Topic: A - Using the Site
Navigating the Site
Because of the complexity, volume and nature of the material, it is a difficult task producing a front end that is simple to use for the visitor. The solution has meant that some simplicity has been sacrificed for accuracy.
All that being said, once the logic of the site is understood, it is quite simple to navigate.
The Sidebar
The sidebar structure is quite simple. The first items relate to the AIF, followed by the Boer War, Battles, General information, Militia, Turkish items and then Weapons. Each item is clearly marked as a heading followed by subheadings which incorporate the heading detail.
AIF - Australian Imperial Force
Example: AIF - 2B - 7 LHR = Australian Imperial Force, 2nd Light Horse Brigade, 7th Light Horse Regiment - which will open with a contents page detailing the items on that particular thread which will include a regimental outline. This particular section details the entire Australian Order Of Battle in the Middle East and includes information upon other national units that played a role with the AIF. So primarily there is a large listing of NZ material as there will be eventually of British material. Included are the Italians, French and British West Indies, to name a few.
BW - Boer War
Example: BW - NSW - NSWCBC = Boer War, New South Wales, NSW Citizens Bushemen's Contingent. This thread deals with many issues relating to the formation and history of the NSW Citizens Bushemen's Contingent including nominal rolls and individual biographies of soldiers.
Batz - Battles
Example: BatzB - Buffels Hoek = Battles, Boer War, Buffels Hoek. This will give a contents page detailing all the items in the thread dealing with the battle at Buffels Hoek in which Australians saw action. There are close to about 130 battles in which Australians participated during the period 1899 - 1920 which included two in Australia itself. These are all recorded and detailed in this section.
GW - Great War
This section deals with the general issues relating to Australia and the Great War.
GM - German Items
This section deals with items specifically dealing with the German forces in the Middle East during the Great War.
Militia - Australian Militia 1899 - 1920
Example: Militia - LHN - 3/11/7 = Militia, Light Horse New South Wales, 3rd Australian Light Horse which became the 11th Australian Light Horse which finished as the 7th Australian Light Horse. The sub sub heading is under the subheading "Militia - LHN - NSW" highlighting the fact that this section is now dealing with New South Wales Light Horse Militia activities. This specific topic is of course about the Australian Horse.
Tk - Turkish
Example: Tk - Bks - Air Force = Turkish Items, Books, Air Force which opens to a transcription of Ole Nikolajsen's book, Ottoman Aviation 1911 – 1919.
Wp - Weapons
This section deals with the various weapon systems employed by the various combatant forces during the various conflicts.
The Search Engine
Every item on this site has been thoroughly indexed, a process which occurs daily to list new entries.
A search engine only works as well as the parameters placed in the search box. The wider the search term, the more results will be generated. The best hint is to be very specific with your search item.
If you have a general term, firstly examine the sidebar to establish if a thread already exists which covers the search parameters. Using a term like "Beersheba" will produce many hundreds of entries since apart from hundreds of individual items, it is also listed on the sidebar as a thread and as such has its own table of contents.
Your suggestions
We are always open to suggestions on making such a scheme more logical and simple without sacrificing accurate content description.
Further Reading:
Citation: Navigating the site
