WebSite Creation withSecond Site

ROOTS Users Group

11 December 2010

Clyde Roby

Web Site Generation and Hosting

Dick Cleaveland’s web pages– http://cleaveland.info/miscellaneous/index.htm

Links to first page of his original presentation– http://cleaveland.info/miscellaneous/br20021012/b0.htm

– This is NOT a PowerPoint presentation

Dick’s original presentation was made to the RUG on12 October 2002, but he updated it in May 2005

This presentation started with Dick’s updated presentation and now includes information from John Cardinal’s NGS presentation of May 2003 (of an earlier version)

WebSite Creation with Second Site

• First, create HTML files– Alternatives to SecondSite

• GEDCOM-to-HTML generation programs• TMGv7

• Then, create your website– Acquire a server– Maybe get your own URL!– Upload your website files

• Or, create a CD or DVD

Generate HTML Files

• Objectives– Keep your file download times short (thus small file

sizes)– Have navigation links clearly identified, both forward

and backward

• Software to use to generate HTML files– GEDCOM-to-HTML Generators– TMGv6 – no longer relevant (removed from discussion)– TMGv7– Second Site for TMG

Generate HTML Files

• GEDCOM-to-HTML Generators – most not free• Must export TMG Project to GEDCOM

– Extra step in the process– No support for TMG’s narrative sentences– Little or no support for TMG’s citations and sources– Little or no support for TMG’s exhibits, including

images– No support for TMG’s formatting codes– Some data loss because GEDCOM is the

intermediate format

GEDCOM-to-HTML Generators• GED2WWW (free) – straight listings, no sources or graphics

– http://www.lesandchris.com/ged2www/• GEDHTree (free, full version $20) – excellent graphics, beautiful screens,

no sources– http://www.gedhtree.com/

• GED2HTML – (free trial, full $20) five generation pedigree included, also includes sources

– Samples at http://www.starkeffect.com/users/stark/family_history– http://www.starkeffect.com/ged2html/

• GED2WEB – (free) straight listings, no source information– Samples at http://www.wtoram.co.uk/famtree/surnames.htm– http://www.wtoram.co.uk/ged2web/ged2web.htm

• KStableau (free) – nice tree, no sources– Samples at http://home.versatel.nl/KStableau/examples/examples.htm– http://home.versatel.nl/KStableau/

• DFTCOM2 (free) – uses Java program for interaction in PC, very fast, no sources

– http://dftcom2.co.uk/

GEDCOM-to-HTML Generators

• Further reading– http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/columns/

eastman/5875.asp– http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/columns/

eastman/6350.asp– http://www.geocities.com/turkel.geo/GED2W

WW/g2hcompare.htm

Generate HTML Files

• TMGv7 – no additional cost

• Second Site – about $30– excellent pages– good support– unlimited images– enhancement continues

Second Site versus TMGv7

• Are HTML Reports a good choice? It depends upon the following limitations– Reports use standard genealogical formats– Page sizes are not configurable– Exhibits are embedded or not supported– No built-in support for custom pages– No built-in support for links between charts

and narratives

Second Site versus TMGv7

• Reports use standard genealogical formats• TMGv7 HTML Reports: Formats are familiar to

most users and are understood and accepted by the genealogical community

• Second Site: Formats were designed with the web in mind– Reports designed to be browsed in random fashion– Supports static page links– Graphic formats are configurable

Second Site versus TMGv7

• Page sizes are not configurable• TMGv7 HTML Reports

– Pagination is based upon the printed format of the report

• Second Site– Pagination is based upon web factors such as

download time and the random access nature of web browsing

Second Site versus TMGv7

• Exhibits are embedded in web pages or not supported

• TMGv7 HTML Reports– Some report formats support exhibits embedded in

web pages• Second Site

– Includes multiple exhibit handling options; exhibits may be embedded in web pages or linked from web pages based on user preferences and whether or not the subject is a principal or witness

