and the replies we hope will answer the most common questions we receive.
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How do we get to Post 119 Gulfport Mississippi? |
On our website, we have a USA scale map, a State scale map, and a detailed City scale map links on our Homepage. We also have two detailed City Scale maps, showing Military Installations, Veterans Facilities, Cities, Landmarks, Waterways, Harbors, Major Intersections, Shopping Centers and Casinos, both East and West of American Legion Post 119 on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Right-click on any of the maps, save as a (.gif) or (.bmp) image, and print in black and white. |
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How do we get listed in one of your American Legion Directories? |
For the Legion Internet Directories, all we need is the Internet URL address of the website...that's the http://www.....stuff. For the Post Location Directories, simply provide the State, City, Post #, and any address and/or phone information you care to provide. We will make the listings as soon as possible, usually within one day, depending on our workload. |
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Where do you get the information for your Directories? |
Through email or snail mail, online telephone directories, Department, District, and Post websites...but mostly from interested Legionnaires at all levels. We also do Internet searches using popular Internet Search Engines. But...without the help of many interested Legionnaires, our effort would be far more difficult, if not impossible. |
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I can't access the National Headquarters website, either directly, through your website or other Legion websites!!! What is wrong? |
This has happened many times over the years, and usually occurs for one of two reasons. (1) On weekends and/or holidays, the National's website goes offline for a day or so. (2) The National Headquarters is "re-structuring" their website. This is the worst and longest lasting offline problem. Until the National had completed and/or nearly completed "re-structuring" their website, they may be offline for quite some time. There is nothing anyone can do about this until the National finally comes back online again. |
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Sometimes your website appears to be offline, and I get a "404 Error" or a "Page Not Found". Also, sometimes one of your pages do not download completely. What is wrong? |
(1) It may be offline because we are uploading changes to the page at the moment you are trying to access this particular page. Please try again in a few minutes. (2) We do not have our own "server" because it's too expensive, but our website may actually be offline because our web-hosting service "Tripod" is experiencing "technical difficulties"...which happens occasionally. (3) If one of our pages does not download completely...or appears as a "blank" page...it may be because the page is a "long download" page and you'll just have to wait a bit longer for the download to complete. If nothing appears to be happening after a minute of time passes, click on your Browser's (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.) "Refresh" or "Reload" button which will re-start the download again. |
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May we link to your American Legion Directories? |
We consider all our Directories as a service to the American Legion Community and all Veteran's Organizations. Should you decide to link, please use the page title texts, for example...An American Legion Internet Directory, An American Legion Post Location Directory, etc.. No attribution to Post 119 is necessary. |
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What is the correct setup to print your "American Legion Post Location Directories? |
The directories were designed to print in "Landscape" for insertion into standard 3-ring binders. If you try to print in "Portrait", you'll loose part of the info on each line...which will come out on later pages during the print run. Set your printer to print in "Landscape". Usually .5 to .7 inch top and bottom margins will leave enough room for a three hole punch. Print only ONE page using .5 inch left and right margins, then adjust if necessary for proper centering. We don't recommend wasting color ink...print in black-and-white. If the background prints, you will have to change the "advanced" settings in your Browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.) not to print the background, but that's usually the "default" setting anyway. Once the first page prints properly, the rest of the pages should follow OK. If not, email to msgulfcoast@msn.com and we'll do our best to help. Over the years, many folks have printed all 50 States without any problem. |
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May we link to your Tropical Storm service? |
Certainly, but please use the page title text Significant Tropical Storms Worldwide. Our tropical service covers all five tropical regions year around: the Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, Central Pacific, Western Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. We consider it as a service to all Veterans who have served in one or more of these regions. |
