MexicoGenWeb - Mexico State and Municipality Guidelines

Welcome to the MexicoGenWeb Project!
Thank you for volunteering your time and efforts to preserving our Mexican heritage. Your Mexican state or municipality website should reflect your unique take on Mexican genealogy. If you choose, you may redesign your site, using your own artwork and design. If you use a design or graphics from another website please be certain you have permission to use those resources.

If you choose to start from scratch, please archive the existing site. If you need assistance with this, or with getting your site uploaded, please contact .

Passwords
If you sign up for third party services, such as a search engine, or social networking account (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc.) please maintain a login/password file. If, in the future, you decide to pass your site on to another coordinator, he or she will need to take over these accounts, as well.

Sample pages
All orphan states have existing sample pages. If you choose to start from scratch, please put all the existing pages into an archives folder. Any existing content needs to be maintained, though it may be reformatted to conform to your design. Please, do not throw anything away.

There are many wonderful sites in our project. Take some time to look them over and learn from them.

Mailing Lists
Join the mailing list for your state, and include a link to this mailing list on your site. You may also want to join the country of Mexico mailing list as this is where you may share with other Mexican state and municipality coordinators.

Both the country and state mailing lists include searchable archives.

You may also use these lists to announce the launch of and updates to your site, and to solicit content and help from volunteers.

Query pages
State sites are required to link to existing query pages and/or message boards. The current sites in Mexico are linking to queries at Genealogy.com, Ancestry.com, and CousinsConnect.com. In addition to these you are free to create and/or maintain your own query pages.

County resource page and lookups
State sites may take advantage of javascript includes to basic research sources at FamilySearch.com. In addition, we suggest that you include and maintain links to websites, addresses and phone numbers to state government archives, libraries, genealogical and historical societies, universities and other projects.

A bibliography page is a welcome addition and a search through Google Books is a great start. Selecting "Full view only" under the search option gives you links to freely searchable books.

The MexicoGenWeb Project has a Picasa Web Album and will host images from your state. Please make certain that you have written permission from those contributing to your state's project. Other images for your state may be obtained by contacting the owners of images on Picasa or Flickr.com.

Social Networking
Consider creating informational pages at MySpace.com and Facebook.com for your state. These are a committment and should be checked weekly so that new friends may be added. A Twitter.com account is an easy way to add a "What's New" section to your state site.

Searching for others from your state at MySpace and Facebook is a good way to make connections that may be able to provide you with additional content.

The MexicoGenWeb Project logo
The WorldGenWeb and MexicoGenWeb Project logos should be prominently displayed on every one of your pages. These may be included in your footer.

Contact Information
A link to your name and email address must be on every one of your pages.

We have an javascript include file for this information and it is highly suggested that you use this for your contact links. This way, if you change your email address, or cede your site to another coordinator, we can update our database and the changes will take place throughout your site automatically. You will not have to update any links on your pages. Code for contact links looks like this:

<script language="javascript">javascript:document.write(state_cc[#]);</script>

Your state link number may be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_divisions_of_Mexico

Replace the # sign with your state number. Then copy and paste the code wherever you want to place a contact link. If you have any questions about implementing this, please contact .

Site Updates
You are required to update your site at least once every six months. This means that on at least one of your pages new content was added, and links were checked and updated, if necessary. Please note additions to your site and "last updated" information near the top of your home page.

If you find you have bitten off more than you can chew in becoming a state coordinator, let us know and you may take a leave of absense or have your state placed for adoption. If you prefer you may solicit a partner to help you keep your site updated.

There will be a roll call every six months - in January and in July. If you fail to check in over the course of two roll calls your site will be considered abandoned and will be placed for adoption.