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Update: 7-18-2004:  I am sure there are many web sites out there already in the WV area and all over the world that  exist that is a hope or a haven for our animal friends.  If you will go to the home page and access the link  "Local Animal Shelters,"  you will get  the World Animal Net Directory which is the  world's largest database of animal protection societies, with over 15,000 listings and more than 8,000 links to Web Sites.  After you have made your web site or if it already exists, access their link and have your site listed.

"A guide in making  a web site."

The following documents are  a simplified guide in making an MSN web site which up to a certain amount of megabytes (MB) is at no cost to the user. All of the information in these documents in making a web site can be found in MSN own instructions. Instruction in making an MSN web site are documented as it is in February 2002, and forthcoming changes in their policies will most likely not be documented in these document. It is my hope, that these document will inspire all care givers of our animal friends to make a web site in their behalf, posting the photos of the pets for adoption, so they will have a "second chance" in life. Also, it is my hope that by the animal shelters having a web site, their message in behalf of our animal friends can be heard, and their plight will be lessened.

If your shelter, etc. in your region does not have a web site, please direct them to these document. It might just be the boost they need in making a web site for their cause.

On May 10, 2000, the wvpetpages.com was put on line. Its purpose was to serve Fayette, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming Counties (FRSW). The reason it was limited to just these areas was because at this time, no sites for our animal friends were present and the idea behind this site was that I would obtain information from these counties and submit their input in my web site. I realized just to assist the said counties in this manner would be time consuming and there would only be a limited amount of care givers of our animal friends that I could assist.

Thankfully, the idea of obtaining a web site from different search engines which were free was soon realized and the shelters, rightfully so, moved in that direction. As the shelters obtained their own web site, a new value, I saw in the wvpetpages.com. If the shelters could direct a person to their web site by the "The People’s Pet Pages’s" domain name, in many cases, it would be more advantageous since the URL of their web sites derived from a given search engines might be very lengthy and difficult to lead people to and to remember. I began to see the role of the wvpetpages.com not only as a site to perpetrate the needs for our animal friends regardless of what species, but also as a satellite site to help the care givers of animal shelters, etc. in their cause to be easily located.

Many citizens in West Virginia who are struggling to aid the "castaway pets" and other "animal lives" in their area in their struggle for life are at a disadvantage because of lack of money and/or lack of staffing. It is my hope that "The People’s Pet Pages" can move in such a manner to assist them in becoming a more viable organization and get the recognition and support they worthily deserve and need. It is my hope through the "trials and errors" we have experienced in the FRSW region concerning making a web site, that this knowledge we have acquired can be shared with you and can be of some assistance in helping you make a web site, if needed, so your organization will have the means via the Internet to post photos of your pets and to get your messages out to the public.

Working with different web sites from different search engines, it is my personal opinion only, that the MSN web site is the best for an animal shelter due to their thumbnail photos. Although, other web sites offers the tools to make thumbnail photos, I found for myself, the task was difficult to do. I am not saying that an MSN web site is the only way for an animal shelter, etc. to move, for I am sure there are many citizens in WV who has web sites in behalf of our animal friends on other free sites just as useful and possibly better, and I am pleased for that.

My goal in this section "Reaching for the Stars" is to try to explain how one can make an MSN web site since that is what I am most familiar with and from these instructions you will be able to make a web site for your animal shelter, etc. Once your site is made, regardless by what means, which is in behalf of helping our animal friends in West Virginia or anyplace else in the world, please go to World Animal Net Directory and have your site listed.  You will find the "World Animal Net Directory" listed on the home page, as "Local Animal Shelters."

On this page and the following pages, mostly by the format of "Questions and Answers" you will find how to make an MSN web site, if needed. And, should you have any difficulties in making it, please E-Mail me and I will help you in your endeavor as much as possible.

May I say, all that I have done and hope to do is at no cost to you. My only hope is that for our animal friends, maybe through your and my efforts, some lonely soul out there will be able to beat the odds in the "struggle for life," and have a "second chance " at life.

