--- USGenWebNews <[email protected]> wrote: > Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2004 08:21:18 -0700 > From: USGenWebNews <[email protected]> > Subject: USGenWeb NEWS April 2004 > To: [email protected] > > The USGenWeb Project > N E W S > Volume 1, Number 3 > April 2004 > > PENNIES FROM HEAVEN > Greta Thompson > You may have more resources available for your pages than you > realize. For example, have you visited the Penny Postcards site at the > <http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/special/ppcs/ppcs.html>USGenWeb > Archives? Joy Fisher has scanned old postcards from everywhere in the > country, organized by state and then by county. She would be delighted if > you asked permission to use postcards on your site. > If you have a list of the students at one of your county�s high > schools, for example, you could include a postcard picture of that school. > Or you could pair a newspaper account of a flood or train wreck with one of > the many �disaster� postcards available. The site includes pictures of > train depots, parks, bridges, homes, government buildings, schools and > universities, churches, Main Streets, hospitals, rivers and waterfalls, and > more. > Take a look at how Wisconsin has incorporated postcards into its > page about > <http://www.rootsweb.com/~wigenweb/institutions/normal.html>State > Institutions or see how Mississippi is using the postcards with photos to > highlight the state�s > <http://www.rootsweb.com/~msgenweb/courthouse/courthouse-a.htm>county<http://www.rootsweb.com/~msgenweb/courthouse/courthouse-a.htm> > > courthouses > To use a postcard from the site, email Joy. Her requirements are > simple: (1) ask permission to use the scan on (2) a page that will be > enhanced by the addition of the postcard. > While you�re browsing the Penny Postcard site, be sure to look at > the sections on �Types of Postcards,� a brief and fascinating history of > postcards; and on �Submissions,� which tells you how to send in your own > historical postcards. > > FROM THE ELECTION COMMITTEE > Ellen Pack, Chair > The USGenWeb Election Committee is preparing for the National-2004 > Election. The nomination period will be June 1-14, 2004, and the voting > period will be July 1-31, 2004. > The EC has constructed > <http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgwelections/national-2004/index.html>National > 2004 Election Pages where all members will be able to follow the election > process, including notice of seats available, names of nominees, and > information about candidates. > The EC is looking for temporary helpers to assist during the > election period of May through July. Responsibilities include assisting > with nominations, and handling bounced email addresses. Volunteers will be > asked to check and respond to mail frequently, at least daily. All members > not considering running for election are invited to volunteer. Please > consider helping out during this busy but rewarding time. Contact the EC > Chair, Ellen Pack [email protected] > Reminder: In order to vote in USGenWeb National elections you must > be Registered with the Election Committee not later than May 31, 2004. > Please visit the <http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgwelections/>EC > <http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgwelections/>WebSite for more information. > > LINDA'S HTML TIPS for EASY WEBSITES > Linda Haas Davenport > As CCs we often have our e-mail address many pages of our websites and it's > always a chore to change e-mail addresses. Here's a way to only have to > change your e-mail in one place. > > 1. Open Notepad and type in: <A HREF="mailto:(your e-mail address)"> > (the name you want to show on the web page)</A> > Example: <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">Linda</A> > Save the file as xmail.html (or htm if that's what you use) and place it in > your root directory. > > 2. If you use an html generator program, open xmail.html in your program > and make sure this is the only text in the program (delete any header tags, > body tags, etc.) > > 3. Open the web pages where you have your e-mail address listed and replace > the current "mailto:" link with: > <!--#include virtual="/(your site name)/xmail.html"--> > Example: <!--#include virtual="/~armarion/xmail.html"--> > > Once the change is made on individual web pages you only have to change > your e-mail address in the xmail.html file and it will be correct on all > the pages where you inserted the code. > > Along the same line you can make a footer to go on each page. > > 1-Using Notepad type > <P ALIGN="CENTER">"This Page Was Last Updated <!--#echo > var="LAST_MODIFIED"-->" > <P ALIGN="CENTER"><A HREF="mailto:(your e-mail address)"> (the name you > want to show on the web page)</A></P> > Example: <P ALIGN="CENTER"><A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">Linda Haas > Davenport</A></P> > Save as xfooter.html and place in your root directory. > > 2-If you use an html generator program, open xfooter.html in your program > and make sure this is the only text in the program (delete any header tags, > body tags, etc.) > > 3-On the pages where you want this information to appear, type in > <P><!