The
intent of this website is to promote the exchange of information about
the Concordia area. It began by posting my father's old home movies on
the Web in order to make them available to people who did not have DVD
copies. More information that I felt would be of interest and useful to
those researching the area was then added. This included church records
that were scanned and put into a spreadsheet format for easy access.
Other types of data were also included, such as access to some personal
genealogy data. While this was not intended as a substitute for such
websites as RootsWeb or GenForum, it gives examples of how one's family
tree information can be made available. I do not intend to host family
tree information for others, but would be glad to provide links to
other postings. Because old photos are always interesting, there is a
page to show them; however, the best ways to display and store them is
yet to be determined.
The main goal for setting up this site has always been to provide a
place for people to write down their memories and/or questions about
the "old days" in Concordia. We have all had these "Remember when ..."
and "Whatever happened to ..." moments. The aim is to make it as easy
and painless as possible for users to post their thoughts. Because my
initial service provider did not provide the tools for the addition of
a message board, I resorted to setting up a blog page as a temporary
alternative. However, blogs tend to be limiting and one-sided, giving
the thoughts of one individual. A message board or forum allows others
to expand on subjects of interest or answer questions directly.
A
message board dedicated to memories of the Concordia area has been
added to this website. The phpBB software used for this board is one of
the more popular public domain systems available. While it has a lot of
features that the average user may not need, it is relatively easy to
use and over time one may want to take advantage of the extra
capabilities.
The board is organized into categories and forums within the various
categories. Users post topics within a particular forum and others can
either post replies to these topics or start a new topic.
Categories/forums are used to keep the postings organized by subject
matter. Special permission is required to create new groupings, so one
must request the creation of a new forum if that is desired to keep the
postings separated.
At the top of the message board page are a number of links to various
pages of information.
FAQ - Limited help information
Search - Look for specific posted data
Memberlist - Information about registered members
with e-mail links
Register - The place to register as a member (if
you haven't already) Currently disabled!
Usergroups - A method for grouping members with
common interests
Profile - Where registered members enter their
personal information and preferences
Private messages - Lists private messages sent to
you by other members
Log in/Log out
If you want to return to the other pages of the website, use the back
arrow on your browser.
Registering -
You must register and log in to post replies and new messages.
So, to get the most benefit from the board, you should
register. Why? It makes it easier to know who posted a message and/or
is looking for information. Also, you can post your e-mail address and
others using the board will be able to contact you directly. You may
establish contact with someone you do not have in your current address
book. (Just remember to keep your address up-to-date if you change
ISPs.) In the future, people might want to use the board to set up a
family reunion.
To register on the board, you must provide a username and password. I
would recommend that you use some combination of your actual name, such
as initials and last name, for the benefit of other users. While I
always hate having to register and remember the username/password, the
system makes this relatively painless by including a checkbox to
remember these the next time you access the board. Just don't check
this box if you are accessing the website from a shared computer, such
as one at a library. [Note.
Because registration directly from the message board is currently
disabled, you must send me a request by e-mail with your desired
username. I will create a temporary account which you can then
edit using the Profile feature.]
Posting -
Posting are grouped by category and listed by forums and topics within
a forum. To see the list of topics, you must click on the NAME of the
forum. To post a message on the board, first look over the
forums/topics already listed to see if one fits what you want to talk
about. If so, click on the name of the forum and a topic. You can
either reply to a posting or post a new topic. If you feel a new topic
should be started, create one.
When you select 'postreply' or 'newtopic', you will be confronted with
a page that has a lot of features but is simple to use. Just be sure to
enter a subject and then type away in the box. If you did not log in,
include your name at the end so people know to whom they should reply.
(The messages are not nested.)
No material currently under copyright protection is to be posted on this site without express permission from the licensee of the work. All original material on this website is covered by a Creative Commons Non-Commercial Share Alike license. Basically, this license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon the author's work non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. Others can download and redistribute the work without modification, with proper credit. They can also translate, make remixes, and produce new stories based on it. All new work based on material from this website will carry the same license, so any derivatives (or redistributions) must also be non-commercial in nature.
Material posted on this site should respect the privacy of individuals. While there is a continual struggle between privacy and "freedom of information" rights, the generally accepted practice (particularly among genealogists and government agencies) is to not include birth and marriage dates for living individuals. The exception is if the persons involved publically publish it themselves or allow it to be published.
Indexing by search engines has been restricted.
Therefore, if you post any information on the message board that you would like
others to see, make sure that they know about this site. All you have
to do is click on the link provided on the main page to generate an
email and then address it to anyone you would like.
[Note. The indexing restriction has been lifted. So you should see some message
board postings showing up in Google searches.]
To avoid spammers, the board has been set up such that
one has to create an account and password to make any entries.
The board is operated on the honor system, i.e. I assume
that everyone using this site will refrain from posting any offensive
material. That is the main reason that this board is not publicized.
Unfortunately, in this modern world, there are some sick people
prowling the Web that enjoy spreading viruses and spam spoiling things
for everyone else. Hopefully, they will not find this site or bother
with it. If there are problems, it may be necessary to shut the board down.