CIP Sitemaker includes tools that display frequently used content automatically. The standard tools include a Calendar, a Guestbook, an Image Gallery, an Inquiry Form with an automatic forms generator to add questions, a Web Log (blog), an FAQ generator, an About/Contacts page, a Policies page.

The Sitemaker Professional upgrade includes a Business Directory (yellow pages style), a Roster (suitable for personnel, membership or personal contacts), and/or a Member Management system to manage user privileges and facilitate contact among users.

Of course, the user can add uniquely designed pages. CIP Sitemaker pages are built from block level components that contain text, graphics, QuickTime video, contact data and quick-contact forms, intra-page "jump" links, and ordinary links to pages inside the site or elsewhere on the Web. The operator can also add structured "document lists" or "article lists" which are collections of pages on related topics, sharing a subordinate table of contents with support for many list formats to display the linked content's title, synopsis, author, date, etc.

In our Everlasting Tribute service (everlastingtribute.com) Sitemaker has been extended to provide an automated personal memorial, complete with family relationships, timeline and biography.

Finally, the Journalmaker™ upgrade allows an editor to publish a newspaper or magazine with full support for editions, sections and author management.

A simple contact form can be included in any site with just a few clicks. The contact form includes all common input fields and generates email to the site operator (default) or to another designated address. CIP Sitemaker's automated form generator also enables the operator to make standard HTML forms that can collect any type of information from the user.

The forms are strongly protected against a common problem on the Web, namely "form spammers" who attempt to use the forms as relays for their own messages.

We urge Sitemaker operators always to use the Inquiry Form instead and never to display email addresses on their sites. Displaying email addresses renders them vulnerable to harvesting, a major source of addresses for junk mailers.

Standard contact data for the sender are collected automatically. The operator need only add questions germane to the site or to the purpose of other forms. (The number of forms allowed on a site varies with the service package.) Standard contact data:
REQUIRED
• name
• email address
OPTIONAL
• company name
• job title
• telephone
• cell phone
• fax
• mailing/street address (2 lines)
• city, state, postal
• country

Input formats include
• simple text input, maximum 255 characters
• textarea, content limited only by browser
• radio buttons, unlimited options
• popup (select) lists, unlimited options
Each question can have explanatory text; use it to amplify the question or to repeat it in another language, for example.

The operator can
• choose the destination email address form by form (default is opr address)
• add questions
• sort questions
• activate/deactivate questions
• add options for multiple choice questions
• activate/deactivate options
• sort options
• select default option (or none)
• number the questions
• position contact data above or below questions
• control width relationship of question and answer spaces
• align questions left center right
• align form left center right
• set form width
• set question width
• set answer space width
• set form padding (space around options)
• set form margins (space around questions)

The Sitemaker Team can customize forms to report results to a database instead of to email. Responses can also be emailed with a Vcard attachment. Custom forms and database development are done on an hourly basis.

CIP Sitemaker's Image Gallery is a collection of albums containing photographs, illustrations, drawings, maps, or any other type of image.

Images are automatically thumbnailed and presented in an index within each album, and the albums are indexed, too. Images within albums and albums within the Gallery can be sorted in several ways.

At the Gallery level the operator can adjust numerous settings that serve as defaults for all new albums, including
• gallery title
• introductory text (header and footer)
• use image captions y/n
• use image titles y/n
• add new images in an album last or first
• how many images per index page
• number of columns in album index
• thumbail size
• thumbnail border size
• thumbnail border color
• thumbnail size
• default photo size for item page
• theme graphic for Gallery
Many of these settings can be overridden in individual albums.

The Gallery's main index page can be set as the home page.

At the album level the operator can adjust numerous settings that override the gallery defaults, including
• album title
• introductory text (header and footer)
• add new images in an album last or first
• how many images per index page
• number of columns in album index
• thumbail size
• thumbnail border size
• thumbnail border color
• thumbnail size
• default photo size for item page
• theme graphic for Gallery

Each album can have a thumbnail graphic to accompany its name in the Gallery's main index of albums.

At the item level, each image has several views: index thumbnail, main item view (size adjustable), expanded view(s), alternate views. The main view size is typically chosen to accommodate the image's relationship to adjacent text features. Expanded views open in a popup window; the usual size is the original size of the image; images in Sitemaker can be up to approximately 800 pixels in the larger dimension; larger images can be accommodated for professional photo sites. Up to four alternate views of a subject can be included in the item page; these alternative views are pre-loaded to let the visitor switch instantly among them, and this technique is also available in the expanded view.

Standard text fields accompany each image: caption (optional), description (unlimited text), and predefined fields credit, copyright, date, location, technique and keywords. There is also provision for the standard HTML ALT tag for use by special browsers for the blind, which read the ALT content aloud.

