Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 5, 1 May 2000 — OHA's online news is a hit [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA's online news is a hit

By Caitriona Kearns n the world of Internet jargon, a "hit" counts all the images, text, graphics and clicks downloaded when someone visits a web site. OHA is getting more and more hits every month since it first launched the www.oha.org site more than three years ago. The hits have mounted and the number of visitors to the site has climbed steadily to 9,100 in March 2000. This translates into 202,000 hits whieh adds up to over 20 hits per visitor. It is good news for OHA because the site is creating a presence within the online community. The Internet is highly significant to OHA's Public Information Office in its mission to provide news and information. In the U.S., the online population is expected to break 99 million in / 2000 and increase another 16 percent in 2001. These are huge numbers. Specifical- i ly, they break down into many groups of / «- -■ interest for OHA, whieh include benefi- i ciaries, legislators, Hawaiian organiza- / tions, Hawaiian communities on the / «25^ mainland and the general public. / How accessible the Internet is / within the Hawaiian community j determines the success of the OHA # 4 web site. In 1999, SMS Research / & Marketing Services ine. of ī Honolulu conducted a public jL opinion survey for OHA to clarify where the non-Hawaiian and a Hawaiian populauon stood on major issues eon- ~ >> fronting the Hawaiian community. The findings indi- ■ cate 53.4 percent of Hawaiian households have a computer. About 60 percent of all households with eomputers also have Intemet access. Of course, this does not include people who have Intemet access at work or at public libraries. "The web site definitely impacts how news from the office is distributed by mail and online," said Ryan Mielke, OHA's Public Information Officer. "We have been getting requests from people to be taken off the Ka Wai Ola mailing hst, some from the mainland and some locally, because they are reading the Ka Wai Ola on the OHA web site now and do not need to receive their copy in the mail anymore. This is a great savings for OHA." Recently OHA redesigned its web site for easier navigation and browsing. A lot of the content is available in pdf format whieh allows readers to read and print, but

with- " 7 out being " „ ~ 0 1*^. able to make any " - , changes to the files. u 0j Presently, the site includes a broad ' 0q range of information about OHA: its history, legal background, mission, administration and programs as well as information on OHA's tmstees, their background and how to contact them through their aides. OHA publications on the site include the Ka Wai Ola from June 1999 through to today's issue, the 1999 Annual Report, the Apology Bill brochure, the OHA Informational Guide and the Native Hawaiian Databook, with statistics on populahon, housing, land, health, crime, education, ineome and more. Other eontent comprises press releases for the last three years,

'!Op ' information " 0q about grants and ŌQn loansanda Q p " ' ' ( ; monthly calendar u 0 Qj 0f events. The ' home page includes )q.„ the U.S. Supreme ^ u 0 Court's decision in ~^Qq Rice vs. Cayetano Qq issued Feb. 23; transcripts from the Dec. 10 and 1 1 reconciliation I hearings held at the Eastf West Center as well as OHA's official testimony; the 1999 Public Opinion Survey and a direct link to OHA's award-winning web site, www.nativehawaiians.com. future plans for www.oha. org ^ include the addition of W Jjf more interactivity m with a forum on m issues related to OHA . tnd opinion polls. The 9 forum will feature a par/g ticular topic every week m to encourage a lively £Ē exchange. Visitors ean post

ā (Ē their comments to a message [3 ^',,^s-#board, respond to other viewm points and impart relevant kJj¥ information. Topics such as sovereignty, ceded lands and federal recognition will likely make the list. Those who want to participate in the discussion forum ean suggest other topics for posting on the message board. The site is setting new records. OHA's news is reaching such far away places as Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Peru and Croatia. Hits were recorded in 38 different countries in March alone. For Hawaiians living on the mainland, access to OHA and issues that relate to Hawaiians is just a eliek away. Overall, though, the numbers speak for themselves. As www.oha.org becomes more popular, the OHA cyber community should get larger. ■

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