NACWA Member Update (MU07-15)

NACWA is pleased to announce the rollout of an improved version of its website, www.nacwa.org, scheduled to go-live on August 1, 2007. We are excited about this new system and its ability to provide more timely information in a much easier to use format. If it has been a while since you visited www.nacwa.org, you will be surprised by the wealth of useful information, tools and resources we make available to our members. This behind-the-scenes upgrade completes the first phase of a comprehensive two-phase overhaul of the entire website. The second phase, to take place during FY 2008, is a complete redesign of the look-and-feel of the website.

Better, Faster Search Function
NACWA has updated the website’s search function to retrieve information quicker and in a more relevant fashion. The search mechanism gives you options to search for an exact phrase, such as “clean water”, as well as any document with “clean” or “water” in it. You also have the option of ordering the results by date and relevance or even trying your search through Google. Please remember to log-in to the Member Pipeline in order to get the greatest number of search results, as members-only content is not searched unless you are logged in.

Cleaner, Softer Look
Click around the new website. It looks cleaner and feels softer and smoother. The website is set to be centered in your web browser, as opposed to the old site where content was justified to the left. This creates more white space in your viewing screen. Also, notice that when hovering your pointer over links they don’t “pop” up at you, they “flow” with you. To preview the new site before August 1, 2007, please visit http://dev.nacwa.org.

Even Simpler Homepage
NACWA has enhanced the entire site, improving on its simple links to just about everything on the website. The homepage now features an easy-to-use log-in box for the Member Pipeline, allowing members to log-in directly from NACWA’s homepage, as well as more transparent, multi-level drops-down menus.

Web-based Content Management System
The biggest improvement of the website is something you won’t even see: NACWA has moved the site to a web-based Content Management System (CMS). The CMS allows for easier and quicker updates. Staff will be able to keep information more up-to-date and relevant and do so from anywhere, as no additional specialized software is needed.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on our newly updated website. Any comments or questions about these new functions should be directed to Gunnar Gehrmann, NACWA’s Director of Information Systems, 202/833-9384 or ggehrmann@nacwa.org.