The Gallery can be upgraded to add "professional" features for photography enthusiasts or business users. These include
• pre-defined sku/id and price
• user-defined fields (unlimited)
• image metadata (e.g., jpeg info from camera)

The Gallery can accept bulk uploads from desktop image management software such as Apple Computer's iPhoto (tested and proven). Uploads can be to existing or new albums. The Sitemaker Team welcomes requests to test other similar software packages cooperatively.

CIP Sitemaker's Calendar tool is a full-featured [b]iCalendar[/b]. ICalendar is a standard format for publishing calendar data on the web. Therefore many desktop calendars can receive and share calendars that use the iCalendar format. These include calendar and contact management programs like iCal from Apple, and Entourage and Outlook from Microsoft.

You can display your calendar in Month or List view. Month view shows all the events for the selected month, and List view shows the next 20 events. Set your calendar to open in one layout or the other, and switch between them easily.

For the reader's convenience a small month view showing the day-date relations is always present for the current month. Only days with active events are displayed in the lists.

Each item can be displayed in full-data or pop-open mode. The former shows all the information about the event immediately; the latter shows a compact summary and lets the user click an icon to display the details.

Because the iCalendar format is so generalized, readers can download your calendar for inclusion in their own desktop view. That means your company, organization, church, school... calendar will be part of their own calendar, and whenever they are on line it will update automatically.

You can also subscribe to other online calendars. Just download the calendar (e.g., for a sports team, as long as it's in iCalendar format), and then upload the calendar to your site. When the remote calendar is updated, the new information will be part of your calendar, too.

Create your calendar using our browser form, or upload it from your desktop iCalendar application. Upload multiple calendars, and the system will create a popup list. You can default your calendar to display one of the sub-calendars as the default, or your can integrate all calendars into a single list. The default calendar is the one you create on line.

The operator can control the appearance and performance of the Calendar in several ways:
• choose your own title
• let public add their own events y/n
- if yes, then publish with or without review
• send notice of events by email to operator
- or send to any other address
• default to list view or month view
• categorize your events
- define your own labels (unlimited)
- set a default category
• precede your calendar with a welcome message
• customize the "no events listed" message
• set "display until" date up to 30 days in the past

You can designate the calendar as the home page of your site.

The information stored for each event includes
• name
• status
• submitter contact data
• start time hh:mm (show/hide)
• end time hh:mm (show/hide)
• start date Month 1, Year
• end date
• set end=start automatically for one-day events (default)
• uncouple start-end dates for multi-day events
• designate one-day events as recurrent by
- 1: daily, weekly, monthly
- 2: frequency (e.g., every second week)
- 3: until a given date OR until an end date is reached
• location
• sponsor
• contact data for details
- name
- phone
- email
- URL
• full description (up to 300 characters)

NOTE: Additional frequency and pattern options may be supported if calendars are uploaded from desktop applications. This simplified iCalendar does not support all possible combinations, but it supports most common ones.

To upload a calendar, just go to the upload form, browse your disk for the '.ics' file you want, and Send it.

A web log - often called a blog - is a personal journal. Use it to quickly post news and information. Optionally allow visitors to comment. You can link your short blog posts to other pages in your site or to other sites. This lets you guide visitors, or you can use your site as a digest of other web-based information. A web log is a good alternative to a newsletter for small sites with a single editor/operator.

The display of a Sitemaker blog is automatically produced with each request, so each visitor sees the blog with all previous posts, up to the minute.

For each item, the blog automatically displays the title, date, (category if used,) the original statement, the time it was posted and a link to display the the item on its own page along with any comments by visitors.

A control panel lets the reader move easily among the current posts (typically the 20 most recent items are displayed on the blog's main page) or go to the archive or to a particular category (if categories are used).

Here is a link to the Sitemaker blog, which we use to highlight news and features of the system: http://sites.clark-ip.com/sitemaker/tools/blog.dwp

Editing a blog couldn't be easier. To edit an existing post, just list the posts and click the one you wish to change. You can also create a new one. Either way a simple form lets you type and save your message. There are lots of options.
• choose a category (if categories are used)
• title your post (required)
• unlimited text
• break-page (just type a code in the body to create a synopsis)
• use BBcode (simplified codes for type face, color, size...)
• useful tools like a dictionary help with composition
• add a link (internal or external)
• title the link
• add a graphic
- type a URL, or
- upload an image
• position your graphic
- left
- center
- right
- wrap text around graphic
- don't wrap text
• thumbnail your graphic and link to larger popup version
- set thumbnail size by width or height
• set status variables
- draft, active, archive
- who may read (none, public, members)
- who may comment (none, public, members)
If status is Active, updates are published instantly.