– Recognizes web-friendly exhibit file formats

Second Site versus TMGv7

• No built-in support for custom pages• TMGv7 HTML Reports

– No explicit support for manually created web pages

• Second Site– Manually created web pages can be

integrated into the site quite easily

Second Site versus TMGv7

• No built-in support for links between charts and narratives

• TMGv7 HTML Reports– Charts are separate reports

• Second Site– Charts and narratives include two-way links

Site Generation with TMGv7

Site Generation with TMGv7

Site Generation with Second Site

Acquiring a Hosting Service

• RootsWeb (free)– http://accounts.rootsweb.com/ (do not use frames)

• Purchased hosts– www.webhostingratings.com

• Your current ISP– Most ISPs (ComCast, Earthlink, etc.) provide some space

for hosting a web site

Note that all free hosting services have ads that may annoy those who browse your site; on RootsWeb these appear for each frame (so don’t use frames on RootsWeb)

Web Site Hosting

• Upload all files of your web site from your PC to the host

• Must use a file transfer program – one that has FTP capabilities– WS_FTP Pro or WS_FTP Home at

http://www.ipswitch.com/downloads/index.asp – WS_FTP Pro – $54.95 (no support) or $89.95– WS_FTP Home - $39.95 (no support) or

$69.95

Web Site Hosting

• Must use a file transfer program – one that has FTP capabilities– Core FTP LE (Lite version) is free at

http://www.coreftp.com – Core FTP PRO is $39.95 for one user license, email

support only athttp://www.coreftp.com

• Ratings of FTP programs at http://cws.internet.com/ftp.html

Get Your Own URL:Register Your Domain

• Select a registrar. Only some will let you have your domain name point to the typical free web site. Dick Eastman suggests two:– GoDaddy – http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?e=com – MyDomain – http://www.mydomain.com/

• Choose your domain name, but check availability first. There are many options: .com, .org, .net, but .name and .info are appropriate for genealogy pages

• Pay for your domain name, typically $15 per year• Associate your domain name with your web site

Search the web for “domain registration” for registrars; note that some web hosting services will also register domain names.

Register Your Domain Name

• http://www.123registration.com/index.cfm• http://reg.alldomains.com/name/• http://www.domainpeople.com/• http://www.dotregistrar.com/• http://www.namescout.com/

• The registrar that RUG had used was www.dotdnr.com ($15 per year, no .name) but we now use www.icdsoft.com. Dick Cleaveland uses www.whatevercomputes.com for his .name domain. All the above will register .name domains.

Recommendations

• RootsWeb for hosting (free) – pop-up ads; domain name is complex

• Your current ISP if it provides space (should be free) – usually no ads; domain name is complex

• Your own domain name registered at GoDaddy ($9/year) but hosted free at RootsWeb – pop-up ads

• Your own domain name registered at ICDSoft ($9/year) and hosted at ICDSoft ($58/year) – no ads; much storage (275/1024 MBytes [more]), unlimited email addresses (22[more]); no .name registration

Additional Information

• Read Dick Eastman’s columns– Create Your Own Web Domain

http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/columns/eastman/6382.asp

– Create Your Own Web Domain – Part II http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/columns/eastman/6425.asp

Second Site and TMG

• What exactly does Second Site do?– It creates a website from a TMG Project– More accurately, Second Site creates a set of HTML

documents (files) from a TMG Project

• Doesn’t Second Site create a website?– No, it creates the documents (files) for a website– It does *NOT* upload the documents (files) to a web

server, i.e., to an Internet Service Provider

These next few slides are based upon John Cardinal’s NGS Conference presentation in May 2003

Second Site and TMG

• Then why do we want to use Second Site?– So that we can create a public website on the Internet– So that we can create a CD or DVD that we can share with our

family and perhaps with other friends and relatives• Easily read on any computer with a browser

• Web pages are easy to use for both genealogists and non-genealogists

• Today, producing a CD or DVD is easy and the software comes on most new computers; also CDs and DVDs are inexpensive

– So that we can create a website for our own personal use• This is a great way to do another comprehensive review of our TMG

Project

Second Site and TMG

• Makes narrative style pages using TMG’s sentence definitions

• Creates pedigree and descendant charts• Supports image and text exhibits for people, events, and

sources• Supports citations and sources• Supports witnesses and roles and provides options to

include/exclude names• Creates all the files needed to create a CD or DVD• Supports international sites• Respects TMG exclusion marker

Second Site and TMG

• More “Technical” features of Second Site– Integrates custom pages that you create– Includes page size controls– Uses template files grouped into Themes to allow customization– Uses CSS style sheets and JavaScript to create professional

looking pages– Imports VCF Charts

• Second Site makes pages, indexes, narratives, citations, source pages, charts, embeds images and other exhibits, and integrates VCF charts and custom pages

Second Site and TMG

• How does Second Site Work?