--#include virtual="/(your site name)/xfooter.html"--></P> > Example: <P><!--#include virtual="/~haas/xfooter.html"--></P> > Place the code just before the </Body> tag. > > This example includes the last modified date and your email address, but > you can include any additional information you want to appear on all the > pages where you place the code. > > SEARCH ENGINES > Greta Thompson > (Sue Seibert, [email protected], also contributed information > for this article.) > A search engine on your website helps your visitors and you. It's > a quick and easy way for them to find out if you have information that they > need, and it gives you a chance to find out what they want when you look at > the reports you receive. No search engine is perfect, but any search engine > is better than none, especially as your site grows. > Which search engine should you choose? What features should you > look for? Do you have to pay to get one worth putting on your site? The > last question is probably the easiest to answer. No, you don't have to pay. > There are several search engines with free plans that will almost certainly > do a good job. Which will do the best job for your particular site depends > on some variables. > Two of the most important variables are the size of your website > and the frequency with which you add data. PicoSearch, one of the most > popular free search engines among USGenWeb members, will index up to 1500 > pages for free. FreeFind, perhaps even more frequently used, indexes 32 mb > (about 3000 pages, FreeFind says, which may be a generous estimate) and > provides "liberal, free increases." Atomz, a third search engine that many > like, limits its free plan to sites with 500 pages or less; and its pay > plans seem to be especially pricey. > If you frequently add or change data on your website, you need to > have it reindexed frequently. Until the changes are indexed (or spidered), > they aren't available for searching. Atomz and FreeFind appear to offer the > most flexibility in indexing: you can choose to have reindexing done > automatically daily, weekly, or monthly or you can request it be done at > any time. On the other hand, FreeFind indexes its free accounts only when > the schedule permits and gives priority to pay plans. PicoSearch doesn't > allow for automatically scheduled indexing in its free plan, but you can > visit their site as often as you like and with a few clicks arrange to have > your site reindexed as necessary. > Be aware that all indexing is not the same. You need to determine > which pages are indexed. For example, PicoSearch will index plain text and > HTML files in the free version, but not MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint files > and not RTF or PDF files. > Another question you will want to consider is whether you can > exclude certain pages from being indexed. You may want some pages to be > excluded because they are primarily email addresses. Other pages may be > text versions of HTML pages or only images. > These are some of the more important variables, and there are > others. The best way to find out if a search engine is right for your site > is to read the information the vendor offers; notice what others use and > say about their search engines; try out the search engine, experimenting > with searches and studying the result reports you receive after reindexing; > and reevaluate your choice periodically as your site changes and search > engine options change. > > Free Search Engines: > Atomz http://www.atomz.com/applications/search/ > Bravenet http://www.bravenet.com/webtools/search2/index.php > Free Find http://www.freefind.com/ > PicoSearch http://www.picosearch.com/index.html > SiteLevel http://sitelevel.whatuseek.com/services-basic.shtml > > Information about Free Search Engines: > Search Tools for Web Sites and Intranets > http://www.searchtools.com/ > Search Engines for Your Web Site > http://www.philipstripling.com/searchEngines.html > WebMonkey: Adding Search to Your Site > http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/00/09/index2a.html?tw=e-business > James S. Huggins� Refrigerator: Search Services Summary > http://www.jamesshuggins.com/h/bas1/search_services_summary.htm > > THE DIGITAL MAPS ARCHIVE PROJECT > Deb Haines > <http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/>The Digital Maps Archive > Project began in 1999 under the coordination of Fred Smoot. It has grown to > consist of nearly 7000 maps requiring approximately one gig of server > space. You'll enjoy a visit to the website to browse through the various > maps available for Indian Cessions, United States, and individual states > and cities. > There are several United States maps including one from 1845 that > shows Texas as a separate country, a much larger Mexico than the Mexico of > today, and the U.S. extending through western Canada almost as far north as > Alaska (how did we lose that land?). A 1764 street map