Australian Communities Online Using Community Geographic Domain Names for Community Websites

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Australian Communities Online -Using Community
Geographic Domain Names for Community
Websites Leonie Dunbar General Manager
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Who are .au Community Domains (auCD)?

• Not-for-profit organisation established by the
  Australian Domain Name Administrator (auDA)
• To facilitate the development of Community
  Geographic Domain Names (CGDNs)

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About CGDNs

• There are now geographical community website
  addresses available for licensing one for every
  suburb and town in Australia (except capital
  cities)
• They are easy to remember locality based website
  addresses by combining your town/suburb name with
  your state/territory and country code, for
  example
• www.mansfield.vic.au, www.augusta.wa.au

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Who is eligible to license a CGDN?

• Legally registered not for profit organisation or
  a special committee of local council that broadly
  represent their community
• Individuals, commercial entities and government
  bodies are not eligible
• No restriction on the number of domain names
  provided meet eligibility criteria for each

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What can the CGDN license be used for?

• Solely for the purpose of operating a community
  website developed for the benefit of the entire
  local community and content and functionality of
  the website should include but not be limited to
• - Community events
• - Community directory
• - Business Directory
• - General information about the community
• - Local news
• - Community feedback facility
• You can issue virtual addressing, ie. issue
  personal/organisational/club community geographic
  email addresses eg. johnsmith_at_smansfield.vic.au,
• footballclub_at_wollombi.nsw.au,
  generalstore_at_broome.wa.au

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Benefits of CGDN Community Websites

• Easiest way for your community to be found on the
  internet through the website address itself
• CGDNs provide communities opportunity to pull
  together a variety of resources to a single
  unique location on-line
• Allows businesses and community organisations who
  cant afford their own website a web presence

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Benefits of CGDN Community Websites

• Utilise this communication tool to springboard
  initiatives and engage the community (eg.
  Community Fire Plan, Best practice water, sharing
  resources (eg Car Pooling Kyogle NSW, IT
  up-skilling)
• Provides a community of communities that can
  share experiences/resources and the ability to
  communicate with each other

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www.huntershill.nsw.au
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• "the benefits for the community, its local groups
  and
• businesses have been tremendous.  The website
  affords
• a very high search engine resulting in local
  businesses
• being found very quickly, the calendar of events
  allows
• community groups to better organise their events
  as
• they can see what else is happening throughout
  the
• year and the residents and visitors to the area
  have a
• one-stop shop for everything they need to know
  about
• Hunters Hill."
• - Deb Anschau on behalf of Discover Hunters Hill

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www.kenilworth.qld.au
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• Kenilworth in Queensland already had an
• existing community website, the group that
• successfully applied for their CGDN reasoned
• that the existing community website could
• only benefit from the associated publicity,
• networking and geographically identifiable
• nature of a CGDN
• - Dennis James, Webmaster for the Kenilworth
  Community Website

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www.koonwarra.vic.au
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• Gippsland was under threat of massive fires
• late 2006/early 2007 - the community resolved
• to develop a community fire plan from their
• local community website
• www.koonwarra.vic.au.
• further demonstrating that the
• www.koonwarra.vic.au site is a valuable
• community resource, and a trusted local
• voice. Helen Guy representative of the
  Koonwarra Sustainable Communities Centre

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www.wyndham.wa.au
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• Wyndham is a remote community 3,500 kilometres
  north
• of Perth in Western Australia
• Enables our community to reach out and join the
  rest of the
• world.  We can show the world that isolation
  doesnt have to
• mean low-tech or no-tech.
• Community groups are able to easily manage their
  own
• information and content. They are able to
  distribute their
• information quickly and cost effectively to their
  members and
• the wider community.
• - Natika Hawes-Wright, Manager Wyndham
  Telecentre

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www.korumburra.vic.au
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• Korumburras community website is the first
• CGDN to be fully developed by the local Year 9
• students and was part of the school
• curriculum.
• The philosophy of the local website is to be as
  inclusive as possible and to offer either free or
  very cheap access to a website for those who want
  to have a web presence.
• Jennifer Young, Korumburra Community Development
  and Action Inc.

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www.mansfield.vic.au
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• The Employment section of the Mansfield website
  is the most popular on their website.
• A major issue in Mansfield is attracting doctors
  and other health professionals
• The website group (Mansfield Adult Continuing
  Education) were recommended to include an
  employment section as often partners of health
  professionals need employment as well.
• Mansfield doesnt have a permanent Job Network
  provider so the community website helps to
  advertise jobs for the locals.

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CGDN Website Surveys

• Most popular pages are those that change
  regularly eg. Events, News, Directories
• Kenilworth in Qlds most popular is e-cards
• Mansfields most popular is the employment
  section
• Most groups have experienced continuous increase
  in website hits
• Some have been able to employ Web Administrators

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What does a CGDN license cost?

• A 2 year licence fee will cost between 164
  and 198 (inc GST) depending on which registrar
  you choose after your licence application is
  approved by auCD

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What other costs are there to consider?

• Website development
• Website hosting
• Management of website

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Some ideas on funding/resources

• Advertising and Sponsorships
• Contact your Local Council for potential
  assistance
• Utilise your Area Consultative Committees
• Apply for Government Grants see
  www.ourcommunity.com.au Find Manage Money
  section
• Raise locally eg. raffles, cake stalls,
  BBQ, etc
• Fees for issuing geographical emails
• Business directory listings (eg.
  priority/dedicated page)
• Source volunteer IT students

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Website development

• Be aware of things to consider when developing
  your own eg. the time it takes to develop it,
  who can access and add content, etc.
• Refer to resources on auCD website eg
• - Picture Australia ourtown
• - Discount IT for not for profits
• - Tourism Australia resources
• - Free Sensis online integration yellow,
  whereis maps
• - Forum to share experiences ask questions

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ROLE OF auCD

• To assess CGDN applications for compliance with
  the policy rules and guidelines
• To provide support services to help local
  communities register their CGDN and create and
  maintain their community website

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Support Services provided at no cost include

• A forum for communities to share their
  experiences and develop best practice
• Promotion of their community website and any
  ongoing initiatives via the media, auCD website
  and e-newsletters to the community of auCD
  subscribers
• Free on-line How to Kit
• Free licensing of Community Site in a Box until
  31/12/09

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On-line How to Kit includes

• Forming a Community Website Group
• Forming a not-for-profit organisation
• Sourcing Funding
• Website development
• Community consultation
• Launch and Marketing
• Sustainability

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Website DevelopmentCommunity Site in a
BoxFree until 31st December, 2009

• Create your own styles
• Functions such as news, events, contact us,
  search, directories and site map note unlimited
  content size
• Ability to issue unlimited individual geographic
  local email addresses to your community via the
  website
• Directories that are re-nameable and integrated
  business directory that is powered by Sensis
  Yellow Online
• Statistics on web use and allowance for sponsor
  ads
• Hosting and unlimited size of website
• Help/support
• Create users with different levels of roles
  author, administrator, editor

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Leonie Dunbar General Manager .au Community
Domains www.aucd.org.au (03) 9863
8577 leonie.dunbar_at_aucd.org.au