My Problem: I have been wrestling with my Classic Google Sites problem, along with my HTML editing-on-my-Mac problem (ever since my Dreamweaver software was no longer compatible with my version of MacOS... and then the open-source web page editor Compozer was discontinued). I have reached a point where I have a lot of decisions to make about my web presence, especially since I am officially retired. I want to continue making these resources available, but the WWW doesn't stand still and I'm not sure I have the energy to keep up. I am still maintaining my domain names and traditional web hosting platform, but it is becoming more difficult to balance the costs and benefits.
I am very irritated with Google, for abandoning (especially) many educational users. A major problem with electronic portfolios is the durability of platforms... forget about "ePortfolios for life" unless it is in raw HTML, which doesn't work for 99% of users. In my "online portfolio adventure" (https://electronicportfolios.org/myportfolio/) I started creating my online portfolio in 2004, and most of those versions are obsolete (either the service is shut down or I am unable to edit). There are some exceptions, but now my favorite, classic Google Sites, is going away.
I will work on converting some of my most important sites, and will need to make some decisions about my online strategy. If I were to continue my research, I think I would recommend a blogging platform (Blogger or WordPress/EduBlog) to manage "reflective journal" ePortfolios, recognizing that the Showcase ePortfolio is only temporary. One advantage of the open-source Mahara platform is that they incorporate the journal and the showcase in one tool... the disadvantage is the need for a server (or online service).
Questions I Have: Is there an "easy" way to convert Classic Google Sites and capture/maintain the navigation panes? I read that the new Sites does not convert tables. When Google "archives" my sites to my Google Drive in 2022, in what format will they be save? Raw HTML? Will the navigation structure be saved? Is there a third-party tool that will be more helpful than Google's built-in transition tool? I have a lot more questions, but I have just started my research.
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