We launched the new Town website earlier this week, and I hope you will take a look at it to see how much easier we’ve made it for you to find what you want from Town government, to learn about events and programs and to be kept in the loop about important Town actions affecting you.
This is the first update of the Town’s website at least since 1999, and as we all know, the Internet is very different from what it was back in the last millennium. Today, we rely on the Internet to help us organize our daily lives and to perform even the most basic of tasks, including turning lights on and off at home when we are away. In 1999, people didn’t think of using cell phones to surf the net, Mark Zuckerberg hadn’t invented Facebook and YouTube wouldn’t come into a being until a year after that.
The Town’s website was state of the art in 1999, but in 2013, it didn’t do what most people want a website to do. That was the driving force behind my decision, with Councilman Mark Cuthbertson, to form a committee of Town employees who helped bring the Town’s website into the second decade of the 21st century. I’m pleased with the outcome, and I think you will be, too.
If you go out to http://huntingtonny.gov, you will immediately notice the site’s cleaner organization, increased use of photographs and improved navigation, including portals at the top of the page that help you find what you need more quickly; and a "services" tab organized along the lines of the different functions of Town government you want to access. You will also notice navigation bars on the left side of the home page with the most popular links.
You will also see direct links on the home page to the Town's social media sites, Facebook and YouTube (Town of Huntington) and Twitter (@HuntTownHall); improved organization of news items, the ability to sign up for a variety of e-mail updates by clicking on "Notify Me;." enhanced calendars; and links to Town museums, historic sites, villages, libraries, fire departments and business groups.
I am especially excited about a feature called “Map Huntington," which allows you to enter an address and find basic information (refuse pickup, school district, library, post offices, nearest hospitals, elected officials) for that address, as well as nearby parks and trails. And people who want to view videos of Town Board, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings will find them linked to the meeting agendas, allowing for direct access to a specific part of a meeting.
While what we have launched is a major improvement, we’re not stopping there. We are working to increase the ways people can do business with the Town through the web, so eventually you will only have to come to Town Hall if you want to.
As I said, I am pleased with the outcome, but what counts is what YOU think. Let me know by clicking on the "Website feedback" button in Popular Links column on the home page – one more thing the new site lets you do that the old one didn’t.