An FAQ (frequently asked questions) page helps visitors to find key information quickly, and it reduces telephone calls and email messages, saving you time and money.

The CIP Sitemaker FAQ tool automatically generates an FAQ display with many options. You may choose to
Adjust FAQ global settings...
• add a preface (welcome) to the FAQ
• preface questions (e.g., with "Question:")
• preface answers (e.g., with "Answer:")
• label the "return" link to previous page or section
• label the link to more information
• number the questions
- Roman or Arabic numerals
• group questions into sections
• number the sections
- Roman or Arabic numerals
• index the questions with jump to answers
- if indexed, add a short answer in index
• prefix the index items (e.g., with "Q:")
• prefix the index synopses (e.g., with "A:")
• label link to more information
• show/hide questions (i.e., link only to sections)
• configure index
- vertical
- horizontal - if horizontal, set items/row, separator, alignment
For each question...
• type: question, short answer (optional), detailed answer
• set status Active, Inactive
• assign to section (category)
• add link to more information (URL)
• title the link
• set target of link to same/new browser window
For each section (if used)...
• create a label
• type a description
• set status Active/Inactive

Here is a link to our Sitemaker FAQ. Don't be surprised if it includes a few items that are indeed not asked frequently.

This topic is under revision. The automated About/Contacts page is optional on Sitemaker Professional sites and appears automatically on standard sites. It contains a description of the site (user specified), contact data and a quick-contact form. A modest description of Sitemaker's publishing environment is appended to explain the site's navigation system.

The automated Policies tool provides an opportunity to tell readers about the policies that apply to your site (and optionally to your company or organization). These may include mission, purpose and privacy statements, for example. This tool is under development for Summer 2006.

Guestbooks have been a standard feature of web sites since the early 1990s. Guestbooks are mainly used by personal sties; business sites typically omit them in favor of direct contact tools like the Sitemaker Inquiry Form. The Sitemaker Guestbook lets the operator collect and display the following universal data
• visitor name
• visitor location
• visitor description
• visitor comment and optional content
• URL of visitor site (linked)
• link to visitor contact form

As with all Sitemaker tools and services, a contact method is provided that does not display the visitor's email address. This is done to impede "harvesting" of email addresses from the site. If the contact form is enabled by the operaotr, later visitors can send a message to a commentator, but do not obtain the recipient's address unless the recipient replies.

The operator can control these settings:
• allow new posts (lock/unlock the guestbook)
• allow URLs
• allow response (show contact form link)
• require activation (post immediately or after review)
• receive notification of new entries (must be on for activation option)

The Sitemaker Directory is similar in concept to traditional yellow pages or other online business directories. Entries can be maintained from the Editing Suite by the editor/operator or by the listed entities, depending on the preferences of the site's owner.

The Directory has been proven in continuous use with many improvements on numerous sites since 1994.

Description under revision.

Example: Seattle Press On Line

The Sitemaker Roster is a contact management database. It contains contacts, personal information and relationships among persons associated with the site. The site's owner/operator and the individuals in the roster share responsibility for data integrity and maintenance. The system can also produce personal web pages within the site, deliver Vcards, and perform many other personal contact functions.

Description under revision. Tool scheduled for release in mid-2006.

Example (beta): TCHS Alumni Assn.

The Sitemaker Classifieds tool lets any site be an advertising provider. Visitors can place their own ads, live or after review, or the editor can create them.

The Classifieds system was proven for several years in a metropolitan newspaper and is being reconfigured for inclusion in Sitemaker, with a tentative release date of Fall 2006. Watch Sitemaker News for updates.

If your site is an online news magazine or the online version of a local newspaper, consider the Journalmaker™ extension package. Journalmaker, in use since 1998, provides for management of editions, sections, authors and more. It also adds interactive tools like ad hoc polls and fundraising tools like classifieds and banner ads. Like Sitemaker, Journalmaker lets you take advantage of many industry-standard content management tools at a fraction of the cost of in-house development and maintenance. The Sitemaker-Journalmaker systems found their first major application as the host of the online edition of a metropolitan weekly newspaper.

More information about Journalmaker

CIP Sitemaker can be configured to support a church's news, membership and internal organizations. Using our simple editing tools, a church with a single site administrator can let members interact through the Member Networking tools, maintain communication with an online newsletter or bulletin, and record its history by archiving important documents and images. MORE INFORMATION

Sitemaker memorials and history sites are developed under our affiliated sites, Everlasting Tribute and The History Project. These sites feature additional tools for biographies, family connections and timelines.

A typical configuration is a church or mortuary offering personal memorials, or a school or historical society creating thematic sites related to group or community history. The subordinate sites can have the same design as the parent site, or they can be individually designed.

All these features can also be specially ordered in any CIP Sitemaker site. These are also examples of the Enterprise approach described above.