Web Sites Explained

[Skip Sander]

Every reunion group should have a web site. Without one, it is very hard for prospective members to find you. If you have even a very simple one, you become pretty easy to find. It's not hard or expensive to have a simple web site. Every reunion group should have one.

You need three things to have a web site:

• A URL (this is the letters that make up the site's name, for example http://www.ussrankin.org)
• A place to host the site (a computer somewhere out there that holds the files that make up your site)
• A webmaster (a person who puts your site up on that computer, then maintains it as changes occur)

URLs cost about $10 per year. Specialized companies keep track of all the URLs that exist, keep track of who owns them, and take care of the registrations and renewals.

Other specialized companies provide places to host web sites. A few people host them themselves, but this isn't practical unless you're really into computers. (You know who you are.) Most military reunion web sites have very low traffic, and need only the lowest level of service from a web hosting company. Lots of companies offer suitable service for $5-$10 a month. Some companies offer free hosting and even provide free URLs, but they are a dying breed.

For most groups, finding a webmaster is the hardest part of having a web site. You can be a webmaster without knowing very much, but the more you know, the better your site will be. Webmasters work with software that lets them create a web site. At the low end is free software, often provided by the hosting company, that works OK but doesn't have a lot of flexibility. Usually it's designed to be used by people who don't have very much computer knowledge. At the high end is professional software that does everything anybody would want. In the middle are lots and lots of programs that are reasonably priced and have all the features that most reunion groups would need. Whatever software is used, the webmaster has to know how to use it. The bottom line on webmasters is: simple sites can be run by simple webmasters. The more sophisticated you want your site to be, the more skills your webmaster has to have.

If your group belongs to the Alliance and is willing to buy a URL, we can host a simple web site for you, and we can provide a webmaster to get it started. We'll do the first few for free, provided you buy the URLs. If you're interested, send email to MilitaryReunions@aol.com

[dennis smith]

Since this website is in it's infant stage I suggest to require that all signin IDs be a FIRST name and LAST name. I registered as "dennis smith". It is easy to see who I am. What I was called on the ship, or what my golf buddys call me is not important to other reunion planners. I suggest that you leave this area and click on MEMBERS (upper right) and try to guess who they are.

[cgn40]

You can also start a group on Both Classmates.com and Military.com, Both are free. However on classmates you must be a gold member ($29.00 yearly) to be able to email people.

[Capt Runnamok]

Consider a wikisite
Our group has a wikisite on http://www.wikispaces.com/
For us this has worked very well. Anyone can add, delete or change anything on the site as long as they are a member. For instance, someone can post an article, add links and pictures and even ask for help. The next person who views the article could have more information or add another picture to the article. In this way we can tell our story in a very easy to use format. I will be the first to say our wikisite isn't as pretty as websites usually go but we can get a ton of info on the site that a website can't easily do. The wikisite is controlled by membership. Anyone can view the pages but only members can edit those pages. Membership is free and controlled by the Organizer(s) and you must state your reasons for wanting to join when asking to become a member. Updating is only a click away for any of the members.

Don Skinner
1st Military Intelligence Battalion (ARS)
Detachment B Repro Section, 6/69 - 6/70

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