Rational:

Using the Web for my idea will help with issues of accessibility, information organization, and distribution. Even though new media features of the site could probably be implemented in an actual museum or exhibit, college students are not always able to get to a museum. Building a searchable website also benefits the researchers who use the web for preliminary information gathering. Even though the site will probably not become a scholarly site, it can still be a reputable source of information. Although the site’s targeted audience is specialized, I think it will draw many people, whether for school projects or a personal interest. Putting information on the web can also reach a larger number of people than a regular museum or library.

Interview: Sarah Garner, Board Member, Loudoun Restoration and Preservation Society. http://www.preserveloudoun.org/. Interviewed by phone and email Dec. 6-13.

Thank you for your interest in the site. I designed it with the help of the other board members. We really didn’t have a budget for it, so I can’t really help with money questions, but we all pitched in our time and ideas to create something about our group and our goals. For other websites that I created in the past, I worked with the HTML code. This time, I used Dreamweaver, and found it much easier. My previous experience with the code helped, but Dreamweaver’s visualizations were a nice feature. The one piece of advice I would give you is to effectively learn slivers. It’s a great tool for making banners and backgrounds. Once you find, or make, a nice pattern, replicating it is easy and seamless. (A summary of the conversations)

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