Help

• General help

• Technical help

• External sites

• PDFs and Adobe Acrobat

• Plug-ins

• Information for new Internet users

• Cookies and 'Web-bugs'

• Help with Access

• Search and Find

General Help

Using the Herefordshire Council website

Q
How do I know which area of the site I am using?
A
The grey text at the top of the screen shows where you are in the structure of the Council's website. The current web page is shown in relation to its parents - think of it as a family tree! This shows you which part of the site you are in. For example:

You Are Here: Home | Business

Q
How can I move to a different area of the site?
A
You can use the navigation on the left of the screen to move to new areas of the site. You can also use the breadcrumb near the top of the page. This changes to show the area and page of the site that you are currently using.

Back to top

Still need further help?

Q
I cannot find the answer to my question.
A
If you are still having problems or have a question that you want to ask, visit the Contact us page to send us your query by email.

Technical help

If you are having technical problems with the site, these FAQs will be able to help you.

Equipment

Q
Which browsers can I use to access this site?
A
This site should function with all browsers. If you are experiencing particular difficulties we would like to know. For users with disabilities please refer to the Accessibility Statement. This website has been designed to support as wide a variety of browser and operating system combinations as possible. Browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 and Netscape Navigator 4 or those from other suppliers will allow the user to access the site and use the pages but might not display the site as designed, nor provide the user with the best experience of using the website. Most browser suppliers will allow you to upgrade for free, either because they don't charge for their browser or because you have bought a previous version. To upgrade your browser go to the supplier's web site and follow the instructions provided.

Q
Why doesn't my browser display the web site properly?
A
In order to support as wide a range of browsers as possible and allow users of all abilities (including those with a visual impairment or physical disability) to access http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/ , the site has been developed according to recognised standards set down by the

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). One of these standards is for the use of Cascading Style Sheets so that the site supports any browser that in turn supports this standard. Some browsers, particularly earlier versions, either do not, or only partially support, this standard. These browsers might not display the site text and graphics properly. We have taken steps to minimise adverse effects.

Q
Which browsers can I use to access http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/ ?
A
For the best results when using our website the following minimum browser and operating system combinations are recommended:

For Windows PC:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5, Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, Netscape Navigator 6.2.2, Opera 6.01.

• For users with disabilities the following are recommended (please also refer to the Accessibility Statement section of this web site for further information on accessibility): Jaws 3.7. Lynx 2.8.3.

For Macintosh:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.1, Netscape Navigator 6.2.2. Linux Netscape Navigator 6.2.2.

Q
What if I don't have one of the recommended browsers?
A
This website has been designed to support as wide a variety of browser and operating system combinations as possible. Browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 and Netscape Navigator 4 or those from other suppliers will allow the user to access the site and use the pages but might not display the site as designed, nor provide the user with the best experience of using the website. Most browser suppliers will allow you to upgrade for free, either because they don't charge for their browser or because you have bought a previous version. To upgrade your browser go to the supplier's web site and follow the instructions provided.

Q
Which screen resolution should I use for displaying http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/ ?
A
The recommended minimum display settings for the our web pages are 800x600 and 16-bit colour (65,356 colours or thousands of colours depending on your operating system). For information on adjusting the display resolution try the help files of your operating system or consult the manufacturer's website.

Back to top

External sites

Q
I am trying to access an external website but keep receiving error messages.
A
We cannot guarantee the operation of other organisations' websites. There are many reasons why such a website might be unavailable, from server-side problems like addressing and scripting, to browser issues. If, however, you continue to have problems linking to a site from our website please email us at editor@herefordshire.gov.uk.

Q
How quick is access to external websites from http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/ ?
A
This depends on the transmission speed of your modem. A minimum transmission speed of 28.8KBps is recommended. A 14.4KBps modem will work although your connection will be slower.

Back to top

PDF files and Adobe Acrobat

Q
What is Acrobat Reader?
A
Some webpages are not written in HTML but in a special format called Portable Data Format (PDF). Browsers cannot display PDF documents so you will need a plug-in program called Adobe Acrobat Reader. This program lets you magnify and find screen text. It is freely available from the Adobe website. The Adobe Acrobat Reader download is also commonly available on CD-ROMs and is often preloaded on computers. We have provided links to help you get the Adobe Reader wherever we have made a PDF available.

