Susannah:  One of the major things to avoid in the layout of the SHA website is
exactly what the NPS NCPTT did.  The fewer number of levels it takes for the
seeker to get their information, the better.  Cutsie crap like using "frames"
and lots of unnecessary graphics makes uploading a long and unnecessary process
for those poor souls who have old 386 and 486 computers or with older and
smaller modems.  A lot of folks like at AOL pay by time and it costs them money
to wade through all of that stuff.  I have been surfing the internet for 6
years and the only ones who seem to like frames are the website owners and the
frames designers.  When one is in frames, the only thing that can be bookmarked
is the dang home page and not the particular document or section that the
person really wants to visit again.  Another problem with frames is that only
the home or major section section "url" is shown.  So if one wants to write
down that location for another person or make other reference to it, they can
not obtain the exact location.  This also makes it harder, if not impossible,
to retrieve documents via FTP or e-mail.  Each section should have a good
description of what is in it and the users should be able to "lateral" from one
area to another without backtracking to the home page or major section page.  I
really appreciate the chance make suggestions on this.  Thank You.
Smoke Pfeiffer
 
 
>      The Society for Historical Archaeology has maintained a website for a
>      number of years now.  This site has been used primarily as an medium
>      through which folks could get a sneak peek at upcoming Newsletters, HA
>      Journal abstracts, and info. regarding the SHA annual meetings.  SHA
>      would now like to expand the usefulness of this site -- both to
>      professional archaeologists and to the general public.  Any
>      ideas/brainstorms would be greatly appreciated.
>      The web address is:
>      www.sha.org
>      While the basic format for these pages will not be tackled anytime
>      soon, comments regarding layout, appearance, etc. are also welcome.
>      Please send any suggestions to [log in to unmask]  This email
>      address can also be accessed directly through the website under the
>      "SHA Webmaster" link at the bottom of the main page.
>      Thanks to all!
>      Susannah
 
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Smoke (Michael A. ) Pfeiffer
Archaeologist
Ozark-St. Francis National Forests
605 West Main Street
Russellville, AR 72801
[log in to unmask]
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