Maxwell World Website News

Contact me at:  anthony@maxwellsociety.com

28th April 2001 The Big Change Over
Today I moved the website off the old host and onto a new one who will hopefully provide a more stable service. With the move I have got rid of the old FrontPage extensions which crashed the Forums and the visitor's book on a regular basis. The new forums and visitor's book run in ASP scripts linked to Databases so we won't loose any entries even if the servers crash which I am assured they will not! Time will tell.
Well that's all the technical guff. The nitty gritty is that I have changed some of the pages around to make the site more accessible. For all of you who just came and went, looking only at the genealogy forum, I have removed that link to make you come to the homepage first, it gives you the opportunity to see if there are any new things on the site which may be of interest to you.
The old Chief's forum has gone through lack of interest and is replaced with a general Maxwell Forum for all topics other than genealogy searches which will still go into the genealogy forum. (But I am sure I will still have to move them from the visitor's book and the Maxwell forum as usual!) The Maxwell Forum can be accessed from the Maxwell Online page which is new to the site. Maxwell Online also has the Chat room on it, which opens out to nearly full page now as do the forums. Folks found the old one a bit squashed up in the corner before.
I have put a newsletter submission form on the Online page as well. I hope to produce a regular newsletter to keep you informed about what is happening on the web site and to Maxwells in general. The newsletter could also be used to promote gathering and other events and I suppose as a marketing tool for Maxwell products, but I am still thinking about that one...
With all the problems of the last couple of weeks, I have not had much of a chance to put up much new material but I have just about finish the Maxwells in Ireland article so long awaited... There are other bit a pieces which I will put up in the coming weeks that have been accumulating for some time. I was glade to see that the Clan Maxwell Society of the USA finally got their website up last week and it was worth the wait. You will find the link on the Societies page.
I am sill on the look out for any maxwellian stories and material you have so send it in to me.
Good hunting

PS. Unfortunately, foot and mouth disease has devastated the countryside around here, even up to our own front door. Virtually the whole of the old Maxwell homelands in Dumfriesshire have been affected as have the lands in Kirkcudbrightshire. A lot of places have been off limits to tourists in the area and the situation is still very bad. I am happy to report that the outbreak has peaked and now the area faces an agonisingly long recovery period. I will post messages here and let you know how thing are progressing from a personal view point but you can go to the regional council website and get an official opinion on: http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/footandmouth/Index.htm

6th April 2001.  Repair and Disarray.
What a week! The host's server crashed during the night of the 29th March and it took them two whole days to get the site back up on-line. I took me another two days to realize that all was not well with the forums and still they are in need of some desperate repair. I will be converting them off the FrontPage Extension system which has proved so delicate, in the next few days, so please bear with me over the coming week. The Visitor's Book is suffering from the same fatal illness as the forums and will also be converted.
The good news is that I have launched a Chat Room on the forums page. If you log in to the Chat Rooms you may be able to chat with other Maxwells from around the world. Whilst the Maxwell World Web Site enjoys about 120 hits a day the chances are that you may well log in to the Chat Room and find you are the only one there. But, if you send emails to folks you want to chat to and arrange a meeting time there is every chance that the Chat Room may become an indispensable tool on this site in the future. (Don't forget to allow for different time zones)
I have been waiting for family written Biographies for sometime now, but I am about to give up on their promises and write the stories myself. I don't know if this will affect the quality of the Biographies, but the site must grow to keep you all interested. If you would like to contribute to this uniquely Maxwell site, please contact me, all Maxwell stories and other materials are welcome.

21st February 2001. New things on the Site.
I have been busy surfing the dark recesses of the web in the last month for new material for the site and I hope you will have a look around the site for the new bits, there are plenty more in preparation. The Clan Maxwell Pipes and Drums make their first appearance on site today on the Societies page. 
When you go to look at the forum pages, don't just read other peoples postings. Post an enquiry of your own. This site will become the Maxwell center of the World if you look to it for Maxwell information!
I still only have a trickle of direct enquires about the site and could certainly do with some more feed back. I would also be delighted if you would send me some more Maxwell stories and Maxwell notables to fill out the site. 
I am aware that over the last month I have not done much writing in the History pages and I know some of you are waiting for articles especially on the History of Maxwells in Ireland, a tough subject to write I can tell you. But a rough draft is written but I need to cross the t's and dot the i's before putting it up.
Today the site is two month old. We are getting about 100 hits a day, which is pretty good because we still have very few links coming in to us and the search engines have been very slow picking us up, but I am glad to say, we have now been scanned by two of them and should appear in their listings any day now. Don't forget to put a link to us on your site! every little helps. And if you have a Maxwell site that is not in my links, email me right away about it.
I would also like to see some photographs of Maxwells, Maxwell things and Maxwell places, so please send then to me and don't forget to send me you stories too.

20th January 2001. The Great Speed Up.
Today sees the launch of Maxwell World Web Site, Mark II. In order to get the pages loading faster many file have been made smaller and the frame system has been altered. The old velvety yellow buttons have gone the way all velvety yellow buttons should go and smaller neater maroon buttons populate the interface. There are also some new menus and some extra buttons promising new pages.... I am still writing many of them!.
At last, the first links have appeared and site promotion has started in earnest. I have lodged the site with some search engines and directories so someone looking for us might have a chance of finding us, who knows. Border TV, the local TV channel will be highlighting our launch with an article on the search for the Maxwell Chief and a national newspaper is talking to me about a feature on the same subject.
On the usage front, considering the over all lack of promotion and referrals the hit rate has been above expectations. I had thought to get the site sorted before the Maxwell masses came to have a look but clearly the Internet does not work that way. United Kingdom sessions have been very far and few between to date. I wonder why the French are so interested in us.... and why do 80% of all American readers come from Virginia? Are the no Maxwells in Ohio, Michigan, Texas.....