Coast Guard Journal
Archives
Introducing the New and Improved Coast Guard Homepage
2/20/2008 4:21:00 PM
I am excited to share the new and improved Coast Guard Homepage with you. Our goal was to create a homepage that would become the single location for Coast Guard information to both internal and external audiences. What we now have is just that -- a homepage that provides important and timely Coast Guard information to all. It also more closely aligns with what Admiral Allen stated during a questions and answer session after his speech at the National Press Club on February 8, 2008: if we don’t keep up with new media and technologies we will marginalize our ability to communicate externally, and more importantly we will also lose the interest of our own Coast Guard members.
So, in an effort to keep up with new media and technology, in the News section you will see greater focus on national and local news stories that will be updated continuously. The Multimedia section has been enhanced to include CG feature stories that aired on The Pentagon Channel or CG video shown on YouTube. A brand new feature to the homepage is the addition of the CG Journal. The CG Journal will offer an outlet for Coast Guard leaders to provide information on a broad range of issues, topics, and initiatives on a weekly basis. The new CG Announcements section will give audiences access to Internet releasable ALCOASTs and other message traffic, a capability that has been absent for far too long. And finally, another special feature of the homepage is the Unit Spotlight section where units will have the opportunity to highlight their stories. This section will be updated every month.
A phone book is available and will be expanded so you can reach a live person if desired. We will also have links to the CG Magazine and Spanish-language translations. I also urge everyone to look into the latest feature—RSS—(Real Simple Syndication). This is a great way to get constant, up-to-date CG news automatically.
These enhancements made to the homepage are the result of hard work by CG-092, CG-6, and OSC. They have all done a tremendous job and delivered what I feel is a better product for everyone. We will continue to focus our efforts to improve this web page so that it best serves all audiences. In the future, we will expect new enhancements that will allow for feedback on important issues.
RDML Mary Landry
Director of Governmental and Public Affairs