Your guide to the COLLINSPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

We've picked up a lot of new readers at the COLLINSPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY during the last few months. I'd like to invite those of you new to the neighborhood to look around. This site has a deep archive of information, and includes features such as vintage media clippings, JOAN BENNETT WEEK commentary and the GRAYSON HALL BLOG-A-THON.

While the waters aren't treacherous, there so much information available that it might seem a little overwhelming. So, here's a quick primer on the various features you'll find at the COLLINSPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

TABS: The most obvious tools are in the tabs across the top of the page. If you're looking for our podcast archive, click the PODCAST tab to visit that page. You can send me an e-mail by clicking E-MAIL, while the next few tabs will take you to our various social media sites.

First on the list is FACEBOOK. We currently boast more than 3,000 readers at Facebook, but those numbers are deceiving. The company has grown increasingly antagonistic toward its users during the last few years, creating algorithms that keep you from connecting with readers. The goal? To gets sites like mine to pay to "promote" our posts. The end result is a huge clusterf*ck that is turning the site into MySpace 2.0. We're fairly active on Facebook, but that doesn't mean you're always seeing our posts. If you rely on Facebook to learn about update at this site, you're certainly missing out.

Our TWITTER account is probably your most active connection to the COLLINSPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY. This feed is networked across all of our affiliate sites. If we post something here (or anywhere else, for that) you'll find out about it immediately in Twitter.

Next on the list is the tab for TUMBLR, which is primarily a photo feed. Titled BLOOD DRIVE, our Tumblr account includes lots of fun stuff that doesn't fit here, or flat-out won't work on sites like Facebook. Visit BLOOD DRIVE to find animated gifs, outside commentary, camp, kitsch and some of the wittiest DARK SHADOWS fans this side of Nicolas Blair. While I'm not convinced Tumblr is the next-gen platform that some seem to think it is, it's still a pretty fun place.

SILVER SCREAM is the sometimes-active sister site to the CHS, and is dedicated to classic horror movies from the golden age of cinema. Think of it as the COLLINSPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY of classic horror cinema.

COLLINSPORT REGULARS is a list of links for contributors to this site, as well as the cast members for the various incarnations of DARK SHADOWS. If it's related to Collinsport and worth visiting, you'll find in on this page. Feel free to recommend a site to be linked here.

THE RAIL: Here's where things get a little more complicated. Down the left side of the page is a rail of buttons and links, some of which might need a little explanation. Most of the "buttons" are easy to figure out. Click on the picture of BEN CROSS and you'll find all of our posts about the DARK SHADOWS REVIVAL series. Click on the HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS button to find out posts about that particular movie, and so on.

At the top of the rail, though, are a pair of underutilized features that will help you stay better connected to the site. I say "underutilized," but that's only true for the SOCIETY MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING feature. If you've got a Google account of any kind, you can sign up for updates by clicking on that app.

You can also submit your e-mail address in the form marked FOLLOW US BY E-MAIL for daily updates. I don't have access to the data collected by this feature, so I have no idea how many people are using it. But, I signed up for it myself and get hyperlinked versions of this website in my e-mail once a day, so I know it works.

Beneath the SOCIETY MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING app is our GOOGLE+ badge. It's a site I'm still trying to figure out, though. If you're active at GOOGLE+, click on the badge and add us to your circles.

SUBJECT LINKS: And waaaaaaay down at the bottom of the page is one of our most thorough research tools: Subject links. Each of our posts are "tagged" with the names of its primary subjects, which are all linked at the bottom in alphabetical order. This is a "data cloud" item, which means the bigger the tag, the more posts we've got about the subject. Currently, our DARK SHADOWS DIARY feature and JONATHAN FRID appear to have the most entries.

And don't forget: Click on the COMMENTS button at the bottom of each post and tell us what you think!