If you experience problems viewing a PDF it may be worth checking which version of Adobe Reader you have and seeing if a more recent version will help.

AOL 9 and Adobe Reader 8

There have been occurrences of users not being able to open PDF documents correctly when using AOL's internet software in conjunction with Adobe Reader version 8. It is recommended that users download the latest version of Adobe Reader as it resolves the issue. You can download it via the link: http://get.adobe.com/reader/.

Back to top

Plug-ins

Q
What is a plug-in?
A
A plug-in is a program that enables a browser to access multimedia zones on the web. No plug-ins are needed to access herefordshire.gov.uk, although some might be needed for accessing audio, video or special file formats on websites to which we link. Some external websites may offer you a download of the plug-in needed to view the site. Where this is the case you should receive clear instructions on screen. Be aware there may be legal and system requirements you need to satisfy.

Back to top

Information for new Internet users

Q
As a beginner, where can I get information about the Internet?
A
We do not provide basic information about computers, networks and the Internet. However, if you are new to this subject a good place to start is the

BBC WebWise site. For advice on how to use the Internet visit a UKonline centre. These have been set up to help everyone in the UK who wants to learn how to access to the Internet.

Cookies and 'Web-bugs'

Q
What is a cookie?
A
Many websites use cookies to "remember" information about you. A cookie is a program sent by the server to your computer. It makes it more convenient for you by allowing you to visit pages within a site without having to reintroduce yourself with each mouse click.

http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/ uses cookies but does not use them for any personal identifiable information. Our Privacy Statement tells you all about them, how we use them on this site and how to opt out.

Q
What are 'Web-bugs'
A
A 'Web-bug' is a graphics file, generally a 1 x 1 pixel transparent image, placed on a web page to help monitor its usage. Our site, http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/, uses 'web-bugs' to help us gather visitor trends information for developing our content as effectively as possible. We do not use it to gather any personal identifiable information. Choosing not to take part in our visitor trend analysis disables the 'web-bug'.

If you are concerned about your privacy while visiting this site, read our Privacy Statement

Help with access

If you're having problems accessing information on this site see our Accessibility Statement for help. If you continue to experience difficulties then we would like to know, visit the Contact us page to send us your query by email.

Accessibility Standards

Q
What standards does this website meet for accessibility?
A
The site meets World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) A-level standard. You can read more about these standards at the WWW consortium website.

Back to top

Search and Find

Help with searching, using directories and finding the information you need.

Search tips

Every page on the Herefordshire Council website has a simple search box at the top right of the screen (alongside the Apple Logo). The simple search box searches all of our content at http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/ but it also searches the Council's Education website http://www.education.herefordshire.gov.uk/ and the Herefordshire Partnership website http://www.herefordshirepartnership.com/. If you don't find what you want, try using some of the search options from the "Advanced search" page.

Q
How do I know which website the Search results are from?
A
Each result includes:

• its Source, which is the website it belongs to, and
• URL, which is its exact whereabouts.

Getting Better Results

Q
Is using one word enough to get good results?
A
Often using a single word is not enough to get good results. The more specific information you enter the better your results will be. For example, business grants will give you more specific results than just entering business.

Q
How do I cut down the number of results?
A
Sometimes searching with a common word or for popular information can bring back too many results. There are various methods to limit these results so that they are more useful. Using phrases in double quotes and the Advanced search menu will help.

Q
What is a phrase, and how can I use one?
A
A phrase is an exact combination of words in double quote marks ("..."). By entering a phrase like this in the search box you are asking the search engine to look for instances where those words appear together in exactly the way you typed them, and it can significantly improve results. For example, entering "Blue badge" in double quotes will bring you much better results than without. Double quote marks can also be useful for finding actual quotations.

In the Advanced Search screen you can select "Exact Phrase" which will treat all the words you have typed into the Search box as a phrase - just as though you had used double quote marks ("..").

Search Shortcuts

Q. What does the plus sign + do?

A. If you want to force a word to appear in results use the plus sign next to your term: example: a search on +parking +"blue badge" will return pages which have the term parking and the phrase blue badge in it.

Q. What does the minus sign - do?

A. You can use the minus sign to exclude a term from your search: "blue badge"- parking will return pages that have the phrase blue badge but without the word parking.

Back to top