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[ Welcome Letter || How this Site Works || Feedback Encouraged ]
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the site of The Mysterious & Unexplained.
Are you intrigued by UFOs?
Are you curious about ESP?
- Provide an educational, enlightening, and enjoyable trip into areas of the unexplained
- Collect and share the latest information and research about these mysteries
- Answer questions and prompt discussions
- Serve as a definitive reference for these subjects with full and up to date lists of books, magazines, videos, organizations, etc.
- Allow you to get involved - through trips, research, and organizations
Are you fascinated by Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster?
Do you wonder why Stonehenge or the Sphinx were built?
These are just a few of the questions that we will examine on this site. Together we'll delve into the mysteries of this world and others. We'll explore remote regions of the Earth and of the mind. We'll ask questions and search for answers.
The quest to explain the mysterious has been and continues to be the engine that drives the evolution of the human race. The need to understand and explain is inherent in our nature. The tools we need are an active mind and a question.
Everything on this site starts with a question - a Why?, How?, What?, Where?, or When? - which will launch us into an exploration of the unknown. How long it'll take and what we'll find we won't know until we arrive. And then, surely new questions will arise and the journey will begin again.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Bradley Keyes and I've been fascinated with mysterious and unexplained phenomena since I was a child. When I was 10, I attended a special summer school program where I did a project researching Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Noah's Ark, and other mysteries. Since that time I have continued to read and research the many different subjects covered here.
This site is intended to serve several purposes:
If you have any questions or comments, would like more information about a subject, or have an idea for a subject that I haven't covered yet please let me know. My plan is to keep this site informative, fun, and enjoyable.
I am looking forward to all the questions, answers, and surprises that await us and I hope you are too.
Sincerely,
How this site works...
Site of The Mysterious & Unexplained Home Page
The home page (www.activemind.com/mysterious/index.html) is the heart of this site. From the home page you'll never be more than a few clicks away from any part of the site. On the home page you'll find information about the latest edition of Enigma - The Official Newsletter of The Mysterious and Unexplained, a rundown of the books currently being featured and sold through The Bookcase, and the Table of Contents for entire site.
Enigma
Enigma - The Official Newsletter of The Mysterious and Unexplained is a subscription based newsletter containing news, reviews, essays, and more sent to members monthly.
The home page always highlights the current issue of Enigma along with a description of its contents.
The Bookcase
Each month in The Bookcase you'll find in-depth reviews of several of the best books in their respective subjects. You'll also have the opportunity to order them for your personal bookcase.
Table of Contents
From the site's table of contents you'll be able to quickly find all of the information on the site. The first section of the table of contents lists all the topics currently covered by the site. The topics are broken down into categories such as: Lost Civilizations, Treasure, Cryptozoology, and the Paranormal. Each topic is listed with a brief description and a highlighted topic link that connects you to the topic's main page.
Following the list of topics, the table of contents provides jumps to all the other parts of the site: "Enigma" and Bookcase information, questions and answers, site history, and much, much more.
Topics
Each topic has its own table of contents listing all of the material related to that topic on the site. At a minimum each topic will include a brief introduction, a list of related internet sites or links, a mediagraphy, and a list of researchers or organizations who can be contacted. The information is roughly divided into three categories.
The first is the Facts. These items attempt to give detailed factual information about the topic. Every attempt has been made to be as objective as possible with this information. If you feel the information is not provided objectively please let me know. My goal is to provide impartial information to allow others to make up their minds.
The second is Opinions. These items: essays, articles, ideas, questions, theories, etc.. are based on personal opinions, concerns, etc. Feel free to agree or disagree and let me know. If you want to present a different view I encourage you to submit your views and I'll place them with the others.
The final category is Reference. Here you'll find listings of reference material: books, sites, people, and more.
Below is a sampling of the areas you'll likely find for different topics. Obviously not all areas apply to every topic.
