Why do people archive websites
While the reasons might be many, web archiving is particularly helpful for the following: Webrecorder is one of the many web archiving software, but with a better interface and more user controls.
How to use Webrecorder
First, one would have to sign up for an account at webrecorder.io. You need to register if you want to save the archive. Once you have done this, enter the name of the archive and the link to the web page which you want to be recorded. Upon clicking on the Record button, archiving of the web page will commence. Ideally, what it records depends on the structure of the page. Static pages are easier to archive. Dynamic pages are archived in such a manner that it retains the information – but the formatting in rare cases could change. Pages like Twitter that keep loading as and when we scroll, are recorded only to the limit where the page has loaded on the browser. Webrecorder re-arranges dynamic web pages to adjust the space. It allows bookmarking so the user could add further notes to the archive at that exact point in future. The tool also lets you create bookmarks on the page so that certain portions of the page can be accessed with ease. This can be done by clicking on the specific point which the user wishes to bookmark on the page. If you wish, you can also add a description to the archive could be added to understand more about the archive when referring to it in future. As shown in the image below, the bookmarks are listed under the ‘bookmark’section and the description column above. Webrecorder has an option to make a collection public or not. Choose it according to your requirements.
The option below helps toggle the URL between the URL of the page in general and the URL of the particular recording. The URL is important since that is exactly what we retain while sharing the archive.Should you wish, you can download the archived recording the option shown in the image below could be used.
How can I archive my website for free?
There are mainly two ways to archive your website for free. If you want to check it via a third-party tool, you can head to the web.archive.org. However, if you want to download an archive or everything from your website, you need to log in to your server. Following that, you can create the archive and download the data to your computer. In case you don’t know, it is better to take the help of a professional.
How do I use Webrecorder?
To use the Webrecorder or Conifer, you can follow the aforementioned guides. First, you need to create an account with your email address, name, etc. Following that, you can enter the website to record an archive. Once done, create a bookmark on the page and add a description. Compared to other web archiving software, conifer.rhizome.org is user-friendly has more customized options for privacy settings, downloading, bookmarking, etc. You might want to check it out!
