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County Coordinator Guidelines / Adoption Info


Note: These rules are subject to change at any time without prior notice.

Welcome to the ORGenWeb County Guidelines page! There are a few basic requirements that every county host is expected to meet.

                                (Don't want to host a county but still want to help ---- see our ORGenWeb Brochure)
                                                                                                                         (brochure created by Jeannette Harper)

 You need to have:

  • A working knowledge of html, or the willingness to learn it soon.
  • A knowledge of the county you will be hosting.
  • A desire and willingness to help those that visit your county pages.
  • Enthusiasm.
  • Time to devote to your county page. Researchers are looking for fresh and frequently updated information on your pages. The time required can range from two to twenty hours per week, depending on the time you have available and your degree of enthusiasm.
  • Team spirit. You will be joining a volunteer team of County Coordinators dedicated to making the ORGenWeb Project the best site for those seeking to research their Oregon ancestors.
  • You will be automatically subscribed to the ORGenWeb mailing list,  so you can can receive announcements and join in the discussion of ORGenWeb goals with all of the ORGenWeb County Coordinators as well as respond to the monthly roll call. 
    *****
    Monthly check-in is mandatory so we know you are still interested in maintaining your county(s).
    Failure to respond to the monthly roll call  3 months in a row  may result in your county being returned to the 'Adoptable' Status.
    *******

Along with the host requirements, there are a few basic requirements that every county page must meet in order to be associated with our project and to host an ORGenWeb County Page. These requirements are:

  • ORGenWeb is part of the organization USGenWeb Project, they have a set of minimum requirements for each County and State Page, these requirements must be observed, and can be found at
    http://usgenweb.org/volunteers/scccguidelines.html

  • Your main page should also display both the ORGenWeb and the USGenWeb logos and links to both. The URL for ORGenWeb is: http://orgenweb.atwebpages.com/ The URL for the USGenWeb Project is www.usgenweb.org/
  • Contact information for the coordinator must be on their USGenWeb Project site. The coordinator's name and contact information (email address and/or Email Registry ID) must either be on the main/index page of the site, or there must be a link to a "Contact Info" page. If using a "Contact Info" page, the coordinator's name must still be on the main/index page of the site. (See AB: motion 2008/09-11; Approved 4 Mar 2009.)
  • All Coordinators are expected to respond to public and/or county coordinator inquiries within a reasonable timeframe.,  ie,  within 48 hrs   to,  at the very least,  acknowledge  to the sender that you received their email
    and that you will get back to them when you can work the issue.
  • All USGenWeb members are responsible for adhering to the Project's Copyright Policy
    (see usgenweb.org/about/bylaws.html, Section X for more information). Check with your SC for any particular state requirements for county web sites. Although the Project Policy specifically addresses genealogy information, it pertains also to all facets of the web site, i.e., graphics, html coding, backgrounds, audios, videos, etc. A copyright notice can be as simple as © “your name” and "current year". For more information see http://usgenweb.org/volunteers/copyright.html

  • Solicitation of funds for personal gain is inappropriate except as provided for in the Project's bylaws. For more information, see usgenweb.org/about/bylaws.html, section IX, subsection B .
  • All web sites shall include prominent display of The USGenWeb Project logo on the index page (see usgenweb.org/about/bylaws.html, Section IX, Subsection A. "Prominent" is defined as standing out; readily noticeable; conspicuous, per Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
  • The USGenWeb Project logo that you use on your web site must be one of the official logos chosen by the membership. These logos can be found at usgenweb.org/volunteers/logos.html
    (see usgenweb.org/about/bylaws.html, Section IX, Subsection A).
  • The The USGenWeb Project logo must not be altered in any way (size, colors, etc.) Inclusion of the logo in a banner is not considered to be an alteration.
  • There must be a link to the USGenWeb National site at http://www.usgenweb.org.
  • If used as a link, the logo or the name of the USGenWeb Project must link directly back to the USGenWeb Project index page at www.usgenweb.org (see usgenweb.org/about/bylaws.html, section IX, subsection A).
Miscellaneous requirements:
  • We know that if you are enthusiastic about adopting a county, you have many ideas about what you will include and how your page will look. You will also want your first page to appear in a timely manner. With this in mind, the ORGenWeb project requires that you have your first page ready for viewing by our visitors within three weeks of your acceptance as a County Coordinator. If this is not feasible, please do not ask to host a county at this time.
  • You must have previous html experience, or be willing to learn html within a reasonable amount of time.
  • If personal circumstances arise and you are unable to update your county for more than 30 days, please notify the Oregon State Coordinator.  State Coordinators are here to help you with any problems you may encounter - keep in touch with yours!
  • Once your pages are ready, notify your State Coordinator. Your SC will check your page for basic ORGenWeb and USGenWeb requirements, check your links and give assistance if needed.

Congratulations! If all is well, we will place your county link on the Oregon State Page and add your e-mail address as well.

  • The state coordinator will visit your site from time to time to assure that it is in compliance with USGenWeb requriements as well as Oregon State requirements.

  • County pages are for the benefit of visitors to our project who are seeking help in their genealogical research. Links to local business establishments (i.e. hotels/motels, Chamber of Commerce, etc) are welcome as the possibility of those visitors making a research trip to the area is great and these links will aid them with their travel plans. Likewise, please research your county to find local genealogical and historical societies where resources can be found for the researcher, and place those links on your county page.

  • Please be aware that many genealogists do not have the resources to have "state of the art" computers and modems. Most are visiting your page for the information contained therein. Graphics make a page look nice, however, please use discretion when using them. The same rules apply to animated graphics, music, frames, and java scripts.

  • County pages are not to be used to tout your political views, religious beliefs, or your personal family history [GEDCOM]. You may not conduct a business from your county pages nor ask a researcher for money for your services. These are genealogy research help pages only. If any of the previously mentioned subjects are found on a ORGenWeb site, the host will be asked to remove the offending subject matter. If the host does not comply with this request within two weeks, the pages will be removed from the project and the county will be made available for adoption.

The above guidelines are subject to change, additions and/or deletions, please check back often to see if any changes pertain to you.

Maintaining communication with the State Coordinator is imperative.  Failure to return emails from the State Coordinator and/or making requested changes from the State Coordinator may result in your county being returned to the 'Adoptable' Status.   A County Coordinator may be removed or replaced at the discretion of
the State Coordinator.

To get started, please e-mail  the Oregon State Coordinator. 

Please include 1) the name of the county you would be interested in hosting and/or 2) if the county already has a host, other assistance you might be able to provide such as lookups, transcription of primary reference material, etc. We might also request your telephone number to be used in emergencies only.

Thank you for your interest in hosting an ORGenWeb county page. Hope to be hearing from you soon !!







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