Site visitors will discover a new look – and a new name – for the Jonestown website homepage. Other changes, though less visible, are equally important.
The site managers changed the name of the site to better reflect the actual nature of its contents. “Jonestown & Peoples Temple: A Digital Archive” describes both the topics (Peoples Temple and Jonestown) and its format (digital). While the description of the site as “Alternative Considerations” made sense when it was launched in 1998, the word “alternative” ultimately lost its significance.
The new homepage highlights the areas visitors visit most frequently, such as Who Died and Frequently Asked Questions. It also prominently features the Photo Gallery and the Audiotapes.
While subsequent pages retain the original format, the navigation bar (also available through the Menu function and the “hamburger” icon) has been enhanced. By grouping topics together under boldface headings, we hope that visitors will quickly find what they are looking for.
A revised Search page is intended to facilitate navigating the site. With more than 10,000 pages online, finding what one is looking for can be daunting. But two different means of searching – through the WordPress function and through Google Search – along with instructions on using each, should help visitors quickly locate the information they are seeking. A new updated guide for using the site’s search engine will also assist site visitors.
This past year has seen an intensified effort in formatting the website to be responsive to mobile device users, in addition to those using desktop computers. Statistics for the website show that more than 60 percent of site visitors rely on mobile phones or tablets to access the website. This responsiveness facilitates accessibility.
A final enhancement is the addition of a link to the Military Response to Jonestown website. This new site, created by Shannon Howard and Aliah Mohmand, continues the important task of documenting military perspectives begun by Preston Jones and Kim Johnson at John Brown University. The value of the pioneering work of Preston and Kim cannot be overstated.
The site managers welcome comments and suggestions for further improvements.
[Rebecca Moore is co-manager of this site.]