Thank you,

Sam Amato

Obtaining an MSN Web Site

Our shelter does not prefer to have a web site but would like the means of posting our pets for adoption on the Internet. Is there such a vehicle?
Please check out Petfinders. It is a very viable site and will well serve your purpose.

Update, 6-6-2002: As I am watching MSN go through major change, I sometimes wonder if  it would behoove an animal shelter to opt for Petfinders as their source to post photos of their pets to be adopted in hopes they will have a second chance at life, versus an MSN’s web site.

Although, I am not familiar with Petfinders one of the advantages of an animal shelter  using them to get their pets adopted, I would presume their format  in how you use their system is rather stable. Whereas, MSN's web site  does  go through some alteration, and if  you are not too knowledgeable about making a web site , this could be to your disadvantage. Also, I am sure,  the Petfinder's web site is  well known by those who want to adopt a pet  via Internet which gives the shelter's pets a better chance of being adopted in a region.

How much space Petfinders will allow a shelter to have, I am not sure.  But, with an MSN web site , the space allotted  would most likely be more then you would ever need.  I would imagine one would have to check out the pros and cons of each site available at their disposable and choose the one that best fits their need. Sam Amato 

Update 3-2-2003:  I did write the technician at Petfinder concerning some questions I had about Petfinder.  I have posted the said document  in the "Miscellaneous" section.  For animal shelters who are thinking of making a web site or possibly switching to them , please go to the "Miscellaneous" section and read the questions and answers concerning having a web site with Petfinder.

Does the MSN give you support in making a web site?
If you will go to Helping Hands for Our Animal Friends, you will see a section titled "Help" Click that and all the information you need to make a web site is in that section.

The "Community Feedback" is a must site in doing an MSN web site. Also, the MSN
Web Design  web site will be of great value to you.  Questions or problems you are having, others are having and their message board, tutorial guide, etc.  will be  extremely helpful.

If you want graphics on your web site, the MSN "Animation City" will be of great value to you.

If all of this information is available to me from MSN, why do I have need of you?
Not trying to be modest, I consider myself to be computer illiterate. All that I have learned has been through some excellent instructors and burning the " midnight lamp" in trying how to figure out how to do certain things. It is my hope that I can, if you are not familiar in making a web site, share with you information that I have learned while making an MSN web site which would make your endeavor in making a web site easier.

Would you be willing to give our organization instructions in making an MSN web site and if so how much would it cost?
If you lived near the Beckley area, if my schedule and physical stamina would permit it, I would be willing to give you a limited amount of time in assistance. But, I would definitely have to be assured you are sincere in making a web site before I would be willing to help you which would be at no cost.

Too often, I am finding myself trying to help others to make a web site in behalf of our animal friends where their input shows they have no interest in pursuing such a project and that is why I am trying to "Reach out" to other shelters in WV because I am aware that what some shelters would reject, other shelters would covet.  I would be willing to help you make a simple web site such as I did with Animal Control and Welfare Project,Inc.  in Summers County, WV. And, if you want a web site with more frills then that to what extent I would help you would be questionable and very doubtful, that part would be up to you.

Also, if really needed, if you give me the password to your web site, and I am obtaining more passwords then I can remember, I could go into your web site here at my home and make corrections on your web site which you are possibly having. After you have no more need of me in assisting you, I would expect the password to be change so I could not enter your site. What I am trying to do is beginning to be more then I can handle.

Hey, you have given me the advantages of having an MSN site, what are the disadvantages?
While doing this document, I stumbled on a "rude awakening." Prior to November 2001, if you made a MSN web site, you were allocated 30 MB which would be more then enough space for an animal shelter. Now, those making an MSN web site are only allocated 3MB which easily could not be enough space. But, since I had already started this document, I decided to continue it and insert it in my web site in hopes it can be of some value to an animal shelter.

