After much discussion, pilot groups, testing, and patience, the new website for the City of Raleigh that I’ve heard so much about is finally becoming a reality in August. One of the highlights includes the Raleigh Beehive, a self-help web portal, that sounds like it will be interesting and useful to citizens. The one thing I’ll be on the lookout for is more support for the Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs). We are in desperate needs of better communication tools and online community building. See the press release on the new website below:
Raleigh Launches New Web Portal Aug. 1
On Aug. 1, the City of Raleigh’s web portal will change – completely! The site has been re-created to be of greater value to residents and to make it a more enjoyable and productive place to visit. It promises to make it much easier to keep up to the minute on City news and events; register for classes; file for a permit or do any business with your City.
The video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vGDV7KUxcY offers a comprehensive introduction to the site designed to increase even first-time visitor’s comfort level considerably.
City staff is eager to get feedback from users. A survey has been placed on the home page seeking users’ evaluation of the site. Feedback on the new portal also is welcome at public.affairs@raleighnc.gov.
One of the feature characteristics is a much more robust search engine at www.raleighnc.gov. The site’s “Discover Raleigh” area reveals the significantly improved calendar and map functionality and City contact information.
The City’s vast amount of service information is placed into eight subject matters: Arts & Parks, Business, City Services, Environment, Government, Neighbors, City Projects and Public Safety.
Social Media
To learn what the City is doing on social media, shift to the portal’s “Connect with Us” area. This showcases the City on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and the Beehive.
The Raleigh Beehive http://raleigh.thebeehive.org is a self-help web portal that provides reliable, easy to understand information about services and resources for people that want to improve their lives.
The articles and links on the Raleigh Beehive relate primarily to the areas of life that matter most to most people: money, health, jobs, school and housing.
The Beehive was started by One Economy Corp., a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that provides access to the Internet for people in low-income communities. The City of Raleigh is working with One Economy to connect the Raleigh Beehive to local services and programs that can make a difference in the lives of Raleigh residents.
Tags: beehive, CAC, economic_development, raleigh, social media, website