Building History Websites:Software and Technical Tips

Presented by Dave LesterNational History DayJune 15th, 2008

Things Covered in this Presentation

• WYSIWYG editors– What You See Is What You GetExample: Google Pages

• Improving a Simple Web Page– Embedding Video and MapsExamples: YouTube and CommunityWalk

What You See Is What You Get

• Allows you to see webpage as you edit it

• No knowledge of HTML code is needed

• The simplest way to build a webpage

WYSIWYG Example: Google Pages

• Web-based editor that doesn’t require a download

• Free• Your site is

published with the click of a button

Google Page Creator: Templates

Formatting and Adding Content

• WYSIWYG editors use toolbars similar to Microsoft Word to format text and add images/video

Examples of WYSIWYG Editors

• Microsoft Expression Web – (formerly FrontPage)

• KompoZer– http://www.kompozer.net

• Adobe Dreamweaver• Google Page Creator– http://pages.google.com

Embedding Content in Webpages

• Videos, images, and maps are easy to embed into a webpage

• Copy and paste embed HTML codes into WYSIWYG editor

Embedding A YouTube Video

Maps using CommunityWalk

• CommunityWalk is a website dedicated to creating simple and easy to use interface for creating informational, interactive, and engaging maps. (http://comunitywalk.com)

• Add Images to plotted points• Map paths of travel between points• Embed maps into your site

Example of CommunityWalk Map

Additional Places to Visit

• Web Monkey, HTML Tutorials (http://www.webmonkey.com/tutorial/)

• CHNM’s Timeline Builder(http://chnm.gmu.edu/tools/timelines/)

• Additional History Video Content– Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org)