The City of Winnipeg web site (http://www.winnipeg.ca/interhom/) could
serve as a model for organising any large site. The layout and
skillful use of text and graphics make the home page amazingly easy to
read, despite the large number of links.
The site serves both citizens and visitors well. Homeowners can
get information on property assessments and tips on preventing basement
flooding (a frequent problem in certain areas of the city).
Business owners can get details on city projects for which bids are
currently being accepted. Citizens can report a problem to the
public works department by filling out an on-line form. Readers
can search the library database, find out if the book they want is
available, and request it on line. Job-seekers can look at the
career listings for municipal departments; they will find links to
other job sites on the same page.
There is a wonderfully detailed event calendar available, with long
lists of events each day in the current and next three months.
Each event is linked to a page giving information about the location,
time, and any other details. If the calendar doesn’t provide
enough entertainment, the city’s leisure guide is also linked from the
home page.
Anyone interested in finding out what Winnipeg looks like can check out
the photo gallery, which also has short news items. Movies about
Winnipeg are also available in Flash and Quick Time format.
Sixteen government departments such as the city clerk (whose site is,
naturally, the repository for the city’s documents), police, community
services, and transit commission are all hyperlinked from the home
page. Some have their own sites.
One of the most useful links on the page is “emergencies”. Not
only does the emergencies page provide the usual emergency phone
numbers, it also provides information on topics such injury and crime
prevention, disaster preparedness, and a list of hospitals.
Every city should have access to the kind of information available to
residents of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is a wonderful
resource for the people living there and for anyone planning a visit.