If you're making the site for yourself, you probably already know the answer to this. If you're making the site for another person, company, or organization, you'll need to find out what they expect from the site and its functionality. Everything you decide here will have an impact on the final website.  Does it need a storefront? Do you need user comments? Will users need to create accounts? Is it article-oriented? Image-oriented? All of these questions and more will help inform the design and structure of the site. This can be a drawn-out process, especially for larger companies with lots of people involved in the project. A site map diagram is like a flow chart and shows how users move from one page to the next. You don't even need pages at this point, just a general flow of concepts. You can use a computer program to create a diagram, or sketch it out yourself on a piece of paper. Use the site map diagram to show how you envision the web page hierarchy and connectivity. A popular method for a group is to use a stack of cards to figure out everyone's ideal approach. Take a stack of note cards and write the basic content of a single page on each one. Have your team organize the cards in the way that they deem most useful. This is best for situations when you are collaborating with others to create a site. This is the original low-budget planning method, and allows you to quickly erase or move content and reroute it. Draw the design on pieces of paper and connect them with string, or draw the outline on a whiteboard. Great for brainstorming sessions. This is more geared towards redesigns than new sites. Enter each of your pieces of content or existing pages into a spreadsheet. Make notes as to the purpose of each one and use this list to determine what goes and what stays. This will help cut the fat and simplify the redesign process.

Summary: Determine the site's functionality. Create a site map diagram. Try some card sorting. Use paper and a bulletin board, or a whiteboard. Take a Content Inventory.


Most people don't know what cheerleading really is. If your parents think that cheerleaders are mean people that do nothing but wave pom-poms, explain to them what you really want to do, how much you love cheerleading, and that all-star cheerleading is not the same thing as cheering for your school or football. Make sure you aren't putting them on the spot. Make sure they agree with you and you aren't pressuring them. They will more likely help you if you stay calm and show them your mature. Be happy, smile, make friends, don't be mean, laugh a lot, and be sporty! Remember that being mean and rude to other teammates could get you kicked off the cheerleading team, so remember to be nice to everyone in your team and outside our team. Also make sure that you pick a good team. Before you become an all-star cheerleader, you need to know what all-star cheerleading is. Look up videos on Youtube or visit the USASF (US All-Star Federation) website to see how it's like being an all-star cheerleader. Know all the rules and levels so you'll have an idea what level you'll be on and what you'll be doing. And be sure to know the difference between all-star cheerleading and football/basketball cheerleading before you sign up! If you're tall and strong, you'll probably be a base or backspot. If you're short, flexible, and agile you'll probably be a flyer. If you're a combination of both, maybe you could be two things at a time! Look on the website for pictures, look on youtube for videos, and see if on the website they have requirements for the team you want to try out for. For previews on competitions go to websites like Jamfest or U.S. Nationals. Remember to find a good team. If the team only has seven girls or goes in only two competitions a year, you might not want to join if cheerleading is your passion. Make sure you join a good sized teams with plenty of levels and that goes on competitions! And if possible, try joining a team that goes to Worlds.

Summary: Get your parents permission and support. Start acting like a cheerleader, even before you make the team. Research good cheerleading. Decide what you're going to be. Research an all star team in your area so you have all the information.


If you have experienced hair loss, it’s important to see your doctor to find a cause. You may have an underlying disease that’s causing your hair loss, and this may require treatment for you to regrow your hair. Your doctor may order blood tests to assess hormone levels that can cause hair loss. Minoxidil is an over the counter liquid or foam that you massage into your scalp twice daily. This medication may help promote hair growth or decrease hair loss, or even both.  Men and women can use minoxidil and you don’t need a prescription.  Regrowth peaks at about 16 weeks. You need to continuously reapply minoxidil to maintain the benefits.  You may experience some side effects such as scalp irritation, rapid heart rate, and may even have some hair growth on the face and hands.  You can purchase minoxidil at most pharmacies and some grocery stores. If medications and home treatments don’t help hair regrowth, have hair transplant or restoration surgery. This can immediately help fill out thinning hair and can stimulate hair regrowth.  Hair transplants or restoration are procedures in which you doctor takes small plugs of hair from different parts of your scalp and implants them into thinner or bald sections.  You may need to take hair loss medication before surgery.  Hair transplants can be very painful and cause infection and scarring.  Be aware that hair transplants and restoration are expensive and insurance may not cover either procedure. Some studies have shown that lower-level laser device treatment can help decrease hair loss and improve thickness. Although more research is necessary, laser treatment may be a good option for you if medications don’t work and you don’t want to undergo a painful hair transplant. There are no known side effects of laser therapy for hair loss.
Summary: See your doctor. Rub minoxidil into your scalp. Have surgery to restore or transplant hair. Undergo laser therapy.