Is there a way to acquire more MB?
One way, for $19.95 a year, you can get 30 MB. For an animal shelter which is stable, the investment would well be worthwhile. But, if your shelter, etc. is in an unfriendly political environment and your organization is just striving to exist, I am not sure if I would advise you to pay $19.95 a year. That choice would be yours to make. Another way to bypass the $19.95 yearly fee would be to obtain another .NET Passport, become a member of your web site with the new passport and then make yourself an assistant manager. As an assistant manger, you would be able to do anything the manger could do, except delete the site. Only a manger can delete the site. Then you could use these MB just for showing photos of adoptable pets, etc. in your web site. This would give you 3 more MB which would give you a total of 6 MB and that should be more then enough MB for your needs. The downsize of that is you are going to have to monitor two .NET Passport and check it at least every thirty days or you will lose the passport and you would have to add photos in both web sites at least every ninety days, or the web site would be deleted.

How by getting two .NET Passports would this help?
Each passport is worth 3 MB. By going in your web site which is already made, you can go into Create album in that site using the new passport and create more albums. That passport would be worth 3 MB in that album and would not subtract from the other passport. Instructions in the photo section will address how to do this.

Okay, you have convinced me in trying to make an MSN web site. What steps do I take in obtaining a web site?
The first thing you would have to do is get you an MSN Hotmail e-mail account (address) which is also known as (.NET Passport). Directions are given on how to acquire this account, so I will not expound upon it. 

Somewhere as I began assisting the shelters in making a web site, I began giving you inaccurate information in answering the questions concerning "My Profile," which you must do to get a Net Passport which you needed to make a web site. I advised some of you to give false information in "My Profile" so if the web site had to pass to another manager or organization, it would not bare your name and so the transaction would be no problem. Also, my thinking was you could only have one hotmail address in your name and this was the other reason for wanting you to give inaccurate information in "My Profile."

In August, I became aware of the problems that misinformation in "My Profile" would cause you because when I tried to get another Net Passport, I was unable to do it because I had four hotmail address and none of my personal information was the same. It took me a while to figure out the misinformation I had given in my "My Profile" was the source of my problem and once I changed them all with my name and the information accurate, was I able to get another Net Passport.

If you must communicate with MSN and your "My Profile" is inaccurate, they will see you as a hacker and will not be of any assistance to you. Also, if you forget your password and need to obtain another password to get into your site, you will not be able to change the password.

Please note, there is a difference in changing your password and resetting your password, and as far as I know you will not have any problem changing your password. It is only when you forget your password and have to obtain another one from MSN would a problem occur.

If you have already made a web site, please check your "My Profile," to make sure it is accurate.

To get to "My Profile," go to "Hotmail," click "Options," and then click "My Profile" and make the necessary ACCURATE change, then click "Update." Use the original hotmail address we used to make that web site.

When I changed the information in "My Profile" for my four sites, I made I sure I had an assistant manager so if something went wrong, the assistant manager could make changes needed to let me back in. I did not experience any problems in that realm.

While you are in the "Option" part, it may not hurt you to look at the other options available to see if they are correct.

Concerning your .Net Passport, please remember:

1. You need to go into your hotmail at least every thirty days. If it expires, you may not be able to get into your web site even though you reactivate it.

2. You need two people who can access that site so if you get locked out, they can reinstate you.

3. Each manager and assistant manager(s) has three megabytes. Which means that if you have a manager and an assistant manager, you have a total of 6 MB for that site. What photos one manager or assistant manager would put in your web site, does not take from the other manager or assistant manager.

4. After ninety days, if you do not add a photo, MSN has the right to delete your site. I never push the ninety-day limit.

Please Note: If your web site changes hands to another organization, Then, the new organization needs to go in and change "My Profile" to whom now owns that site. The individual will have to give you the Hotmail’s .Net Passport to that web site, but once you change the "My Profile" to a new person, the previous owner will be free of that .Net Passport.

