BOARD-L Archives

Archiver > BOARD > 2007-08 > 1188340799


From: "Jana Cortez" <>
Subject: Re: [BOARD] Motion 07-20 - CC/LC Guidelines - DISCUSSION
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:39:59 -0400
References: <00b401c7e99a$ee3effd0$7301a8c0@scott>


The only comment I have to make is that I wonder why, amidst all this
controversy with Ancestry, that we are discussing and making motions on CC
Guidelines.

I realize that we haven't received any comment from Ancestry regarding these
past two issues, other than their apparant change to free from pay for view.
Nothing personal in the way of answers regarding our websites or the
headers.

The CC Guuidelines are in place, however, not as well organized as this,
but, not of the level of importance I place on recent events.

Just my two cents worth.

Jan Cortez
NE/NC CC Rep

----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Burow" <>


> It has been moved by Mike Peterson and seconded by Linda Blum-Barton that
> the Local/County Coordinator Guidelines be approved and posted on the
> USGenWeb website replacing all current coordinator guidelines and help
> pages.
>
> The motion is numbered 07-20 and is now open for discussion.
>
> If you have no discussion, please advise by stating "no discussion".
>
> Motion 07-20 is as follows:
>
> "I move the below Local/County Coordinator Guidelines be approved and
> posted
> on the USGenWeb website replacing all current coordinator guidelines and
> help pages.
> Mike Peterson
> -----------------------
>
> I. PREFACE.
> The purpose of these guidelines is to provide the Local/County
> Coordinators
> with consolidated information to help them design and maintain their
> websites. Section II lists those items, with references, which are
> required of the Local/County Coordinator to be in compliance with Project
> policy. Section III lists those items strongly recommended as "best
> practices" which will enhance the experience of visitors to the websites.
>
> 2. USGenWeb Project Terms:
> (CC) = County Coordinator.
> (SC) = State Coordinator.
> (LC) = Local Coordinator (rarely used).
> XXGenWeb = Where XX represents a State Project, i.e., IAGenWeb = Iowa.
> County Website = Applies equally to parish and township websites.
> Project = The USGenWeb Project.
>
> 3. The Project's national website is at http://www.usgenweb.com/ and the
> specific section for volunteers is at
> http://www.usgenweb.com/volunteers/index.shtml .
> The Project's Election Committee website
> http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgwelections/ will explain the Project's
> election
> process and how to register to vote.
> You will receive the Project's monthly Newsletter and prior issues of the
> Newsletter are posted at http://www.usgenweb.com/newsletter/index.shtml .
> The Project's Bylaws:
> http://www.usgenweb.com/volunteers/bylaws.shtml .
> The Project's Standard Rules:
> http://www.usgenweb.org/volunteers/standard-rules.shtml .
> The Project's Special Rules:
> http://www.usgenweb.org/volunteers/special-rules.shtml .
> The Project's Mailing Lists:
> http://www.usgenweb.org/volunteers/mail-lists.shtml
>
>
> 4. Your Website: As the owner of your website, you have the option of
> establishing your website on any server. Project websites are hosted by a
> variety of servers, most of them free of charge. Your SC is available to
> help.
> Check with your SC for any particular state requirements for county
> websites. If
> you are changing an existing website, check with your SC about any state
> guidelines
> for removing any information. Website design help can be found at
> http://www.usgenweb.com/volunteers/design.shtml . Additional information
> is
> available by subscribing to the email-list
>
> with the word "subscribe" (without quotes) in the subject line and the
> text
> body.
>
>
> II. REQUIRED.
>
> 1. USGenWeb Project Logo. (USGenWeb Bylaw Article IX, Section 1 -
> http://www.usgenweb.com/volunteers/bylaws.shtml ). All websites shall
> include a prominent display of a USGenWeb Project logo on the home page.
> See III STRONGLY RECOMMENDED, Paragraph 1, for suggested use. The logos
> are
> found at http://www.usgenweb.com/volunteers/logos.shtml. Some states may
> also require the display of a state logo.
>
> 2. Solicitation Of Funds Is Inappropriate. (USGenWeb Bylaw Article IX,
> Section 2 - http://www.usgenweb.com/volunteers/bylaws.shtml ). See the
> complete Bylaw reference for further information .
>
> 3. Adherence To Copyright Policy. (USGenWeb Bylaw Article X, Section 4 -
> http://www.usgenweb.com/volunteers/bylaws.shtml ). All USGenWeb members
> are
> responsible for adhering to the Project's Copyright Policy. See the
> complete
> Bylaw reference for further information . Check with your SC for any
> particular state requirements for county websites. Further, although the
> Project Policy addresses specifically genealogy information it pertains
> also
> to all facets of the website, i.e., graphics, html coding, backgrounds,
> audios, videos, etc.
>
> 4. State Mailing List/Website Link (USGenWeb Bylaw Article XI, Sections
> 2/3 - http://www.usgenweb.com/volunteers/bylaws.shtml ). All County
> Coordinators shall be subscribed to the XXGenWeb mailing list and each
> website shall have a direct link to the state project .
>
> 5. Area For Researcher's Queries (USGenWeb Bylaw Article XI, Section 3 -
> http://www.usgenweb.com/volunteers/bylaws.shtml ). County websites must
