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Blog Entries: 1 to 10 of 11
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In the Queue - Week 12
 As I write this, I had hoped that our new website would be live by now. There's even an article about the new website in the Spring 2026 Newsletter that will be out later this week.
Instead were are still in the queue (the line) with other ENS websites going through the conversion process. It's a busy time at ENS right now, A few websites have already completed the conversion process. More, like ours are done and waitng for the developers to take us "live". Still others are just starting. Then, on top of all that, the folks at ENS are dealing with any bugs that may be cropping up with the new software.
So, for now. I ask for your patience. I will continue to use the blog to keep you up to date on what's happening. If I don't hear anything by April 7th, I will follow-up with the folks at ENS. |
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Turnover Day, Round 2 - Week 9
 "It is finished." Really. After turning it over last week, I found out about a few changes that needed to be made. Those are now complete and the website is now in-line with other recently completed websites for the finishing touches to be added by the developers. This will be the last update unless I am told about some sort of delay. Short of that, we should have a new website by the beginning of April 2026. |
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Turnover Day - Week 8
 After multiple final reviews (and some changes), I turned our new website over to the developers this morning. I haven't heard back from them yet. My biggest fear, though I think it is unfounded, is that I missed some major part in my part of the work.
I will continue to keep you updated as we switch from the old to the new website. I don't know yet when that will be, but I promise you will know right after I do.
Even when the new website goes live, it won't be quite finished. I will still have to set up the use of PayPal for on-line payments and will have to create the links for over 500 archived newsletters that will continue being part of the Members Only area of new website. More to come..... |
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Dotting i's and Crossing t's - Week 7
 Between our daughter being sick and my back going out, I didn't get as close to finishing up the work on the new website as I had hoped to do. For all intents and purposes, the work on the website (for now) is complete. What I am doing now is going back and making sure that everything works correctly and looks good on both my laptop and my phone. Even when the work is done and the website gets turned over to the developers for their finishing work, it will still be incomplete.
Once the website goes live, I will add the capability to do on-line payments through PayPal. I will also go gping back to create all the links for accessing tha past newsletters. That one will take some time, but it's not a difficult chore, just a time consuming one. I don't know how much longer it will be before the new website goes live, but I at least hope to turn my work on it over to the developers next week. Fingers crossed! |
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Old Dog Learning New Tricks - Week 6
 I only got to spend one day working on the website this week, but I completed all the pages related to the Join tab on the main menu. Finally, this stuff is starting to make sense to me and creating the pages has become somewhat easier. I think that I am gettting close to turrning the new website over to the developers, but I know that I still have at least some "behind the curtain" type stuff in the settings still to work on before I declare victory. Fingers crossed, we are getting close! |
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Behind the Curtain - Week 5
 My work on the new website this week was pretty much restricted to different set-up activities that are "behind the curtain" so to speak. Not pages per se, but how our memberships are set up, thank you notes to new members and members renewing their memberships, etc.
Once I get our Join page functional, I will be just about ready to turn our new website over to the developers. A word of warning though. Even when the new website goes live, it will not be fully functional. I will still have to set up the new PayPal interface to allow on-line memberships and renewals to be processed when paying by credit card, as well as creating literally hundreds on links to our archived newsletters. There are other minor updates that will have to be done as well, but the aforementioned items are the two biggies.
Anyway, next week will be another short one for me, so I'm not sure how much I will get done. Plan on my next update being in two weeks when I hope to have good news! |
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Some Real Progress - Week 4
 Well, it’s been an interesting week. With my trip to St. Louis pushed back to this upcoming Friday and our daughter back in school after last week’s snow, it was a chance to make some real progress with the new website. I’m still far from proficient, but maybe the next person that takes on the webmaster role can take what I am creating now to the next level.
I finished up the work on the Links page and this week I have created several new pages including ones for our:
Store
Museum (a virtual tour page and the beginnings of our new Exhibits page which will be under construction even after the new website goes live)
Book Indexes
Archived Newsletters (I created the structure for this page and several pages linked to this page, but I will have to wait until after the website goes live to create the actual links to the archived newsletters).
I still have work to do related to the financial workings of the website, the Join / Renew page, and other setup related activities. My goal is to be ready to turn the website over to the developers by the end of February for them to do their thing (adding the membership functions and finalizing the new website before it goes live.
Wish me luck! Until next week….
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I'll Stop Complaining Soon - Week 3
 Utility is in the Eye of the Beholder
Pardon me for borrowing an old saying for this week’s update, but I continue to have mixed feelings about our new website. I could easily write a long blog post lamenting the rise of responsive design, but that would only reinforce my reputation as a resident curmudgeon. Instead, I’ll simply lay out my main concerns—and then do my best not to harp on them ever again.
