I started this project to make this web site a statement about ourselves as Welsh Springer Spaniel breeders. This site is not meant to be the definitive word about Welsh Springer Spaniels. I leave that task to others more ambitious and obsessive-compulsive than myself. In describing these web pages, I think columnist Angela Gunn describes my intent perfectly--In the August, 1997 issue of ZD Internet Magazine, she wrote:

"I don't miss the spelling errors, but the beauty of the best personal sites is that they have flavor. Someone went to the trouble of creating a site not only with good links but with a voice that reflected its creator."

When I began writing web copy, my first draft was so carefully worded it made a postal zip code list sound interesting. Then, I decided to heed Ms.Gunn's advice. Issues important to US will be emphasized here. We'll provide lots of general Welshie information, but we're also going to promote our own "biases" about how we chose to breed Welsh Springer Spaniels. Because to us, that's what makes a personal web site really personal. And for those of you who evaluate the validity of information on Web sites, you won't have to do a lot of reading between the lines to figure out the slant of this site...

Developing this Web Site

I  began thinking about writing a web site last year. I did my homework -- reading reviews of HTML authoring tools, examining web sites all over the world to decide what worked, and reviewing design recommendations by Web authors. By May, I felt ready to tackle this project, and used a huge Route 80 traffic jam as the opportunity to storyboard the site.

I purchased a book-software combination that contained an HTML reference book and a simple HTML editor (HTML Assistant Pro SE®) and began to write HTML code. The basic material for the site came from brochures we mail to people in response to inquiries about Rysan Welsh Springers. I wrote 4 or 5 HTML pages, added a few photos, and signed up for a "free" web site here at Geocities to host my pages. I loaded the pages in early June, and notified the Welshie World of our arrival. Later in the month I added the hit counter, and no one has been more surprised than me at the number of visitors the site has hosted.

I expanded the scope of the Rysan Web Site project to include general dog information and WSSCA activities. Intrigued by the idea that I could cut down the amount of work involved in maintaining the site, (silly me...) I bought a "high end" Web publisher--Microsoft FrontPage97®. After 2 hours of fighting with the program to get it to stop changing my HTML code, I ditched the Microsoft program and returned to my friendly and decidedly "lower-tech" HTML editor.

Late this year, I tried the Microsoft FrontPage 98® beta and loved the "themes" option, so I decided to give the program another chance. Although improved, it is still  frustrating to use FrontPage, and certainly not as easy as reviewers and Microsoft would have you believe. Knowing HTML code is VERY useful for troubleshooting problems in Microsoft FrontPage 98®. In addition, Geocities does not support the "Server Extensions" that   enhance the product. I'm still frustrated by the different ways Netscape and Microsoft interpret HTML, also. But I'm really thrilled with the way these pages turned out.

Enjoy the Trip

I've tested the code in Netscape Navigator® ver 3 and 4.04 for Microsoft Windows 95®, and in Microsoft Internet Explorer® ver 3.02 for Microsoft Windows 95®. I try to keep the HTML code "plain vanilla" so it will work in most graphical browsers. I've avoided a lot of "tricks", including Java applets, animated gifs and large photos, since they annoy me and I assume they do the same to you. I hope all the navigation bars and buttons are correct, but that depends more on FrontPage98® than me, since it generates the shared borders and navigation bars automatically.

These pages may still have a "not quite ready for prime- time" feel about them. Oh well, too bad...it's time to let these web pages project "life with Welshies" from the unique Rysan perspective. You may not agree with everything you read here, but that's OK... Enjoy these pages--I had a great time learning to write them (finally...)

Sandy Rohrbacher, Webmaster

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©1997 Sandra B. Rohrbacher