Help

The AllAboutOmaha.com™ pages are pretty simple to navigate.  There are some tips that are handy to know though.

1) The title at the top of the page will return you to your last location on the web.  This has the same effect as clicking the back arrow on your browser window.  The same thing happens for most photographs or images when you view the enlarged version.  Simply click the image again to go back to the same location that you were before.

2) You may notice an asterisk (*) beside some words, usually at the end of a sentence.  These are links that will give you additional information when you move the mouse pointer over the link (try it).  Move the mouse pointer over names under portraits to see a popup tip too.  Many other regular text and graphic links also have additional hover tip information when you move the mouse pointer over the link.  Sometimes there is no clue that a hover tip exist so move your mouse around a bit, often you will be pleasantly surprised.  The hover tip will be displayed below and to the left of, right of, or centered under the link.  If the link is close to the bottom of the screen, you may not have enough room to be able to view all of the contents of the hover tip.  In these cases, scroll the display up and then revisit the hover tip.  Several hover tips on this page are lengthy so you will be able to see examples of this real soon.  Another example, is the hover tip on page 1 that tells the story how Omaha got its name. It is worth reading so move the mouse over the "Omaha Indians" text link on page 1.

3) The background of our website is called Pink Marble.  The background was chosen based on scientific research that indicates colors that have a mauve like quality helps our species feel comfortable, especially when in new surroundings.  The Pink and Gray texture in our background was chosen over several similar color schemes.  It seems to produce the desired effect in the most common lighting conditions.  We wanted something other than a white background.

Any background or color other than white takes away from the ultimate contrast, which is very important for reading.  Therefore, it is easier to read our pages in an environment where the lighting will not reduce the effective contrast on the screen.  It is easier to read any text on a computer screen when there is very little lighting at all.  Most find that even at night, it is handy to have some lighting besides what the computer screen offers just to see other things such as the keyboard.

If our pages are difficult to see and read, then it is a good indication that you have less than perfect lighting conditions.  If you adjust the lighting where our pages are easier to read, then all websites will be easier to view and read as well.  Try for a room where there are no lights other than the outside light.  Try it when the light filters in when the sun is directly overhead.  This may differ from what you consider a normally lit room.  What is often considered a normally lit room will still produce glares on the screen.  It is usually because we get used to the lighting conditions even though they are less than perfect.  The glares may be from outside light sources or inside sources.  Improving the lighting conditions will make using your computer much more enjoyable and can help reduce the stress that accompanies our daily lives.  One viewer thanked us because they hadn't thought about their lighting conditions (or noticed the glares) until reading this.  Now they use our website as a reference to help others.  Glad we could help.

When using artificial lighting, it is always a good idea to position your screen and the lighting so that you do not have any glares on the computer screen.  Fluorescent lighting produces the most even lighting, especially if the bulbs are long (tube lights) to help spread out the light source.

4) Links that you have not visited yet are blue in color on the Pink Marble background and may be blue, light blue, or gold on the black background.  They will turn to (bold) red when the mouse pointer is moved over the link if the link has not yet been visited.  Once the link has been visited, the link turns to dark orange.  While the link is being used (not supported by all browsers or versions of browsers), the color will be (bold) gray.  A link may be for a different website (external link), or on AllAboutOmaha.com™ (local link).

For local links, the link may be for a different page, or a section of a different page or even the same page you are already on.  In the case where the link is on the same page you are already on, the link will be pink (since the page has already been visited).  If a link takes you to a different page but the link does not take you to the top of that page, you might consider scrolling to the top of the page after you read the information that the link took you to.  That way, you will know if there is something else you want to read on the same page (as its link will now be pink and you may think you have already visited the entire page).  You might also want to visit the exploded version of the Site Map to see if there are any pages you missed.

For external links, what happens depends on which browser (and Operating System) you use and how it is set up.  For example, in Internet Explorer and MS Windows, the link will use a different window* to display the results.  The first time you click on an external link, the window will be created and displayed in front of the AllAboutOmaha.com™ browser window*.  You can switch back to our website window by choosing the original browser window.  Depending on which operating system you use will determine where you select the original browser window.  For Windows, the different windows (tasks) are displayed on the task bar, which is normally at the bottom of the screen (unless you have chosen to move it to the sides or to the top). Other browser and operating system pairs may work differently.  For example, in Opera, external links may cause a new window (task) to start, or it may cause a new "page" to start (depending on how you have set up Opera).  A new "page" uses the same window.  Opera uses tabs to select different pages, therefore, you can view only one "page" at a time.  That works well if you use the entire space of your screen for the window, plus it keeps the task bar (in Windows) from getting crowded.  If you have a large screen and wish to display the different views at the same time, then configure Opera to start a different window (task).  In Opera, you can also use right mouse clicks to control where the new results are viewed (new "page" or new "window").

Event graphics (and information) are shown along the left hand side of the main pages* of AllAboutOmaha.com.  Attraction graphics (and information) are shown along the right side of the main pages.  Under most attraction/event graphics will be at least two lines as text links, the top one being in a larger size.  The first line of the text link may be in gold, light blue, or dark blue (or pink if you have already visited the link).  The text link may be in Italics or in Roman*.  Each has different meanings.  The links in Italics indicate that the linked page will be displayed in a different browser window than the main one* to display the results.  The first time you click on an external link, the window will be created and the window will be displayed in front of the AllAboutOmaha.com™ browser window*, often because it will be an external link, although it may also be a page on AllAboutOmaha.com.  The color of the links on the black background determines different things about the link.  The link colors are ranked by visibility on black.  Gold links are the highest ranked (more easily noticed).  Light Blue links are next, and Dark Blue links follow.  Events links on the left hand side of the main pages will be in gold (to help ensure they are noticed).  Attraction links along the right side will usually be in Light Blue, or Dark Blue.  Some attraction links along the right side will also be in gold.  These links are special links due to affiliations, advertising support, or several other things.

5) If you hear the common motorized camera sound when you move the mouse over a text link, it is an indication the link will reveal a picture.  Make sure you have speakers turned on to catch the sounds.

6) Accessibility: If you are not able to use a mouse, you can move from one link to another on a webpage by using the tab key.  If you need to use the right mouse button, keep in mind that you can do the equivalent of a right mouse click by pressing Shift F10 on the link (Windows).

7) The quick menu at the bottom will get you to major sections of the website (Some pages have an additional topic menu on the left side).  Notice that each menu item at the bottom has one letter underlined.  The same letter is used for more than one item.  Using the Alt key plus the letter will rotate through all choices for the letter.  When the one you want is colored (bold) gray, you can press the Enter key to go to that page*.

8) If you think the text is too small for the menus, some browsers allows you to change the size of displayed text.  If you have a scroll wheel on your mouse, Internet Explorer and FireFox will allow you to change text sizes if you hold the Ctrl key down when rolling the mouse wheel.  If you do not see an instant change it could mean the text is formatted with cascading style sheets with fixed sizes or it could mean your system is slower or is maxed out on memory.  Continued rolling back and forth without waiting for the change to take effect will make things worse on slower systems, maxing out to the point that the computer will hang!  Faster systems will see instant feedback.

9) You should read the About page for additional information.