Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 16, Number 6, 1 June 1999 — Hawaiians add new voice to the net [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiians add new voice to the net

f OMETIMES LOST in 1 the chaotic fray of \ information and sales 1 pitches found on the internet are small community-based websites that provide forums for people to discuss the issues that affect their eommunities and lives. Native Hawaiians Kamana'o Mills and Kyle Chock have added

their own Hawai'i- based community website, hawaiiantimes.com. "We wanted to create a forum for loeal people to discuss loeal issues. Newspapers become highly filtered through the editors. The site represents an avenue for the loeal community to discuss issues free from filters," said Mills. Hawaiiantimes.com models itself after other websites such as, ivillage.com, policy.com and theglobe.com, and it emphasizes

interaction between people. However, unlike other websites, most of hawaiiantimes.com's material is original. Lawmakers such as Senator Norman Mizuguchi and City Council Member Mufi Hanneman share their mana'o and articles written by members of the community are accessible. Currently the website is supported by Mills and Chock "At this point we're not going after advertising revenue, but maybe in the future we will because right now the site is an out-of-pocket expense," Mills said, adding, 'This site is not a money-making venture and our intent is not to get rich off this site, just to inform the community and allow community members to express opinions on what affects them." When asked what kind of advice he would give to someone starting a similar site Mills adds, "It's important to know a lot of good writers and knowledge of computers helps. Most importantly, have specific intentions and don't use the site to make money but to help the community, whether it be loeal or worldwide." To submit an article or share your mana'o, e-mail hawaiiantimes.com at editor@hawaiiantimes.com. ■

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hawaiiantimes.com