Author: Kathleen

When you have any kind of redecorating project, it’s always a good idea to look around for some inspiration. My website encompasses a blog and a genealogy database, so it’s important that I plan and consider both those factors in my new design. As I was playing around in the test section I created during my TNG tutorial, I found out I liked something I never thought I’d like. Almost every website I’ve every created has had a fixed width design. This means that no matter how big or small your screen size is, I’m perfectly aware that my design is going to be certain size. Variable width designs scare me quite frankly.

I don’t know why they do. I think it’s the horror of the design falling flat in a 24″ inch monitor like mine. What if it is too scrunched in a smaller monitor size. To avoid this fear, I’ve just been doing fixed width. In my original About Me page, I wrote that I was trying to discover things about myself. That was back in 2010. Well I’ve discovered many things about myself in that time. One of them being that I like to learn, but once I’ve learned something, I’m scared of the advancement to the next level. That puts me in the stuck position.

Well, this year the training wheels are coming off. I’m making more efforts to get out there and learn. So one of the steps I’m taking is…. My new website design will be a variable width design! Oh gosh, that’s just crazy. I know, I’m weird.

My first sketch was on paper when I was going with a fixed width design. So when I switched, I decided to go into PhotoShop and hash it out there. I played with fonts and images. This is just a rough draft. The banner will get a little more ornate, and I haven’t decided how to handle the links on the side yet, but it’s an ongoing process. What I really hope to accomplish is a design that’s more easily changed out when I like.

I like the more subdued colors too. I loved the splashes of color from my previous working design, but it just wasn’t working in the long run.

Next we’ll talk about programs you’ll need in the customization process!

Alright folks, today is the big day! Are you ready to install TNG? I do have to warn you, you will have to have some kind of webhosting. If you haven’t found one yet, you just have to be sure that they support PHP and MySQL, and if you’re paying for a webhost that doesn’t support them, you should probably switch. There are great options. I use Dreamhost, but have used others in the past. I believe Darrin has some recommedations at the TNG website, so check those out if you haven’t already!

Before we start, other then webhosting you will need at least one other program for installing. If you want to delve into customization, then I recommend a second program also for editing. We aren’t going to get into that today though. Today is just the nuts and bolts of getting TNG installed for the first time.

The program you’ll definitely need is an FTP program. I currently use FileZilla, but there are many free FTP programs out there that work just the same. If you’ve set up a webhost, they should have sent you a login for an FTP program.

Continue reading “RMC: Creating a Database and Installing TNG” →

To start my re-design, I have to first lay ground work. Since I have an existing website, it’s important that I think about what works about the website and what doesn’t. This way I can be aware of issues as I enter the design process. If you don’t have an existing website or aren’t looking to delve into the design from scratch aspect, then you won’t need as much planning. I still think it’s beneficial to know what you want out of your website before you jump into one.

In my case, I was hand coding my whole family tree before I stumbled across the TNG Sitebuilding software. When this software was shown to me, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. I’ve been using it ever since and in 2010, I added this blog.

The first part of my planning stage involves sketching out the basic design on the website. I usually like to go in knowing where things will go, but I’m always flexible. There is a 99% chance something will have to be moved around. This is not the first draft of my re-design. I’ve re-designed it twice already, and had to change it twice because of a cluttered design. My design sketch might not make much sense to others, but it does to me. I know that I like the effect of a banner at the top and the buttons underneath.

On my current design, the TNG menu is only visible from the moore-mays.org main site and disappears from the left once you click on the blog. Then the same happens with the blog, but on the right side. My new goal for the redesign is to trim down the two menus and have one column on the right or left side (see I’m flexible!) with just the important, most used, items. I also don’t want the wall of text that I currently have on the blog menus, so I want to break it up a little bit with small logos for GeneaBloggers and a few other things I haven’t determined yet.

The biggest thing I want to happen is a smoother integration of TNG and WordPress. There are WordPress and TNG plugins that will integrate the programs, but I’ve never tried them. So I’m going to make fresh installs of both programs and test it out before I incorporate it in the new site. If I can get them to work the way I want to, then I’ll use them, if not, then I won’t. Either way, I’ll document the process.

After the sketch, I had to decide which things I would be putting in the menus on the side. You have to think about what links people will be using the most and which ones you yourself will be using the most. Don’t think about this website as just a memo you’re sending into the world wide web. My genealogy website is a fully functioning tool. I use the TNG database on a daily basis and the blog serves as a research diary for me. I’m not always so good about keeping a research log. Though I am getting better! The one thing I almost always do though, is blog about what I’m currently doing with my tree.

For me, when I started the blog, I had no idea what genealogy blogs encompassed. I just wanted to find a way to interact with my long lost family members who stumble into the website, and it’s a great way of sharing stories and photos with my family who live in other states.

So do you have a website planned out? Are you a fly by the seat of your pants person? I’m a little bit of both. I think it keeps me the right levels of flexible yet structured. Feel free to follow this ongoing saga and comment with your plans, suggestions, links, etc! I’ll try and respond back. Sometimes I get a little shy about what to say, but I’m getting better at that too! ;p

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I’m not sure how fast this process will go, so if you’re in a rush, this might not be the follow along for you. There are great resources on TNG like a forum and wiki!