• You create a Site Definition File (SDF)• You set properties that are organized into

sections and saved in the SDF file– Only a few are necessary to create your first website– But there are literally hundreds of properties

• You execute the “Make Site” command and Second Site creates the HTML pages

Second Site and TMG

• What will we see when we’re done?– A fully functional website without typing any

HTML code– A website that is a complete and accurate

representation of the contents of the TMG Project

– This includes images, charts, etc.

Second Site and TMG

• But before we actually create a website, let’s examine some other people’s work

• Examples on John Cardinal’s website at http://www.johncardinal.com/ss/examples.htm

• Keith Winters has a more comprehensive “Gallery of Websites Created with Second Site” at http://winters-online.net/ss2websites

• 3 examples on Dick Cleaveland’s website at http://www.rgcle.com/SS2/index.htm

Second Site and TMG

• Examples on John Cardinal’s website at http://www.johncardinal.com/ss/examples.htm– Rambling Roots by Diana Powell– The Sackett Family Association by Chris Sackett– Denton-Herndon Family Narrative by Raymond T. D.

Herndon

Second Site and TMG

• Keith Winters has a more comprehensive “Gallery of Websites Created with Second Site” at http://winters-online.net/ss2websites– McKay-Conover Family– Ancesters of William Kinsey Hutchinson III– The Kleist Page

Second Site and TMG

• Miscellaneous websites– Joanne’s Genealogy– The Van Voorhees Association – “The Largest Dutch

Family in America”– BUITER one-name website

Second Site and TMG

• 3 examples on Dick Cleaveland’s website at http://www.rgcle.com/SS2/index.htm in particular the web page containing information about LeRoy Adams Cleaveland at http://www.rgcle.com/SS2/p1.htm#i20

TMG Magic for Second Site

• #1 – In the bio memo– For a first person report by LeRoy of the Cyclops

search and the storm see the appendix “The Search for the Cyclops”. [HID:][SS:]On-line viewers select <A HREF=“../stories/The Search for the Cyclops.PDF”><IMG SRC=“docicon.gif” BORDER=0 ALT=“The Search for the Cyclops”></A>.[:SS][:HID]

– This appears at the end of the 5th paragraph about LeRoy

TMG Magic for Second Site

• #2 – In the memo of the same bio tag– … Reserve ships, the Yantic[HID:][SS:]<A

HREF=“http://www.lib.mtu.edu/mtuarchives/yantic/yantichistory.aspx”>(info)</A>.[:SS][:HID], so he went up to Lake Superior to do the installation.

– This appears in the early part of the 2nd paragraph about LeRoy

TMG Magic for Second Site

• #3 – a special tag “Anec-web” for paragraph labeled “Video clips:” – de-selected for TMG reports– [:CR:][:CR:]Video clips: Note: <A

HREF="http://www.real.com/">Real Player</A> is required on your system to play these clips.[:CR:]Select <A HREF="../stories/leroy.rm"><IMG SRC="rp.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="Hunting story"></A>  for a 35 second video of LeRoy telling a hunting story.  this is a 600 KB file[:CR:]Select <A HREF="../stories/cyclops.rm"><IMG SRC="rp.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="Search for the Cyclops"></A>  for a 3.5 minute video of LeRoy telling of the Cyclops search and the storm.  this is a 3.8 MB file

– These 3 paragraphs (note separate paragraphs indicated by [:CR:]) appear towards the end of the information about LeRoy

Second Site and TMG

• Demonstration

• Use TMG Utility to convert Internal Exhibits to External Exhibits

• Create a website using Second Site

• Create YOUR website using Second Site