GOV
Short URLs on stlouis-mo.gov Policy
Short URLs on stlouis-mo.gov Policy
1. Purpose
This document describes the policy that governs the creation of short urls on stlouis-mo.gov and outlines the criteria and procedure for requesting short URLs on stlouis-mo.gov.
2. Scope
To support the official City of St. Louis website domain name.
To provide a method to facilitate promotion of Organization's website, high profile initiatives, functions, and/or services.
To provide an alternative to the address defined by the physical location of the website on the official City website with a shorter, friendlier address.
To encourage the use of short urls on business cards, official letterhead, and other promotional purposes.
3. Background
Organization within the City of St. Louis government who had a need for friendlier urls did not have a convenient internal solution. City organizations registered separate domain names with outside providers. Inconsistent naming conventions undermined the City's ability to establish its official web site name as a brand.
4. Definitions
Url - Uniform Resource Locator, a protocol for specifying addresses on the Internet.
Domain name - An organization's unique name on the Internet.
5. Legislation
Not Applicable.
6. Policy
It is the policy of the City of St. Louis that short-urls can be generated when requests meet the criteria established in this policy.
6.1 Format
6.1.1 Requests apply only to the Official City of St. Louis Domain Name.
6.1.2 Short urls can be assigned only at a subsite level (not at page level)
6.1.3 Short urls format is: Official City of St. Louis Domain Name followed by a short site name
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Example of approved format:
6.2 Criteria for sites eligible for short URL
6.2.1 City Offices, Agencies, Quasi-Agencies, or Departments (Divisions will inherit from the parent organization)
6.2.2 High profile initiative must meet the following criteria for eligibility:
- active for at least of 12 months
- primarily about a city service and/or primary function
- a site with substantive content
6.3 Limits
6.3.1 Default one short URL per subsite and/or department.
6.3.2 If a compelling case is presented, a second short-url for the same site can be granted
6.3.3 Limit is two short-url for the same subsite
6.3.4 Special characters other than "dash" are not possible in domain names including short-urls. Naming must follow the files and directory naming guidelines outlined in the website style guide.
7. Procedure
Short-url requests are submitted to, reviewed, approved, and created by the ITSA.
Appointing Authorities, Department Directors, Office holders or their designee submit requests to ITSA.
Request is submitted using the online form and sent to ITSA, Web Development.
The Website Policy Committee's reviews requests for changes to the procedure for evaluating short url requests.
Request that meet eligibility criteria will be created within 10 working days from the time the request is received.
Request for short URLs that are outside the approved categories will be evaluated by ITSA. A decision will be provided to the requesting organization website contact within 10 working days of submission.
Request for changes to the short-url policy is submitted to the Website Policy Committee for inclusion in the agenda of the next scheduled meeting.
8. Verification / Authorization / Approved by
Website Policy Committee, adopted on 4/27/2011.
