OUR WONDERFUL WEBSITE

[Stanley]

OUR WONDERFUL WEBSITE

July 2004

I got mail this morning from a bloke who is very active in industrial archaeology and here’s a quote, ‘Certainly your website is different from anything else in the NW and might serve as a guide to their groups setting up sites.’ I’ve pointed out to him that it’s no more my website than anyone else’s. Doc pays the rent and we contribute. I reckon we all ought to send him a donation every now and again.
It got me to thinking though. Three months ago I had a conversation with Doc and said that if the site couldn’t get beyond being the Doc/Ken/Stanley show it was doomed and what we needed was more contributors, you may remember the piece I did about this. Well, you were certainly listening and ready to participate. Anyone logging on to the site must be struck by the breadth of content that we have. We range from some very funny threads that shed a lot of light on the northern psyche to hard nosed historical and archaeological information.
Which brings me back to Chris Irwin’s mail and his assessment of us. He actually thought we were an organisation! This says a lot about Doc’s original concept and the way we have helped him to realise it.
Of course there is a danger. We might start to rest on our laurels. The insurance against this is if we actively seek to get new participants and every now and again stand back and look at what we are doing. The mix is evidently about right, all we have to do is make sure that our individual contributions reflect the winning formula. We got another good link up this week on the University website at Lancaster. We’ve got a member in Canberra using us as a component of her Doctoral thesis. The Bracewell family worldwide have realised we are a goldmine for their genealogical research. Add to this the bonus of the lighter threads where the War of the Roses is alive and well.
So, that’s where I got my title. We have a Wonderful Site and it’s up to us to look after it. Thanks to all of you. Love, Stanley.
(www.oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk)

July 2004