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The National Hurricane Center is off-line. Where do you get your information? |
Tropical Centers all over the World are occasionally overloaded
and off-line when a major tropical system nears "landfall"
in their area of responsibility. However, all Centers provide
current storm information to "alternate sources". The
alternate sources we use are indicated as ALT in each of the
Tropical Regions. Until the National Hurricane Center comes back online, we prefer to use the tropical storm products provided by the United States Navy Tropical Centers, because their products provide continuity in the structure of the warnings, track graphics, and satellite images on a worldwide basis. Disclaimer: We do not use commercial sources except when absolutely necessary. Although we use primarily official Government sources, our site is not "official". Your local Radio and TV Stations, and local Disaster Centers provide the current official warnings and instructions for your area. |
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What program did you use to build your Post 119 website? |
We needed a reasonably priced Website Construction Program that would make the extensive "table formats" we needed, easy to use and update. We wound up using Adobe PageMill 3.0 This is not meant to advertise the product in any way, but it fit our requirements, and that's the one we still use today. Our main requirement was that after a few weeks of practice...it became easy to use. |
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What are the basics required to build an American Legion website? |
(1) Assuming you are not familiar with HyperText Markup Language (HTML)…it is best to already have in your computer system a website construction program called WYSIWYG “What You See Is What You Get“. Netscape Composer and Microsoft FrontPage, are examples of WYSIWYG website construction programs which may, or may not, already be installed in your computer. There are many other such programs available at stores such as Office Depot. Because we started with absolutely no knowledge of HTML, and had no website construction program already in the computer, we bought and still use today, Adobe PageMill Version 3.0 a WYSIWYG application. (2) Using a WYSIWYG application, makes constructing a website page similar to a standard “word processor” page, onto which you type texts and insert pictures and/or graphics. The WYSIWYG application will also show how to add “links“, “buttons”, “tables”, “backgrounds”, and other webpage features. You can then tell the WYSIWYG application to show you how the page will look on the Internet, without actually being connected to the Internet. Change the page in any way you want until you are satisfied, and you are now ready to put the webpage up onto the Internet. Note: The American Legion’s National website has guidelines and graphics you can use for an American Legion website. Also..."For those Posts who seek a pre-designed website which can be easily changed/updated by anyone without basic computer knowledge or skills, The American Legion has partnered with Legionsites.com to offer this option. Along with technical support when needed, this option is an easy and affordable answer for Posts and their website needs. More information on this program can be found here." Many other ideas on how to build good websites are available in bookstores, and online at such websites as the Web Developers Journal (3) Once you have constructed your webpage or website, you will now need to contact online, an Internet “Web Hosting Service”. They have many large storage computers called “servers”. Your website will be stored somewhere in one of these servers. When Internet users wish to view your website, it will be delivered to them over the telephone lines, from the “server” in which your website it is stored to the viewer's computers then monitors. There are many web hosting services. Which one you choose is up to you. Some services will host your website for free, but will require some sort of “advertising” to be placed on your website to cover the costs of “hosting”. Other services will charge a small monthly fee to host a website without advertising. Examples of these web hosting services on An American Legion Internet Directory are: Yahoo, Homestead, and Tripod, at: http://www.yahoo.com/ http://www.homestead.com and http://www.tripod.lycos.com Many more can be found on “The List” at: http://webhost.thelist.com After trying several different Web Hosting Services, we settled on Tripod, and it is still our Web Hosting Service today. Oh, they've had their problems, but all Web Hosting Services occasionally do also. This is not meant to be any kind of advertising for Tripod, it's just the one we've become used to working with, and have continued to use for many years. (4) After contracting with a web hosting service to host your website, they will give you instructions on how to send (upload) your website to their servers. You then enter the instructions into your WYSIWYG application, and upload your website to their servers. (5) Your website is now online, and what you do with it from that day on…is up to you. Make any changes you want at any time…and “upload” to the web hosting service. Add more pages to your website, and “upload” them to your web hosting service. (6) IMPORTANT Once your website is on the Internet, the American Legion