Historical Society Website News

Glenn Brown, administrator for the Kittson County Historical Society website, wrote today to say that the website will be moving. The need was precipitated by the current site switching from being free to charging fees.

As anyone reading this probably knows, historical societies have a hard enough time surviving without this added financial stress. But there is good news! Glenn has found a viable and free alternative!

I encourage anyone reading this that cares for local history in the upper Red River Valley of the North, Minnesota, or Kittson County in particular, to join this site and participate. Read the details below...

...I have spent considerable time checking a dozen sites out and I picked Spruz.com as the most appealing. I have spent considerable time checking a dozen sites out and I picked Spruz.com as the most appealing.

I could write pages about the good and bad things found in my search but we have to act fast before our present pages on Ning.com are deleted.

Ning.com is preparing software in order to allow us to migrate our sites to other providers. That will not be ready until July 2010. Our site will be condensed into a special import file and when ready Spruz will be able to migrate our site and everything in it. Sorry, but I expect many trials and tribulations before this is all done.

Small uncomplicated Ning.com sites simply deleted their files and started all over on a new site. They then had to contact all their old members and sign them all up again. We cannot do that because we have too many groups and photos that would be lost, not to mention the data.

I have opened the new site that can be located at here. I have started a Blog that you can read but you cannot add any comments or suggestions unless you are a member. There is nothing else on the page and there will be little but the blog until at least July. I suggest you hold off joining and contact me at my email address if you have any comments or suggestions. I will also post information on my blog on the old ning page. If you would like to open a topic of discussion under the forums please do so.

In the 13 and a half months since our [original] web page was created I have contributed a great deal of time and effort and to lose it is irritating. If you are unhappy with recent developments I fully sympathize. I will keep you informed of developments as they arise.

Glenn Browne
Kittson County Historical Society (old site, up until July 2010)

Glenn, best of luck on the new site. From small acorns grow great trees!