Concerning Canadian version..

[Kelly d]

Hi Allie,

You are correct in Canada being of mixed races. I don't have a lot of experience in Canadian history but because of my work on the DNA projects, I have been learning.

If you would like for me to help, just give me a shout. I will also tell Mama and Stephanie for they have been doing lots of research on the Coville tribe of Washington and Canada.

Thanks,
Kelly

[Alastair]

Re: Concerning Canadian version..

Thanks Kelly.. I'm still trying to get my head around how to tackle this project.

I'm leaning toward having a menu for...

History under which I'd have a section for each Province plus First Nations. The idea here is also to do a major work on the history of Canada. I have available histories of each Province. I might place a sub menu here for Ethnic Races where I could gradually build some histories of the various ethnic groups that have made their home in Canada. But depending how this goes it might be worthwhile to have a main menu for Ethnic Races.
Makers of Canada where I'd do biographies of prominent Canadians that made a real difference. I would also have a Biographies section inside this to put some biographies of other prominent Canadians.
Armed Forces where I'd do some histories of the various regiments
Pioneering where I'd put up accounts of the pioneers and how they settled the land.
Transport where I have a lot of information on the Canadian Pacific Railway

I'd like to have a section for Songs of Canada as there are a lot of great Canadian songs but I was surprised to learn that most Canadians don't know them.

Then I'm swithering about whether to have sections for...

Religion
Immigration
Industry and Commerce
Legal System
Travel
Sport
Media
Health & Welfare
Agriculture & Wildlife

Whatever I decide the menu system may well ending up changing as the content builds as that also happened to Electric Scotland.

Alastair

[Kelly d]

Re: Concerning Canadian version..

Okay, this will give me an avenue as I have met several prominent Canadian Scots through my travels into the different Clan Gatherings.

Would you be interested in these kind of stories? I have met the Wood family member who still holds the original land grant for his family in Nova Scotia. I met a couple of nice Canadian Davidson and Leslie...

[Alastair]

Re: Concerning Canadian version..

Always happy to get stories in Kelly. I have started work on the site and it is going to take a while to build the content and get it to the point where it is worth launching. I'm just working on getting the main menu structure up. I'm then trying to put content up for each menu item so that there is something worth reading in each section. Initially most of the content will have been copied from the Electric Scotland site but once that is up I'll be working on brand new content.

Loads of people to contact seeking information. It will be interesting to see if I get more help from Canada than I got from Scotland.

Alastair

[Kelly d]

Re: Concerning Canadian version..

Allie,

I discovered loads of Scots do read ES and have great esteem for all your efforts. I am upset Scotland's government has put off schedules for homecoming 2014. They tell us now, it will not be officially published until 2013. I was thinking of getting as much information as possible and putting it up here for everyone.

Do we work with the Clan Associations world-wide? I will get onto those three associations in which I have had the honour of meeting their presidents and see what I can manage.

[Alastair]

Re: Concerning Canadian version..

We always have been willing to work with anyone that can provide us with information on anything to do with Scotland and the Scots at home and abroad. I have worked for over 25 years trying to persuade Scots and Scotland to be more open with the world. The problem with the web is that everyone has their own web site and by default they don't seem to wish to communicate outside their own site.

I have always related this to magazine subscriptions. A lot of people enjoy getting their favourite magazine but they rarely purchase two of the same kind of magazine. Like if you subscribed to a particular car magazine that doesn't mean you won't on occasion purchase a one of copy of another. But on the whole if you are happy with your existing subscription then that's where you will pick up the information you want.

The same goes for web sites in that we find our favourite sites and visit on a regular basis. That doesn't mean you'll not visit another site but on the whole when you've found one you like you tend to stick with it.

And so if you want to inform your own particular audience then you really rely on regular visitors. But if part of your work is to promote Scotland and things Scottish be you a Government or other public organisation then in my view you need to obtain as wide an audience as you can and thus just focusing on your own web site is actually a very bad idea.

My life has mostly been in the online world and we just don't communicate well over this medium. This is not a particular Scottish problem as I believe every country in the world have the same problems. Look at your own country and ask yourself the questions... how easy is it for people to learn about your country when they don't live there? How easy is it for them to understand what your country offers for tourism and business and inward investment?

Just look at all your Google searches. Put in any key word or words and how many millions of links will you be offered? Do you go through more than 3 pages of links? I doubt it. However in doing much research I have gone through as many as 20 pages of links and I have often found great sites many pages down. In many cases I've found sites that in my view deserve to have their sites in the first page as the quality of information is superb and much better than any link in the first 10 pages.

This is why in my opinion organisations need to share information with other web sites. In isolation they will never get the audience they need and deserve.

Alastair

[LuRose Williams]

Re: Concerning Canadian version..

For me, I truly enjoy reading the old extant records such as the Parliment. It seems there is a massive amount of information in the old journals and manuscripsts, that a person can't help but want to share that.
Since my MtDNA has come back as a match to an Indian woman that grew up on the Colville Reservation., I am enthused to know more of her, she is one of the first Native American women to publish stories...She is of Salishan background. Their tribe has been recognized along with the 5 civilized tribes of America.

I would like to submit a story of her. Perhaps one on the Hudson Bay Company as well and the Scots who worked for them.

[Alastair]

Re: Concerning Canadian version..

As it happens I have a section about the native American Indians which you can get to at http://www.electricscotland.com/history/indians.htm

And certainly you can send in stories Lu. We do have a few books around the CPR as it happens. We have one by a builder of the railroad "When the Steel Went Through" at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...a/steelndx.htm which makes a good read.

Alastair

[1938 Observer]

Re: Concerning Canadian version..

Alastair said,-----------------


"Just look at all your Google searches. Put in any key word or words and how many millions of links will you be offered? Do you go through more than 3 pages of links? I doubt it. However in doing much research I have gone through as many as 20 pages of links and I have often found great sites many pages down. In many cases I've found sites that in my view deserve to have their sites in the first page as the quality of information is superb and much better than any link in the first 10 pages."
"

I've done the same thing many times trying to isolate a particular slice of information, it is time consuming, but it does work.