Search New York State History Day: Frequently Asked Questions   Regional Info   State Contest Info   What to Expect   Home can't read it? click here for a new image		Home     News     Contest     Teachers     Students     Parents     Staff     Contact Us     Store   Web Site Category This year, Web Sites makes their debut as an official National History Day project category. New York State History Day has piloted this new category at both the 2006 and 2007 contests, and we feel confident that it will be a great addition to the National History Day program. Because it is so new, we thought we'd provide answers to some of our most frequently asked questions: How will the category work? For the first year or so, the web site category will be a joint individual and group category. In other words, students can choose to enter as an individual or a group, but they will all be judged together in one competition category. This is how NHD debuted the media category (now Documentary) several years ago. Competition in the web site category will occur at the regional, state, and national competitions this year. What will judges be looking for from Web Site entries? Web sites are the most interactive of all NHD categories. Quality web site entries will communicate the topic's significance in history through web site design software and computer technology. Students should include elements that actively engage the audience in learning about the topic. These elements do not have to be technologically complex, but they should let the audience participate in exploring the topic, rather than passively viewing information. The presentation should include primary materials, but must also be an original production. Web site entries are judged similarly to the paper category; students must submit their entry at by the registration deadline to allow judges time to view their entries prior to the contest day. On the day of the contest, judges will interview the student. How do I make a web site? You can create a website with many different software programs, from Microsoft Word and Publisher to Apple's iWeb. See what resources you have a available, and that will make the decision on what program to use easier. A couple things to keep in mind are: If you use a soup-to-nuts program like FrontPage or iWeb, try to steer clear of using their templates as they are. Make the website your own by changing fonts, color schemes, etc. You can not use a web-based application like Facebook or MySpace to create an entry. Your project must be saved as a file on a CD-rom in order to enter. Judges need not have internet access to view your site. (For more info, check the Contest Rule Book .) What makes a web site good? That's a very good question, and one we here at the NYS History Day office are trying to help answer. There are a few basic tips we can provide (and we will in a minute), but there are few resources available on making quality web sites for National History Day. If you are a flexible person who thrives on being a trailblazer, the web site category will be perfect for you. If you need to follow a lot of rules, perhaps you should pick a more documented category. In other words, NHD is still learning how to implement this category (i.e. what is a good file size, multimedia time limits, etc.). If you need everything laid out for you in black-and-white, the web site category may not be the best choice for you. What are those basic tips you promised us? Honestly, I just did a quick Google search for "website design tips" and came up with a plethora of helpful info. Here's a few, but you'll definitely want to do your own search: Make sure there is something of value (in regards to content) on every page. Steer away from a lot of blinky, animated text and images. They make it difficult to view. Try to keep your background a solid color or a muted texture. Images make very busy backgrounds. Minimize the amount of clicking the user has to do to navigate your site. Make it as simple as possible to visit! Make sure you have a navigation bar at the top or on the side of every web page so the visitor can get around easily. Provide a link back to the homepage on every page in your web site. Still have questions about the Web Site category? Send us a message through our Contact Us form.