copyright or libel issues come up in regard to someone's personal page. Limited space is available for personal pages and under no circumstances will storage space be provided which exceeds the published quota for individual pages.

Other Web Publishing Services

People.unt.edu/ is just one Web publishing service offered by the Computing Center. Departmental or Organizational Web pages are supported as a service of Academic Computing's Central Web Support group [http://www.unt.edu/Webinfo/services.htm]. Those needing Web space to support class materials should first consult with their department's computer support staff, but alternatively may wish to take advantage of course material delivery via WebCT [http://Webct.unt.edu/]. If you require Web resources to support class activity by your students, Academic Computing can provide such a service upon request. Accounts can be created based upon your class roles and space and resources can be tailored to your class needs. Requests for class Web space should be directed to Dr. Philip Baczewski, Associate Director of Academic Computing (baczewski@unt.edu).