Developers of

Use Relevant Graphics - In Relevant Postions

If you use graphics properly, you will keep visitors on your site longer. Pages that contain too much text are very difficult to read and you lose the viewer in the maze. A graphic in the right place creates a bit of white space which helps to keep the readers' eye moving along the page without getting over-tired.

Graphics should maintain a focus with the topic at hand. Using an image of a big block "V-8" engine would not be appropriate for a site selling lawnmowers as it would tend to make the readers' mind wander.

Use "ALT" tags. Not only do "ALT" tags provide alternate text for browsers that cannot display graphics (yes, there are a rare few of them left), but they also provide handy text for search engines to use when creating relevance instances for your site.

Understand your Viewers

Flash in the Pan? Glitz Glammer and Frills and Fluff? What real purpose does your website serve? Your online presence should be a reflection of what you think you are as a business in the physical world. Some utilities and delivery methods are not necessarily in the best methods of getting your point across in a meaningful manner. It is far more important to utilize the basics well before attempting to get too fancy with your presentation. Creating a successfull identity online requires a strong foundation. Maintaining a consistent look and feel; using graphics of similar nature to assimilate services and partnerships; careful use of the basics of HTML to have a strong yet flexible site foundation; colour schemes and font styles are the most important aspects of web site creation. Graphics that look great at high resolution may not always be good at significantly lower resolutions. Frills and Fluff may be the thing that sends your visitors into Back Button Bonanza.

Make good use of the Tools at your Disposal

Sometimes it seems like a great idea to add a counter to your site, or an even slightly more appealing "Guestbook". Is it really a good idea to use these tools? If you generate hundrreds of hits per week or day, then a hit counter may not be a detrimental tool, however, if you are at the building stage, you are far better served by using a stats tool to show YOU where your traffic comes from and how much of it there is. You want to make your site appealing and the last thing a stray surfer wants to see is an obscure presense that gets about 2 hits a month.

As for a guestbook, they have their purposes and can be a useful tool if implemented properly, however, if left to the viewer's discretion, comments received can be quite derogatory and harmful to your site. Some form of moderated comments index may be more applicable in many instances - other feedback collection tools can sometimes be better suited, depending on the reader's wants and YOUR needs.

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Genealogy

Genealogy is rapidly becoming the most popular hobby on the web. People from all walks of life are seeking their ancestral roots. Volumnous studies are being done with the advent of new DNA technologies. Respected institutions like the National Geographic are conducting research to define many historic Societal events and migration paths, etc. Link Saskatchewan People with their World Roots at: