The Manitoba Genealogical Society is updating its online presence and has already started with a new website that was unveiled in August. It has a fresh look and is easier to navigate than the old site.
Angela Fiebelkorn, the society’s vice-president of Communications, said, “The old website had a lot of information that was repeated on multiple pages. We wanted to minimize that by linking to the appropriate page, instead of having a long page of information. We did a thorough review of content and tightened things up.”
A team of society volunteers worked on the website content and layout and chose the Striking Multiflex theme on WordPress. The technical side was handled by Multipoint Productions.
One of the improvements on the website is the menu bar. It now has only five items, instead of the eight that were on the old site.
- Who We Are — Information about the organization and branches, as well as awards received.
- What We Do — What the society does as an organization, including partnerships and events in which it participates.
- What We Offer — What MGS offers members and the public.
- How You Can Help — Donations, sponsorship, volunteers, and the society’s annual volunteer awards.
- Starting Your Story — Basics of starting genealogy.
several caricatures that appear
on the new website and
social media.
Winnipeg artist Jon Ljungberg created a series of Manitoba Genealogical Society family caricatures for the improved online presence — Gene the Genealogist, Auntie KOHA, Uncle MANI, Grand Uncle Karl, Niece Nadie, Brother-in-law Bronte, second cousin SAM, and cousin Chris. The caricatures are interspersed throughout the website, as well as on social media.
Ms. Fiebelkorn said the caricatures add a bit of “friendly lightheartedness to our online presence.”
The next steps for the society are to update the online store and add new products and to revitalize their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
Although they have not yet launched the social media phase, they have started working on it. Keep an eye on the society’s Facebook page for updates.
The Manitoba Genealogical Society plans to re-open its doors, in person, to members and visitors on Saturday, October 16. The daily fee for visitors is $10.
Savoir faire is an occasional feature about genealogists and genealogical societies and organizations that are doing good things. To read about other creative and inspirational ideas, click on the ‘Savoir faire’ category in the right margin.