- Facts
- Story - detailed history of the subject
- Timeline - chronological overview of the important dates related to the topic
- Maps - maps showing where in the world this subject is located
- Vital Statistics - condensed listing of facts related to the topic
- FAQ - frequently asked questions and their answers for the given topic
- Skeptics' Views - summary of, and if possible links to, skeptics' arguments and opinions
- Picture Gallery - pictures, movies, animations, drawings, etc.
- Latest Happenings - information about the latest searches, findings, theories, etc.
- Theories - breakdown of the different theories along with pros and cons for each
- Tangents - some of the more "unique" and "interesting" offshoots from this topic
- Who's Who - listing of people who have played or currently play a prominent role in the subject matter
- Glossary- terminology related to the field
- Articles - miscellaneous writings about the subject
- Opinions
- Essays - opinion pieces about the topics, theories, possibilities, etc.
- In Search of Answers - questions that I have that I think need to be addressed or researched
- Reference Material
- Links - a listing of other on-line resources with information about the topic
- Mediagraphy - a list of books, videos, CDs, and TV shows about the topic
- Contact List - a listing of those individuals and organizations involved in some way with the topic - they may be authors, researchers, skeptics, etc.
- See Also section - a cross reference to other related topics
General Site Information
Quick Jump Line
One of my primary goals for the site of The Mysterious & Unexplained is to have it be easily navigable. One way I've tried to do this is with Quick Jump Lines at the top and bottom of every page. Quick Jump Lines, common on many web sites, are typically in the format:
[ JumpToX || JumpToY || JumpToZ ....]
Each JumpTo section is linked with a specific page or part of a page on the site. They are often used a condensed table of contents either for an entire site of a particular page.
I've chosen to use Quick Jump Lines in the following two ways:
Most pages contain a Quick Jump Line at the top, just under the heading. This Jump Line will allow you to quickly navigate through that particular page, finding the sections of the page that you are interested in.
Every page also contains a Quick Jump Line at the bottom. This Jump Line will allow you to quickly navigate through the site. You'll usually find links to get you back to the site's home page, site's table of contents, topic's home page, and the topic's table of contents. There may be other options depending upon the particular page.
New and Updated Information
This site will continually evolve. New topics and information will be added periodically and current topics will be updated with new findings or enhanced with more detailed histories. Hopefully you'll be visiting the site often and I'd like to make it as easy as possible to find information you haven't seen or read. I've taken several approaches to help you find new and updated information.
- By subscribing to Enigma you'll receive notification of new additions to the site. In many cases you'll see them in the newsletter before they are put on the site.
and
icons appear in the tables of contents and in the page headings next all items that are new or have been updated within the last month.
- There is a site history page available through the site's table of contents that chronologically lists all the changes, updates, and additions to the site.
- Each page's footer contains a Last Updated field noting the date of the last update to that page.
Previews of Coming Additions
Periodically you'll see the
icon next next to an item in one of the tables of contents. This is provided to let you know about items that will be added in the next few months.
E-Mail and Feedback
The bottom of every page has quick access to my e-mail address. There are also several feedback forms accessible through the site's table of contents that let you notify me of new links, books, and more.
Feedback Is Always Encouraged
Do you have any suggestions or ideas? Are you interested in a topic which isn't covered here that you would like to see added? Do you run or know of a link that should be included? Do you know of a book, magazine, or video that should be added to the mediagraphy?
There are several ways to pass on your ideas:
You can fill out one of the forms:
- Submit New Link Form - to tell about any links that are new or that have been missed
- Submit New Media Form - to describe a new book that's available or an old one that should be included on the site
- Submit New Contact Form - to add organizations or researchers to the contact sections
If your browser doesn't handle forms or you just want to write in a less structured way you can write to:
- PressRelease@activemind.com - with press releases and new product information
- Bradley Keyes (bkeyes@activemind.com) - with comments, questions, suggestions, etc.
Interaction is a part of this incredible new technology. Please take advantage of it and send in your ideas!.
For questions, comments, or suggestions please see the