University Calendar Best Practices

Content

The areas where we see the most challenges in posted event content are listed below with some best practices. The university follows AP style and has a complementary house style guide for voice and tone and unit references. For consistency and clarity, the university’s editorial style must also be followed for calendar listings.

Title

Relevant information that is at most 10 words. Also, avoid acronyms in your titles.

Summary

Succinct information about the event that does not exceed 45 words. This information is displayed on your calendar group public page. It is also often pulled into feeds displayed on various units’ websites.

Location

Use an actual address in this field; if it is virtual, use the online event option. Do not type in virtual.

Event Description

Use this section to provide a maximum of three paragraphs of additional information that is not a direct copy and paste of the summary. If an official webpage supports registration or full details, please link to it rather than duplicate the information in the calendar listing. Also, include a contact in this field with both a name and email address. When a visitor chooses the option to download the event to their calendar, this information is included in the shared file.

Links

Select the “Open link in new window” option for all links added to your copy. This allows users to continue interacting with the event posting while accessing the linked information separately.

Images

Image Field

For each calendar entry, post a relevant image for your event or choose your unit’s official lockup/logo if a unique image is not readily available. Using an image provides visual interest and improves search engine optimization (SEO) and ranking, particularly in Google.

Image Size

Due to recent changes in how website calendar feeds display, your images should be resized to a 16:9 aspect ratio (1920×1080 pixels). For those unfamiliar with resizing images, Adobe Express, which everyone at the university can access, has quick actions for resizing images. The resize app is free for all users, while the drag-and-drop template is accessible to all full-time/part-time employees and adjunct faculty through Adobe Creative Cloud.

Adobe Express Resize App

Open the Adobe Express Resize App in your browser. Upload your image. Once uploaded, you will see options to resize the image; choose custom. Once selected, input 1920 for the width and 1080 for the height; it will auto-resize. When complete, choose the download option.

Adobe Express Template

Use the Adobe Express template as a guide when resizing images. Replace the placeholder content and make sure the subject of the image is within the parameters of the 1920×1080 frame space. To download your image, choose “download” and “selected page.” Choose JPG (Best for small file sizes) as the file format from the dropdown menu.

Additionally, the template provides a space to design a graphic for use as the event image. Branded assets can be found on the left panel under ‘Brands’ and can be easily added to the frame space by clicking on the logo, color or font.

Image Optimization

In addition to resizing images, they will also need to be optimized for the web. A free browser-based tool like Tinify will reduce and compress your images without losing details. Images should not exceed 350 KB.

Image Alt Text

Alt text is required for all images to meet web accessibility requirements. Also, writing relevant alt text assists with SEO and provides contextual information for search engines on the content of your event. Keep the information short, descriptive and relevant — describe what a viewer would see. You can choose the decorative image option if the image is your logo or lockup.

Image Color Contrast

Check the contrast ratio between text and background colors for accessibility compliance. A free browser-based tool, like the WebAIM contrast checker, allows for a check between the foreground and background colors. The contrast ratio should be three or higher (3:1).

Image Text

Font selection is important and needs to be readable. Due to resolution limitations, avoid font sizes smaller than 60 points. Ten characters or less is the suggested line length, as the text must be concise for representation in alt text.

Style and Accessibility

Texas A&M and The Texas A&M University System follow the Associated Press (AP) Style Guide. Please reference the Texas A&M University Editorial Style Guide to ensure university standards are met when writing and creating events for the calendar. Specifically, the Writing for the Web section provides information on content SEO and accessibility.