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DHHS Redesign Project
Webmaster Notes

The DHHS website will come into the 21st century with the redesigned DHHS website. This project will encompass dozens of existing websites, and make our department more easily understood by the people we serve. Unified navigation will mean our programs and services will be easily found, and a powerful search engine means even very specialized information can be accessed easily.

If you are a current webmaster in one of the department’s divisions or offices, your involvement will be key to the success of the project. Webmaster Notes is a tool for you to be informed about the project, and for learning your role in it.

The website: www.ncdhhs.gov/redesignproject has more general information about the project, including all correspondence with division directors, all minutes from meetings with the various content teams, and, now a link to this Webmaster Notes newsletter.

Who is behind the Website Redesign Project

October 2006:

• Linda Povlich, Senior Advisor to the Secretary, is the project sponsor.
• Lois Nilsen in Public Affairs is the project director.
• Maggie Nasso in DIRM is the project manager.
• Content teams from across the department are meeting to organize and the material.
• The DIRM web team will help develop a tool, and a design, for the website.

About the New DHHS URL and What Webmasters Need to Do

October 2006: DHHS has acquired the URL www.ncdhhs.gov. This has several advantages:

1. It’s easy to remember. (How many of you can rattle off www.dhhs.state.nc.us?)

2. It quickly identifies us as a valid government entity. In this age when posers are acquiring .com addresses, having a trustworthy URL is very important. (For example, go to www.ncdhhs.com.)

3. It provides an easy way to give a memorable URL to our programs and services. For example, www.asthma.dhhs.gov is short enough to remember, and short enough to publish on a poster. And it gives this program a trustworthy.GOV address.

4. It's in keeping with the state direction ... from ncgov.com to nc.gov.

What do I as a webmaster need to do about the new URL?

It depends on your current address. (By the way, your division directors have been told about this. Read Linda Povlich's email to division directors on URLs.)

Divisions whose current website addresses begin with www.dhhs.state.nc.us:

• For the following divisions, the entire website is navigable using the new URL.
  www.ncdhhs.gov/dss
  www.ncdhhs.gov/dma
  www.ncdhhs.gov/aging
  www.ncdhhs.gov/oeo
  www.ncdhhs.gov/mhddsas
  www.ncdhhs.gov/budgetandanalysis
  www.ncdhhs.gov/ocs
  www.ncdhhs.gov/control
  www.ncdhhs.gov/humanresources
  www.ncdhhs.gov/publicaffairs
  www.ncdhhs.gov/dsb
• Webmasters from these divisions should place a “Change your Bookmark” notice onto the home page. An image for this purpose can be obtained from the DHHS home page, with a link to the new URL. See the DHHS home page for an example.
• Any reference in your website to www.dhhs.state.nc.us should go to www.ncdhhs.gov. That includes links to the DHHS home page, plus links to the home pages or any interior pages any of the above divisions. For example:
  • www.dhhs.state.nc.us/docs/division.htm changes to www.ncdhhs.gov/docs/division.htm
  • www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dss/cse/index.htm changes to www.ncdhhs.gov/dss/cse/index.htm
• Relative links on your website will be fine; you need to make no changes to those. But if you link to other divisions, or to the departmental home page (and all should have a link to the departmental home page), and those links are spelled out in your code, change www.dhhs.state.nc.us to www.ncdhhs.gov

These divisions should immediately begin to use new URLs on all publications, letterhead, and business cards.

Sites with Website Addresses in other Formats:

Divisions not listed above, and websites that are not division home sites, need to do the following:

• Any reference in your website to www.dhhs.state.nc.us should go to www.ncdhhs.gov. That includes links to the DHHS home page, plus links to the home pages or any interior pages any of the above divisions. For example:
  • www.dhhs.state.nc.us/docs/division.htm changes to www.ncdhhs.gov/docs/division.htm
  • www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dss/cse/ changes to www.ncdhhs.gov/dss/cse/

List of Current DHHS Sites and Webmasters

October 2006: Keeping track of all the DHHS websites is a challenge. Here is the current list in Excel. Please email the DHHS webmaster with corrections.