The Cree web site

Below is the text of an email sent to all members of the Cree Mailing List on 26 November 2008

Hi everyone!

THE CREE WEB SITE

This is to let you know that I have now completed a major facelift of the Cree Surname web site at [http://www.cree.name].

It's actually more than a facelift, it's a total reorganisation of the material. The main aim was to make the web site easier to navigate. It had become so large that the navigation and menu systems were cracking up. The site is still as large but the reorganisation of the material into a new system of sections and sub-sections (and sub-sub-sections in places!) should make it easier to see what there is and to locate the hundreds of pages more easily.

The content has not changed a great deal, although I have edited some pages as I came across material that needed updating.

I hope you will enjoy:

- the anecdote that greets you before you enter the main site (usually a different one each time);
- the new search facility, which uses Google but gives results restricted to the web site alone;
- the cleaner, less cluttered design of the main Home Page;
- the logical grouping of topics into sections which are listed along the top and bottom menu bars;
- the side menu system that expands to show more detail as you enter each section and sub-section;
- the Site Map that lists and links to every page of the web site by section, sub-section, etc.;

I said that I have now completed the facelift, but of course the task is never complete. As new information comes to hand it needs to be added to the web site. The behind-the-scenes aspects of the facelift make the updating process easier and ensure that the menus, site map and search afcility are all updated at the same time.

THE NEW SECTIONS

The Home Section includes an Introduction and help with using the web site plus the Site Map and Latest News page.

The Contact Section describes how to contact me or join this discussion forum about the Cree surname.

The Distribution Section provides information on how the Cree name has spread round the world and where it is concentrated in various countries.

The Database Section contains the Cree Genealogy Database which I have now updated to include information sent by Cree correspondents over the last few weeks.

The Genealogy Section describes the family histories of dozens of Cree lines around the world.

The Indexes Section has searchable indexes of Cree vital records (births, marriages and deaths) for England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland and New South Wales.

The Archives Section includes transcriptions of historical documents featuring Cree individuals back to medieval times and archived copies of Cree News and Cree Booklets.

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW

1. Please have a look at the site and let me know what you think of it, including any suggestions for improvements.
2. Please let me know of any errors - factual, spelling, bad links or any other.
3. Please keep me updated on any discoveries you make about the history, genealogy, folklore or gossip about the surname CREE.

Best Wishes,

Mike Spathaky
Sydney, NSW, and Oadby, England.
www.cree.name