WHATHAP

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What Happened to The Bead Site?
(and How to Win a Bead Sample Card)

The Bead Site has been completely reorganized. Every page has been given a face-lift and instead of the old hodgepodge, it has a clean, consistent look. I know some of you liked the quirky variety, but I agree with those who say that this is the better way to go. But this is only the beginning.

The reorganization is designed to make it easier to navigate. Each page will have a complete set of navigation links at the bottom and a "path" line at the top.

The site is divided into eight categories: Trade Beads, Ancient Beads, Beading and Beadwork, Beadmaking and Materials, Small Bead-Businesses, the Uses of Beads, Beads and People and Researching Beads. Bead People, Bead Events and similar sections are retained.

Nothing of value was lost. Rather, it is better organized. Interstitial pages now link the hub pages with individual pages (for example heirlooms from Uses of Beads or stones from Beadmaking and Materials). They are more than mere link pages. Each is a short essay on the topic at hand.

In addition, The Bead Auction, the World Bead Chain (including our own moderated email discussion group, thanks to Jhan Knebel), a handy way to link with us (as well as add or modify postings for Bead Societies, etc), and more have been added. The site is now much easier to use and navigate.

These improvements will only increase the traffic to The Bead Site, which is already the leader in the field and one of the (probably) two top bead sites of any sort out there. We are looking for advertisers to sponsor the eight sections (two have already been taken) and for the site as a whole.

I am also looking for writers -- people to do book reviews, beadmaking projects, beadwork and bead looming patterns and new research projects. The pay is very generous - my undying gratitude and instant international fame. If you would like to help, contact me.

Where's My Bead Sample card?

This is [edit] WAS an opportunity to win a bead sample card. The Margret A. Carey "Gotcha" award is still active. The person who spots the most broken links, typos or errors of fact within a given time wins a sample card. The contest was named after Margret and she has won every one for the Margaretologist, but not thus far for the site.

The rules: one point for a type, two for a broken link and three for an error of fact.

Your best chance right now will be with broken links (spell-checkers catch most typos these days and in matters of fact I am, of course, infallible). Although I check and rechecked, I know there will be missed links.

It took two months to revamp the site (two weeks longer than it took me to learn how to build a site and to build it originally). Errors creep in.

Your entry does no good unless it helps me improve the site. The typo, dead link or error of fact must be identified by page name (in your address window after thebeadsite.com/). The .html or .hml tag need not be recorded.

You must also be specific about where the error occurred. For example, if there were three broken links on this page, your report should read something like this:

Page: WHATHAP. Broken link at Home on the path line at the top, broken link at Arikamedu in the text, and broken link of People in the navigation paragraph at the bottom.

Have Fun.

Peace,
Pete

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