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Part of the e-Neighbourhoods
Programme, the CoI Project, facilitates the development
of on-line communities by working with groups, communities or individuals who
are linked by similar circumstances, locations, themes or interests. The provision
of these unique community web sites allows those involved to deliver content
tailored towards the needs of their own interest group, which in turn supports
the development of that community, strengthening its networks and providing
a forum for peer-support. The COI Project is unique in that it offers design,
technical advice, marketing guidance and ongoing support within the Sunderland
area. The project removes
the technical skills required for a successful web site, allowing communities
to focus on developing strong content and promote their community.
The design of a COI web site follows many of the guidelines laid down by the
Office of the e-Envoy, combined with the skills and experience of the Sunderland
City Council ICT Unit. This allows us to offer a bespoke process tailored to
the needs of each community whilst ensuring that high production standards
are maintained. A typical COI web site would contain:
- Easy to maintain content
- Easy to use navigation
- Search engine friendly design
- Visual styling to fit community branding and design
- Very high level of access for visually impaired users through auto text enlargement
- Complies with Web Accessibility Standards (DDA compliant)
The Project also provides training in a wide range of related subjects, which
combine together to allow communities to effectively market and manage their
own site on a day to day basis. Subjects such as:
- How to write in a web friendly way
- Search engine marketing, what works and what doesn't
- Online and offline marketing and networking skills
- How to write a press release, catch the attention of an editor
- Creating and preparing images for the web, improve download time and presentation
If you are part of an organised community within the Sunderland Local
Authority area, and would like to discuss the development of your own COI web
site, please email us at coi@sunderland.gov.uk.
| Active Community
of Interest Sites |
| Benefits to Other
Projects |
The standards, procedures and processes developed by the Communities
of Interest Project have been tailored to meet the needs of many Sunderland
City Council Departments who require “Microsites” within the main
sunderland.gov website as well as its partners.
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