So if you haven’t noticed yet, I decided to give our website another fresh new look.  This layout has its advantages over the previous, notably providing more areas of information.  I also enjoy clean and simple layouts, which is exactly what this layout is all about.

Let’s start with the website navigation.  It is divided into two sections, one for administrative links above the logo and the other for family focused links below the logo.  A new feature to the navigation is the inclusion of drop-down menus.  Hover your mouse over Photo Gallery to see more links in the drop-down menu.  A search bar is also now available on the top right of the page which was previously missing from the old layout.

The body of the website now includes a sticky post section which will have one featured news post that will remain there until another one replaces it.  Below the sticky post is a yellow strip, which from time to time this will be utilized as a reminder for such events as upcoming weddings, birthdays, reunions, etc.  Continuing, you will find the regular posts, which are now only excerpts.  You must click on the title or image to read the the post in its entirety.

The left side now features a few categories and the latest post contained in those categories.  The right side remains the same.  Other than that, the content of the entire site is remains unchanged.  The intent of the design change is to bring more content to the front of the page in an organized way.  I hope you enjoy it and feel free to leave a comment.

Lee Nguyen, Vietnam

Hello everybody!  I hope everyone enjoyed their Summer and are doing well.  Students are back at school now and we’re heading fast in to the Fall season.  Time seems to go by so fast.  Have any interesting stories you would like to share?  Submit it here!

I recently switched web hosts to one that offered more value and features.  Everything should remain the same on the user side though, but let me know if you’re experiencing anything awkward.  I’ll be able to add our discussion forums back again so look out for that in the near future.

Arthur Nguyen from France is currently continuing his studies in the United States.  Read all about his experience at his new blog.

New LifeTime Photos

I have uploaded my own LifeTime photo sets to the site so check them out when you have time.  Looking through, sorting, and scanning the photos brought back a lot of great memories of our family history.  I encourage you to do the same and I guarantee you will re-live some wonderful moments.  Get out those dusty albums.

First Donations

We have received our very first donations for the website from My Linh Nguyen, Mr. Linh Nguyen, and Mr. Loc Nguyen.  Your donations are greatly appreciated and I thank you for your contributions.  If you would like to donate, refer to the PayPal link on the sidebar.

Our Kiva Team

I have a created a Kiva Team for our family at Kiva.org.  There’s no real differences in lending as it will still be made individually.  Only now, Kiva members in our family can listed in a recognized team.  It’s a private team so you make sure you make a request first from the team page.  It only takes $25 to start lending.  Go on and lend a helping hand.

Prime Ad Space at $5/month

Currently there are two prime spots available as seen below in Ad Space 1 and 2.  Each spot has a low advertising fee of $5/month.  This includes a placement of your ad, whether static or animated (GIF only), that is roughly 200×80 pixels in size.  If you prefer, I can also design an ad personally customized for you or your business (for free!).  Remember a business is not required, you can advertise just about anything.  You can link to your FaceBook profile, personal blog, school, or almost anything so get creative.

Web Links Ad at $2/month

For only $2 a month you can have your very own Web Link in text format.  You may link just about anything and it will appear under Web Links on the sidebar, preferably fitting on one line.  There are only 10 spots available and they’re on a first come first serve basis, so come reserve your spot today!

Family Social Network Links

These links are provided at no cost to you, completely FREE, but can only include such sites as your personal blog or photo sites.  Let me know if you want to add one.

Make a Donation

Not looking to advertise much?  You can still make a donation to our website.  Just click on the link provided on the sidebar to make a donation via PayPal.  These donations will also be used for website maintenance and the extra donated to a charity.

Payment Options and Full Disclosures

Payments are made annually through PayPal.  Every contribution will be documented and disclosed (not actual amounts, only names) on this website.  This way we are able to track how much is going towards the website and charities.  Thanks for your attention and remember that it is absolutely NOT necessary to pay anything to use our website, but this can be viewed as an opportunity to expose your purpose while contributing to the website and charities.  Contact us for details.

As previously hinted, there was going to a special announcement about a new feature to our family website.  Today, I would like to present to you the LifeTime Photo Series for NguyenVinh.com.  This series recognizes and celebrates our history and displays them as a collection of historic photos.  These photos were captured from our last century (1900-1999) and were only preserved in physical photo albums kept by individual families.  Our collective goal is to bring these photos together, use the power of technology and the Internet, and share this collection with our family and others.

As an added bonus, the LifeTime Photo Series will also feature baby photos, here on known as LifeTime Baby Photos.  This special series will be divided into the LifeTime Family Photos and LifeTime Baby Photos.

• LifeTime Family Photos will consist of general historic pictures from our family captured early in the last century.  They will be divided into gallery sets which are the original owners of the photos.
• LifeTime Baby Photos will consist of a baby photo and a current photo of all members of the Nguyen Vinh family.  They will will be divided into separate families.

Our premiere LifeTime Family Photos set has been submitted by Mr. Linh Nguyen and is now available in the photo gallery.  I encourage you to scan and send me your photos so that we can expand this photo series.

I’m still working on a few things before the site is 100%.  Some photo albums are missing and some pages are blank that’s all.  Anyways, stay tuned for a special announcement on a new feature for the site.  Let me give you a hint: we’re taking a step back in time…