National Headquarters requires you to notify them of it's existence. Also, some Departments and Districts have the same requirement. (7) Words of caution!!! Having a website published for the public on the Internet, is a little like writing a book and having it published. It's a very personal thing, and it reflects your image as well as that of your Post. Do not copy what you see on the Internet. Besides, most websites are copyrighted...so you must do your own thing. As with writing a book, it can require a good deal of time and effort. Like a book, start with a concept, contemplate a cover...then organize your thoughts with an index or table of contents. Then, and only then, begin the construction. This will save a lot of time and effort. Of course you can change things at any time, but make the changes in small, mostly un-noticeable ways. Large, abrupt changes may confuse and irritate your viewers. Like a good book, readers will return to it over and over, and like a good book, readers will recommend it to others. Others meaning...other websites will willingly provide links to your website. |
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How do we get our Post's |
Internet Search Engines: What
are "Search Engines" An explanation of what Internet
Search Engines can do can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_search_engines
You should request "registration" or "indexing"
with all popular Internet Search Engines yourself, by going to
their homepages and looking for Add Site, Add URL, Submit a Site,
List My Site, etc.. We recommend you begin with the search-engine
Google
which will perform registration within 24 to 48 hours. A list
of other Search Engines can be found at: http://www.allsearchengines.com/complete.html
Some Search Engines provide their listings at no charge, while
other require a payment for the listing. We recommend using only
those that will list your website for free. Search engines primarily perform registration or indexing by three methods...Page Title...Top Text...and META Tags. Therefore, we have three recommendations: (1) Page Title: All of your page "titles" should begin with the words "American Legion Post xxx and your City and State", so that the search engines can place your website into the proper "categories". For example, our homepage title is "American Legion Post 119 Gulfport Mississippi - Homepage" (2) Top Text: At the very top of every page, above any graphics or animations, place a couple of short lines of text describing what that particular page contains, and also include American Legion Post XXX and your City and State if at all possible. See more about "Top Texts" below. (3) META Tags: A little difficult to explain here, as it may require additions or changes to the "Source Code" for each page on your website. If you wish to view the Source Code" for most Internet websites...right-click out-in-the-open anywhere on the page, and select "View Source" from the drop-down menu. Many websites do not use META Tags, but if they do, you will find them near the top of the Source Code. (1) and (2) above have to be correct, with no mistakes, the first time! Carefully consider your "Page Titles" and "Top Texts". Once your site is registered, those two items are what folks will see when they use Internet "Search Engines"...possibly until the next Haley's Comet comes around. So...get 'em right the first time!! |
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What are the worst mistakes made in website building? This reply is obviously opinionated!!! |
(1) We all know the first
big mistake!! Loading the main page with every imaginable photograph,
image, animated graphic, scrolling text, and Java Script imaginable.
All of these only delay the download time, and without a "Top Text" the viewer has no
idea what site they are at until the full download is nearly
complete. If the viewer does not know where they are within ten
seconds, they may become impatient and click away the site...maybe
never to return. (4) The choice of background
and text colors. Backgrounds should be chosen to avoid
having any text disappear into the background itself. This is
most important when using "complex" colored backgrounds.
Black backgrounds with dark colored text is nearly impossible
to view. Blue texts should be avoided on any background, because
the Internet default for a "link" is blue. Most
folks will click on blue text thinking it is a "link",
especially if it is underlined...like
this!!! Therefore, it's best not to "underline" anything
that is not a link. |
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Who is the "Webmaster" for Post 119 Gulfport? |
His first name is Bob, known to the Grandkids as "DooDah"
and at the Post as "IcaBob". Go figure? He is a gray-haired "Old Foggy", born in 1933, USAF Korea Era, with 6 Kids, 16 Grandkids, an ever increasing number of Great Grandkids, and a very loving and patient wife Betty, who relegated him, and his old Windows 95 Packard Bell...now a new Windows XP Home Edition Compaq Presario...to a very small room in the front of our house. I know all this, because I've had to live with Betty "Big Mama" all these years. Her favorite phrase is, "I'll beat you half to death if you don't take out the garbage." Rest assured...I follow her orders. What a great Drill Sergeant she would have made!!! |
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