My biggest frustration is that by designing primarily for the smallest possible screen, we’re limiting what the website can do. That priority doesn’t necessarily match the needs of the people we’re trying to serve. I would genuinely love to know how many of you use your phone to work on family history or conduct historical research. My hunch is that the number is far lower than the general population’s mobile‑first habits.
Another concern is the push to emphasize photos over text. That may be fashionable, but it runs counter to what a historical society website is for. I’m not visiting to admire decorative images unrelated to our past—I’m there to read, learn, and research, and that requires text.
Finally, the shift toward mobile‑friendly design inevitably makes navigation more cumbersome. It’s not just the extra scrolling or the dreaded hamburger menu. It’s also the fact that finding what you need now requires checking both the top and bottom menus on the homepage.
So with all that said, let me tell you where we are since my last update.
I was out of pocket most of the week before last and this week hasn’t been a whole lot better with the young one home from school all week due to the snow. That said, I have been able to make some progress and I am happy to say that it really wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. The homepage is essentially done, though some of the links aren’t functional yet. One of the things that I actually like about the new website is that the current newsletter is now in the public area of the website and can be accessed without logging in. I also corrected the problem that I had earlier that was preventing me from being able to read the newsletter on the website without downloading it.
I am far from proficient when it comes to designing and building the new website, but I’m gonna get there in the end. Right now, I’m just working on the tedious rebuilding all the links that are contained in the Links & More page of the current website. More tedious work is to come when I start rebuilding what is currently contained in the Exhibits page on the current website.
I will be out of town again early next week, but I hope to have some more progress to report by next Friday.
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Oven Mitts & Fitted Sheets - Week 1
 Asking a nearly 70-year-old to develop a responsive website when he harbors a deep-seated prejudice against them is like trying to fold a fitted sheet while wearing oven mitts—it’s technically possible, but you’ll mostly just end up yelling at a rectangle that refuses to cooperate! And yes, there has been some yelling and choice words this week. Like many, I suppose, I am somewhat resistant to change. I think that as we get older, our resistance to change increases. There’s probably even some fancy algorithm out there to quantify increasing resistance with age.
Yet here I am. I realize that almost every day, the number of homes with large-screen devices (laptops / desktops) decreases while the number of people who use their smartphone to connect to the Internet continues to increase. Like it or not, websites like this one just weren’t built for these smaller screens. Had we been given the choice to keep this website indefinitely, I wouldn’t be here ranting today, but our current website is on life support, and the patient has no hope of recovery.
The news this week isn’t all bad, however. The task isn’t quite as overwhelming as I thought it would be. Our hosts at EasyNetSites have a series of short videos that helped introduce working with our new responsive website and that is backed up with in-depth documentation for each area within the new website. It’s not quite Greek to me, but it’s going to take some time to learn about all the new functionalities. But you learn by doing and that’s what I have been “doing” this week. Help, when needed, is only an email away and the response time is very quick (I had an issue with some missing functionality that was quickly resolved).
The new website’s Homepage is about 95% done. The Events page and Current Newsletter pages are 100% done. I have found out about some limitations with the new website that will make it impossible to open and read our newsletters (current and archived) on the new website itself, but you will still be able to download them to whatever device you are using. It all has to do with file size limitations for displaying items on the website.
My work time on the new website next week will be very limited, so my next report will come in two weeks. I hope to have more good news then. Wish me luck, I still think this “old dog” is going to need it.
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Work on Responsive Website Underway
 As many of you know, our current website has served the Historical Society faithfully for a number of years. It has been a reliable home for our stories, our records, and our connection to the community. But technology has changed dramatically since that site was first built, and the platform we’ve been using is no longer able to keep up with the needs of today’s phones, tablets, and modern browsers.
To ensure that our online presence remains accessible and useful, I have begun the process of transitioning to a new responsive website—one that automatically adjusts to whatever device you’re using. Whether you’re browsing on a desktop computer, scrolling on your phone, or checking something quickly on a tablet, the new site will be far easier to navigate and read.
I want to be clear: I am at the very beginning of this project. Building a responsive site isn’t a simple copy‑and‑paste job. It requires rethinking layouts, reorganizing content, and in some cases rebuilding pages from scratch. Some features will take time to recreate, and others may temporarily be unavailable as we work through the transition.
That said, the work has officially begun, and I’m committed to keeping you informed as we move forward. Over the coming weeks and months, I’ll share updates on our progress—what’s changing, what’s being added, and what you can expect as we get closer to launching the new site.
Our website is one of the most important ways we share the history of our community, and ensuring its future is essential to the mission of the Historical Society. Thank you for your patience, your support, and your enthusiasm as we take this important step into a more accessible and sustainable digital future.
More updates soon.
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