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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Advertiser site gets additional neighbors

Advertiser Staff

WHAT'S NEXT?

New community sites for the North Shore and Salt Lake/Moanalua will be launched July 15. By July, there will be 23 sites in all, covering every neighborhood on O'ahu.

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USING THE SITES

Want to post a community item? To get started, visit myAdvertiser.com, click on your community in the left rail, and fill out a one-time registration for the site.

Then click on the link to submit stories and photos. You can use these sites to reach other people and increase participation in local events.

For a step-by-step guide, click on the "more info" button next to the GetPublished! logo on your community at myAdvertiser.com

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If you live in Downtown/Chinatown or Kahala, you are now included in The Honolulu Advertiser's growing number of community-focused Web sites.

As of today, www.MyAdvertiser.com includes 18 neighborhood Web sites covering almost every community on O'ahu. Residents from Kahuku to Hawai'i Kai, from Wai'anae to Kailua, from Mililani to 'Ewa Beach, and from 'Aina Haina to Pearl City, now have community Web sites filled with news, issues and photos focused on their neighborhoods.

The free sites contain community-specific breaking news and local articles written by reporters and staff from The Advertiser's community newspapers. But most important are the reports and events submitted by residents themselves.

www.MyAdvertiser.com uses a computer tool called Get Published!, which allows readers to submit their own news articles and photos. The stories can be on anything from school concerts and craft fairs to paddling results or scholarships being offered by civic clubs. Submitting stories is free, and they are published directly on your community Web site.

These sites are a way for residents to take an active role in the news and events that shape their communities, said James Gonser, community news editor at The Advertiser.

"Residents can write stories about the news in their neighborhood — stories about their kids' soccer team, the local volunteer cleanup effort or a neighborhood security watch meeting," he said.

With graduation season here, schools and families are finding the sites a convenient venue to post stories and photos of graduates, he said.

"I got our first story published this afternoon. Wow! It was so easy!" said Kapono Ryan, public affairs/information officer at Chaminade University of Honolulu, via e-mail.

Denise Murai of the state Department of Education's Parent Community Networking Center said the sites are helping schools reach out to residents and parents about events and positive developments at public schools.

"This new feature of The Honolulu Advertiser is a wonderful addition to the venues available for schools to promote their school and its events," said Murai.

The sites also provide a place for residents to talk to one another about local issues by using the community discussion boards and with a group of bloggers who discuss issues only a resident would know about.

Rosemarie Uyehara, program services director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Honolulu, said myadvertiser.com will help her organization's mission by publicizing events to the public.

"The Advertiser is rocking and rolling and will be very helpful to our agency by being able to place ads for events, fundraisers, etc.," Uyehara said. "We sure will make use of this resource."

Other features of the site include a comprehensive community calendar, complete school information, breaking news specific to the area, traffic and weather reports — and an unusual feature: the wish list.

The wish list is a place where teachers, clubs and community groups can ask for help — whether it's volunteers for a cleanup, a sixth-grade class needing textbooks or a soccer league needing umpires. Anything that could benefit a community group with limited resources can be on the wish list.

For more information, call James Gonser at 535-2431 or write myadvertiser@honoluluadvertiser.com.