> include a means for a researcher to post a query. If the state does not
> have
> requirements, there are several options available. You may administrate a
> query page or message board system or provide a link to an existing
> message
> board related to your county. Queries are designed to be posted so others
> are able to make contact. Coordinators may generate their own query
> systems
> on their websites or use established systems such as rootsweb.com,
> genforum.com, ancestry.com, etc. Coordinators are not required to research
> the queries.
>
> 6. Websites Must Meet USGenWeb Standards. State Coordinators have
> the responsibility to review county compliance with standards and to
> remove
> links for those failing to meet standards. (USGenWeb Bylaw Article XII,
> Sections 6 and 7 - http://www.usgenweb.com/volunteers/bylaws.shtml ). The
> Project Advisory Board has the responsibility to remove links from the
> Project national website to websites failing to meet standards. (USGenWeb
> Bylaw Article VI, Section 5 -
> http://www.usgenweb.com/volunteers/bylaws.shtml ).
>
> III STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.
>
> 1. Placement of USGenWeb Logo. II REQUIRED, Paragraph 1 requires a Project
> logo be displayed on the website. The Project logos are located at
> http://usgenweb.org/volunteers/logos.shtml . The logo should be only in
> the
> size provided and visible immediately when the opening (index, default,
> et.al) page of the website loads into the browser. Placement at or near
> the
> top of the page is important because different browsers render the pages
> differently, and all initially display a page with the top of the page in
> full view.
>
> 2. Contact Information. Local Coordinators should provide valid contact
> information (such as email, or contact form, or telephone, etc.) on the
> opening (index, default, et.al) page of the website. Clear and prominent
> information should be provided. The importance of acknowledging all
> emails,
> data submissions, and otherwise responding to visitors cannot be stressed
> enough.
>
> 3. Website Search Engine. The more information a website contains the
> greater consideration should be given to installing a search engine. A
> search engine is a powerful tool for the visiting researcher providing it
> includes all the files and subsets of the website. There are several free
> search engines available and all of them have perfected easy ways of
> acquiring, installing, using, and enhancing. Among several are:
> http://www.freefind.com/ and http://www.picosearch.com/ . Check with your
> SC
> as this is a requirement in some states.
>
> 4. Strongly Recommended Links.
> i. The USGenWeb Project - http://www.usgenweb.org.
> ii. The USGenWeb Project Archives Table of Contents page (sorted by
> state) -
> http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb. >From this main page, follow the links
> to
> your state and county.
> iii. The archives search option -
> http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/newsearch.htm.
> iv. The WorldGenWeb Project - http://www.worldgenweb.org/ .
>
> 5. Disclaimer. Many websites link to websites that are not part of
> USGenWeb.
> Therefore we strongly recommend that you use the following, or similar,
> disclaimer on website home pages: "Links to websites that are not part of
> the USGenWeb Project are provided for your convenience and do not imply
> any
> endorsement of the websites or their contents by the USGenWeb Project or
> its
> members. Neither the USGenWeb Project nor its members are responsible for
> the contents of any "third party" website which you may access from a link
> on this website."
>
> 6. County Resource Page and Lookups: Websites should provide some basic
> research help. It is recommended the website provides contact information
> for the the county court clerk, library, and genealogical and/or
> historical
> societies. Also, provide a bibliography page showing the reference books
> available for their county. Lookups should be offered if you or your
> volunteers have received permission to do so from the book's author or
> publisher or if the reference books you have available meet the copyright
> policies of The USGenWeb Project.
>
> 7. USGenWeb Help Pages Mailing List. The purpose of this list is to
> provide
> a communication across state and project lines for members seeking and
> giving technical assistance in building and improving websites, as well as
> assistance in attracting and displaying submissions, meeting researcher
> needs, utilizing special projects, and so forth, in pursuance of the
> Project
> goals. To maintain a historical knowledge base, the discussions are
> archived. To post or respond to questions, subscribe by
> sending an email to with the word
> "subscribe" (without quotes) in the subject line and the text body.
>
> 8. URL/Link Checker. Periodically the webmaster should check that all
> links
> on the website are valid. There are several free URL/Link Checkers
> available
> and most are very easy to understand and use. Among them are Xenu's Link
> Sleuth - http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html ; W3C Link Checker -
> http://validator.w3.org/checklink ; DeadLinks.com -
> http://www.dead-links.com/ - and more.
> USGenWeb Project information can be found at: http://www.usgenweb.com";
>
>
> Scott Burow
> NC - USGenWeb
>
> USGenWeb Project information can be found at: http://www.usgenweb.com
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