What you need to do!
Go back and read Converting Photographs if you skipped it. If you didn't skip it, you're in luck! Scanning documents that you want to post for others to read online is really the same thing as scanning photographs. If your scanner has the option to either scan as an image or as text, I recommend scanning it as an image because it will create a jpg that takes up less storage space and is easier to manipulate. The only major difference is this...
Scanning multiple pages into one document. Go into your scanning program's "Advanced" options and hunt down the one for scanning more than one image at a time. When you select that, you will be asked each time you scan a page if you are finished, or if there is more. For example, if you have a one page letter you are scanning, you will want to be finished after you scan that page. BUT, if you have a 30 page family history like I do here on my Pickens Family History page, you will want to keep them all together in one document. When you are done scanning, you may still want to crop and resize the images, depending on your purpose. In order to get the best possible image, you may also want to explore some of the other editing features that can help you lighten or darken pages, making them easier to read. I had to do that with several of mine!
Here is a sample of a family newspaper clipping that I scanned to put on my wiki!
Not only can the whole family see this little bit of our history now, but it will also keep this part of our past safe from being misplaced, damaged by floods, or just plain old time!
Storing your scanned items: While you can store your scanned items in files on your computer or external device (like a CD or flash drive), you may also want to consider storing them on a web space. This will allow you to "link" from the wiki directly to the document, just like I did on the Pickens Family History page. This way, your viewers can select which files they want to view--they can even save them to their own computers or print them. I stored my wiki documents on a "remote storage" site from Ball State University and then inserted a link while editing the page.
Finding a place to store your items: Some sites will charge you for storing your items, just like a any other storage provider you may use. However, there are several free sites that you can explore. Always check to see how much storage space you will have to use. Before going further, check out this article that highlights six free online storage sites with some interesting features. I recommend reading this article and deciding which one is right for you--also, family and friends may be able to recommend a good one to you! The six reviewed in the article are: box.net, DropBoks, eSnips, MediaMax , OmniDrive, and openomy, but there are a lot of other options, too!
Now, you can go to Step 5
Uploading images to your wikispace!
Or, go back Home for more options!