This is my very first attempt at blogging – anywhere! I am not even sure of the proper protocol or ettiquite I should follow. Hopefully it won’t take me too long to figure out how to do this sort of thing.

I have maintained a couple of web sites for some time now and have found that I need something more immediate to communicate my ideas and get feedback than my web sites provide. My sites will not win any design awards. I basically ut them together with MS Word, and I am not very artistically inclined. Here are their URLs:

www.donstouder.com       
The Main Entry page that you can use to get to the two sites below.

www.donstouder.com/lhs-63/index.mht      
Leuzinger HS Class of ‘63 site

www.donstouder.com/Digital-Photo-Corner/digital-photo-corner-home.htm   
My digital photography web site 

Actually you can tell quite a bit about me, just from the addresses above. That’s me, Don Stouder. When I took out my domain name, I could not think of anything clever. Apparently, I am the first Don Stouder (There are others in this world.) registering a .com web site.

Quite some time ago, I started a web site for my high school graduating class. I think it has helped our class stay in touch over the years. 

I use my Digital Photo Corner to stay in touch with my students. I have been teaching digital photograhy and related courses in the South Bay area of Los Angeles for over seven years now. One of the main uses of my web site is to let students know what courses I will be teaching where during the following term. Over the years thes classes that are taught in two different school districts have been quite popular and are often filled as soon as registration opens. Posting their description and schedule on my web site, gives my students a heads up for what is being offered when before they see the schools’ online announcements or receive their catalog in the mail. I also maintain an email distribution list that I use for the same purpose. It contans well over a 1000 names now.

That brings me to why I started this blog. It takes a lot of time to keep the web sites current (Something I do not do well enough.) and the distribution lists up to date. Also, except for the Guest Book, web sites seem to be one way ventures. Initially, I will concentrate on digital photography and related PC subjects in my blog. But I am sure other subjects will creep in as I go along and learn about blogging.  

Ok, that is enough for my first blogging effort. Happy New Year!

Don