Web design is a tricky art that combines both the creative and the analytical skill sets to create something unique and visually compelling. At the end of the day, good web design is more than the sum of its parts. Beginner and amateur designers may think that web design consists of finding a web host that’s reliable and simply uploading a pre-designed template, but there’s more to it than that, much much.

The above is the introduction to a post that recently appeared online at speckyboy Design magazine.  I thought it appropriate for this blog since it deals with beginning web design which many genealogists are trying to do. It does not matter whether you are hosting your site on RootsWeb servers or are paying for hosting somewhere. These seven tips offer some good advice.

1. Site Navigation – One of the most important aspects of designing your site is the site navigation. Your menu should appear on evey page of your site as who knows where you visitor will enter – maybe by a side door rather than the front door. Can he or she get to other parts of your site or only back to the Home Page. Spend some time thinking about and designing your Site Navigation.
2. Typography - Eye catching fonts that are not distracting allow you to do a lot with a little. Don’t overdo it with too many font changes or use fonts that you viewer may not have on their computer.
3. Page Layout – A clean and well organized layout will keep your visitors from getting lost and confused. Spend some time organizing your site with plain old paper and pencil before you actually start the design process.
4. User Interaction
5. The Color Palette -Color selection can make a big difference when it come to designing an attractive website. Choosing colors that go well together and compliment your design can take time but it is well worth it in the long run.
6. Page Optimization – Speed and responsiveness are both a front-end and a back-end issue. Everything on your site does not have to appear on the Home page. Make sure you use good search engine optimization techniques when building your pages.
7. Overall Focus and Goals -  Ask yourself what your site is trying to accomplish and what message you want to communicate to your audience, and you’ll have a better idea of how to proceed.

You can read Seven Super Quick Tips for Beginner and Amateur Web Designers in its entirety.

Ninite lets you pick your favorite software from among an extensive list (Web browsers, messaging, media, images, documents, security, runtimes, file sharing, utilities, compression, developer tools and more), creates a batch installer for them and then installs them for you automatically.

Install multiple apps at once without toolbars or clicking Next. It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3!

1. Pick your favorite software below.
2. Click “Get Installer” and run it.
3. You’re done!

Since I had just purchased a new desktop computer and still had some setting up to do, I decided to give it a try. Worked perfectly and saved lots of time.

Site Templates

These FREE Expression Web Site Templates were previously announced on Expression Web Tips. They are available for all versions of Expression Web. They will also work in FrontPage 2003 and the free Sharepoint Designer 2007.

The set of twelve site templates are based on Eric Meyer’s CSS Sculptor for Expression Web produced by Webassit but no longer available. Each of the site template packages is complete with a linked style sheet and dwt and is commented in-depth so they are easy for you to use.  Included is a search box and contact form with instructions on how to use them and full instructions on working with these and other pages of the site. You can download all twelve of the templates at Expression Web Site Templates.

The Site Templates are available as:

• One column, with top navigation, header, and footer
• Two column, with left sidebar, top navigation, header, and footer
• Two column, right sidebar, top navigation, header, and footer
• Three columns, left and right sidebar, top navigation

Within each of the above four groups, you will find the following layouts available:

• Fixed width to 800px
• Fixed Width to 1024px
• Liquid Width

Each package include the following pages with instructions on how to use them and why you should include them as part of your site.

• Working With Forms
• Add a Search Box – Add Bing Search Box
• About Privacy Policies on your site
• Site Map page
• Links page
• About page
• Working with a Site DWT

Download the Expression Web Site Templates and remember they WILL WORK with both FrontPage 2003 as well as SharePoint Designer 2007. Tweak them by changing the colors and graphic images. Make them your own. This is our gift to you, the web design community.

“Most people do family history whenever they can fit it in their busy lives, on evenings, holidays, weekends, and so forth. Whether you are a beginner or experienced researcher, you can choose subjects of interest to you from the available classes and watch them anytime and anywhere,” said FamilySearch Community Services Manager Diane Loosle.

According to Loosle, the free online classes are one part of the growing number of tools FamilySearch is building for its online patrons.

All of the classes can be accessed from the Family Search site www.familysearch.org by clicking on Free Online Classes on the home page. Included in the classes offered are:

• England Beginning Research Series
• Germany Research Series
• Ireland Research Series
• Italy Research Series
• Research Principles and Tools
• Russia Research Series
• United States Research

You can watch the video online or download it to your computer to watch. You can also download the class outline in pdf format.

Visit the Research Series Classes Online.

You can read the entire article on the database http://www.wvculture.org/history/vitalrecordsarticle.pdf and then head on over to the West Virginia online vital records database to start your research.

The DAR Genealogical Research System is a combination of several databases created in recent years to organize the large quantity of information that the DAR has collected since its inception in 1890. Much of the work to create these research tools is the direct result of funding provided by the President General’s Project of the administrations of Linda Tinker Watkins (2001-2004) and Presley Merritt Wagoner (2004-2007). This system of databases will continue to expand as new information is added.

Once you click on the link DAR Genealogical Research System, you will see the screen pictured below

Click thumbnail for a larger view.

You can access the various databases through the “tabs” along the top of the search screen. The following descriptions provide basic information about each database.

Ancestor Tab

The Ancestor Tab is the working database of the DAR Genealogy Office and the data are taken from verified membership applications and supplemental applications. The database is NOT a comprehensive list of all individuals who served in the Revolutionary War.

Member Tab

You may search for basic information on a member’s ancestor record using their national number, name and other fields using the Member Tab.

Descendants Tab

The Descendants database is an index of the names found on the lineage page of DAR applications and supplemental applications. This database is an ongoing project. If you do not locate the name you are expecting to find it may be because not all the applications have been indexed.

GRC Tab

The DAR’s Genealogical Records Committee Reports began in 1913 and are added to every year. The information in these 20,000 typescript volumes is predominately Bible record and cemetery record transcriptions along with many other types of transcribed or abstracted genealogical sources.

Resources Tab

Researchers will find a variety of links to other resources of use in genealogical research in this section of the system.

Library Catalog Tab

This section provides a direct link to the DAR Library’s online catalog.

You can obtain a much more detailed description of each of the tabs by visiting http://www.dar.org/library/online_research.cfm

Using my own ancestor, Solomon Phillips, as an example, the image below is what you will see if you search on the Descendants Tab.

Click on thumbnail for larger image.

If you click on the icon you can view the list. View a screenshot of the Descendant’s List.

Take some time to explore all of the options available on this new tool available to aid in your genealogy research.