Community-based websites
An essential component of a good community-based website is community participation. That might seem obvious but looking at the websites of the four finalists of eircom’s Information Age Town competition you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Only one of the four finalists provides the means for members of the community to contribute to the site and actively seeks contributions from them. The other three are content to present the Irish Tourist Board version of their town to the world and seem almost embarrassed and afraid to let the members of the community be seen about the place.
The websites of Ennis, Kilkenny, and Killarney offer squeaky-clean and bland images of their communities that offer little insight into what’s really going on in these places. On the other hand, with its discussion forums and user-driven newspaper giving a warts-and-all description of the town, Castlebar looks like a very interesting place indeed.
Mark Waters marked time at 7:14 pm on November 1st, 2004 .