of Manhattan and a > bird's-eye view of Newport, Rhode Island circa 1878 are fascinating. > The project also includes all sixty-seven maps from the 1899 > paper, Indian Land Cessions in the United States complied by Charles C. > Royce. The paper appeared in the 18th Annual Report of the Bureau of > American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, > 1896-97, Part 2 by J. W. Powell, Director, Washington: the Government > Printing Office, 1899. These beautifully colored maps identify the various > Indian cession treaties by number, so the original book must be consulted > for additional information. > State Map Coordinators are needed to coordinate uploading donated > maps and maintain state pages. If you are interested, please check the > <http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/smc.html>SMC page to see if a state > is in need of a coordinator. Please also read the > <http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/co-guide.html>State Map Coordinator > responsibilities and then contact Deb Haines [email protected] or > additional information. > > LEGISLATIVE UPDATE > Gayle Harper > (Gayle deals with legislation in her job as Senior Research/Library > Specialist for the University of Arkansas System Criminal Justice Institute.) > H.R. 3261, Title: "To prohibit the misappropriation of certain > databases" was introduced 10/8/2003, but was given an unfavorable report by > the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Another bill was introduced 3/2/2004 > (H.R. 3872) and reported 3/16/2004 by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. > in House Report 108-437. > The language used in the bill H.R. 3872, and in H.R. 3261 which it > replaced, seems to be directed at databases produced by those associated > with the Stock Market and at other financial information. Since genealogy > data is not time-sensitive (see below), I do not believe that there is any > reason to think this bill would affect the genealogical community. > Section 2 deems the misappropriation of a database an unfair > method of competition and an unfair or deceptive act or practice in > commerce under section 5(a)(1) of the Federal Trade Commission Act. It sets > forth a five-factor test to determine whether there has been a > misappropriation. The five conditions to be proved are: (1) a person > generates or collects the information in the database at some cost or > expense; (2) the value of the information is highly time sensitive; (3) > another person's use of the information constitutes free-riding on the > first person's costly efforts to generate or collect it; (4) the other > person's use of the information is in direct competition with a product or > service offered by the first person; and (5) the ability of other parties > to free-ride on the efforts of the first person would so reduce the > incentive to produce the product or service that its existence or quality > would be substantially threatened. > One other bill that should be looked at is H.R.2601 TITLE: "Public > Domain Enhancement Act". This bill was introduced June 23, 2003 and > referred to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and > Intellectual Property on 9/4/2003. The bill would "amend title 17, United > States Code, to allow abandoned copyrighted works to enter the public > domain after 50 years" if the copyright is abandoned by not maintaining the > copyright by a fee ($1) every ten years to the Copyright Office. This bill > should be encouraged as it would help the genealogy community by providing > additional works to enter the public domain. > > MEET THE NC > Isaiah Harrison > If you live in the Tucson/Green Valley area and would like to meet > the National Coordinator in person, this is your opportunity. I will be at > the Starbucks in the Safeway store at 260 W. Continental Rd., Green Valley > at 2:00pm Thursday, April 29. So stop in and join me, have a cup of coffee > and talk about the project, genealogy or whatever. Look for the USGenWeb logo. > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > You are receiving this newsletter because you are a member of The USGenWeb > Project. For address changes, or to be added to or removed from the mailing > list visit the <http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgwelections/>EC > <http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgwelections/>WebSite and contact your EC Rep. > To submit articles, letters and ideas, write to [email protected] > The USGenWeb NEWS is archived at http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgwpub/ > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > NEWSLETTER STAFF > Editor: Isaiah Harrison > Copy Editor: Greta Thompson > Contributors: Ellen Pack, Linda Haas Davenport, Gayle Harper, Deb Haines, > Greta Thompson > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > � 2004, The USGenWeb Project. Permission to reprint articles from this > newsletter is granted when the author and The USGenWeb Project News are > credited. > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/careermakeover