Website News

[Alex]

Due to a monumental cockup on my behalf, I've managd to loose the website data from my Computer (forgot to back it up!).

The website won't be updated for a week until I get everything sorted out.

Keep an eye on the forum for news and stuff though.

Alex.

[Alex]

*Update*

I've got most of the structure drawn up and have re-organised some parts to make the website clearer and simpler to use.

So I thought I'd take this opportunity to ask everyone for your ideas on the website, whilst I'm still rebuilding, to see if anything in particular needs changing, tweaking, or adding.

Just post in here if you have any suggestions, etc...

[Matt]

How about an auto-backup facility?

I can't think of anything at the moment - will take a look through the site tonight and see if anything springs to mind.

Matt

[Alex]

Cheers Matt. Haha, yup seen to that part at least. Have already made sure that what I've re-built is being backed up. I'm glad I backed up all the art work for the website though, I think I'd have had a heart attack if that had gone aswell.

[Alex]

The forum will be getting a few new pages in an effort to better intergrate the website and forum. They should appear long before the website is updated, do feel free to comment in them as they are intended to improve things on the website.

[Matt]

Just a thought: Would it be worth having a 'fieldwork' page where you can click directly on to, say, the auger survey, fieldwalking, foreshore, fiskerton etc. etc.?
I know that you have done this already, but I noticed that for one or two of the pages of field work there didn't seem to be a direct route from the home page (apart from where you have added an update).

One other thought, not about the website, but I suppose we should be looking to get started on some of this flint soon. What do you reckon?

Matt

[Alex]

Nice idea Matt, and one I'm kind of sorting out now. I'd also noticed that the reports we'd done were slowly being lost, so I came up with this format;

Projects page and linked from the menu - featuring the Fieldwalking, Witham Valley, Recreations, etc...
Reports page and linked from the menu - featuring all our reports in order of publication.

(I'm also re-organising the menu in general to make it easier to navigate and keep a track of all of the pages, of which there are about 60 pages now, yikes )

Let me know what you think.

The flint, I'm ready to go whenever you are. Most evenings I can be free and a day at the weekend aswell. Let me know when would be best for you.

Should be easiest to do this at mine, I've got loads of room, Access installed and a microscope for upto 80x magnification examination for microware.

[Matt]

Yep, cool, that's along the lines of what I was thinking.

Well I'm free most evenings too - how about Thursday? I have the measuring equipment here .... along with 2.2 cubic tonnes of worked flint.

[Matt]

P.S. 60 pages? Where did all of that come from??

[Steve]

Alex,

I think it would be nice to have a clear statement at the top of the index/home page saying when the next filed walk, meeting or whatever is. Thats date, time and location. If we don't have a plan then it can just say something like 'to be announced'

At the moment potential members have to find the details in this forum or calander and it is not that easy for internet newbies.

Also, it's not uncommon to have a site map that lists (with links) all the pages on the site, like a directory tree. Or add a search function? (I think google provide facilities to do this to save yourself the trouble).

On a side note, the website is a backup of the site. You can download all the pages, graphics etc from the website if you have a problem.

Anyway just a couple of ideas.

[Alex]

Cheers Steve, I think that'll help keep things much clearer. I'll add that into the redesign.

I'll create a site map for the website aswell, I've been meaning to for a while, but haven't had the time but since I'm re-jigging things I'm at a good moment to construct one.

You're right the online website is a backup, unfortunately the program I'm using to construct the website doesn't allow me to download the website off the internet, so I'm forced to re-build which isn't a bad thing as the wesbite was growing bigger and less easy to navigate. I'm no good at html an all the rest of that kind of stuff due to my dsylexia, so this website construction program has made it possible for me to make a website, whilst not having to deal with the complex background running of the website. Anywho, I've been backing up the files on the server to avoid this happening again.

Matt, Thursday will be fine. Head on over when you're ready and we'll get the recording started.

[Matt]

Cheers Alex, will do. See you on Thursday.

[Alex]

Matt, could you bring the CD with record system on it with you... erm... that's another thing I forgot to backup, D'oh! I'm getting good at this forgetting lark.

[Matt]

Yep, no problem, I'll dig it out.

(you did back it up - you gave a copy to me )

[Alex]

Aha!! So I did manage to back it up, yay!!