Okay, we have the Hotmail address, now let’s go for making the web site.
There are several ways you can move to create a web site. One way is to go to a web site that was made by MSN. On the wvpetpages, as of this writing, Helping Hands for Our Animal Friends  and Animal Control and Welfare Project, Inc.  are MSN communities. Go to either site and be sure to be on their Home Page and click, Home at the top of the MSN community. Here you will see, Create a community. Click that link and you are on your way in creating your organization a web site.

Also, if you will automatically go to MSN Communities  you will automatically be on the page which you will use to begin your web site.

Hey, that is kool! Let’s create a site.
Click the link, Create a community and answer the questions on that page. You will most likely have to sign in with your Hotmail address also known as your Passport. Sign in.

1. In choosing your community name, make sure you have spelled it accurately and it is what you want because once the community is made, it can’t be changed.

2. In the box "Describe your Community" describe it as well as you can and put as much information in there that you can because later search engines will add your site to their site and what you put there in most cases is what they will use.

Then click, Continue to take you to the next step to create your community. It should be General, Public, etc. and after filling in all that information, again click, Continue to go to the next step.

For your e-mail address, I would use your personal e-mail address, you can change that later if desired.

For the nickname you want to be known by this community, I would put the abbreviation of my organization with Staff after it.

Please note, with the community I am using, I do not believe it is giving all the information that is now available to other communities. You will be asked for Keywords that a person would use to locate this site and also the Geographical Area where this site was made and possibly includes.

If you will go to an MSN site and click, Tools and then click, View this Community Setting, you will see some of the questions asked.

After all the information needed has been inserted, then click, "Create My Community" and your community will be created with the name you have chosen. What you see is your home page.

Now, make sure you add that site to your favorites so you can find it and also send the address of that site to your friends and tell them to save it, in case you lose it.

I forgot to save the address of my site and can’t find it. Now what?
Sign in with your Hotmail address, at the top you will see, People and Chat, click it. Scroll down until you see a title, My Communities, and you will see your site there. Click your community and you will be ready to work on your site.

I would like to have a home page different then the "What’s New" page. I would like to put our logo on it, our address, graphics, etc. Can it be done?
On your Home Page, you will see at the left almost at the top, a titled called, Help, click it. The Help section will appear on the right side of your web site. Click, Create a Custom Web Page and follow the directions.

To simplify how you make a custom page do the following:

On your home page, click, Manager Tools which is on the far left at the bottom.
Once in Manager Tools, click, Add a Page.
In "Add a Page to Your Community," click, A Custom Web Page.
In "Page Name," write Home Page.
In "Page Description," write (example only), The name of your organization Welcomes you!
You could go ahead and put your information in "Create Your Page," but I will bypass this for now.
Scroll down the bottom and click, Create Page.
Now go back and click, Manage Tools.
Click, Manage Page.
In "Select the Page to Change," scroll down until you find the title, Home Page and click to highlight.
Now where you see "Make the following changes to the selected page," in "Location in List,"
choose , Move Up and click until your Home Page will not go up any further.
Now scroll down and click, Save changes, and now when a person goes to your site, this is the page they will see.

Go out of your site and click it and see if this is not true.

Hello,

When you go to your web site after making the "Custom Page" and this is the URL (web site address) you are getting:

http://communities.msn.com/PreventionofAnimalCrueltyInc/_homepage.msnw?f=0&utf8=0

I am afraid this is going to cause problems later on. Such problems we have had with the other web sites and eventually could not access them until appropriate changes were made.

Add this link to "Favorites" where the original one was, and it will override what you had. This is what you will send to other to access your site.

For more help concerning your community, go to your Home Page, though any page will do. Where you see "Home," My Communities," and "Help," click, Help. A page will appear on the right-hand side, titled, "Help." You will see a title, "For help on MSN communities" and a box below it. Type, community and the click, Go. Additional information will be given to you concerning your web site.

Creating a Page

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Miscellaneous

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