8/11/2008

Taíno Confederation Launches New Web Portal

UCTP Taino News – The United Confederation of Taíno People (UCTP) has launched a new, interactive version of its award-winning internet web portal at http://www.uctp.org/. The new portal features a web-based Community Forum where subscribers can post comments on issues, set up their own personal blogs and photo galleries as well as review up-to-date information on the work of the Confederation. The portal is also host to the premier Taino news service “The Voice of the Taíno People Online” and an archive of the print version of the journal in pdf format.

“This is as an exciting new chapter in our focus on communications, education, and Nation building” stated Roberto Borrero, the President of the UCTP’s Office of International Relations and Regional Coordination. The portal, launched as a part of the Confederation’s 10 year anniversary initiatives, was designed by UCTP Director of Technology, Ericc Ausubonex Diaz.

“We are very grateful to Ausubonex for the incredible work he has put into the design of this web portal. It responds directly to years of community suggestions, requests, and comments” continued Borrero. “We had compiled quite a bit of information at our web site over the years and with this more-user friendly design we have increased the opportunities for community members to see and more importantly respond to the precedent-setting work that the Confederation has and continues to do at the local, national, and international levels.”

“The portal will assist us in knowing what our people are interested in as we will be able to see what stories, documents, and issues are getting visited most often” stated Diaz. “We consider the website an on-going work in progress but even at this stage there is really nothing like it available for our community on the internet that is fully owned and operated by Caribbean Indigenous Peoples”.

The new version of UCTP portal will also provide a welcome resource for researchers and students who will not only be able to study documents from historical sources but they will be able to review contemporary Taíno history from over 10 years of collective activism in the international area. Presentations made at the United Nations as well as reports from archeologists and ethnologists will all be archived and available online as well as for download. Various photo galleries are now available or being developed for inclusion.

“The portal will also help us continue to strengthen our community and advocacy efforts as we have updated the documents related to the UCTP’s Taíno Population Census and Inter-Tribal Registration Project” stated Mildred Karaira Gandia, the Director of the program. “Our enrollment documents can now be filled out online and printed out directly from the site.”

The UCTP web portal received over 170,057 “hits” last month as it was “soft launched” in July so select users could test services and offer suggestions. The portal has recorded traffic from all over the world with persons from Puerto Rico among the top four country visitors to the site.

UCTPTN 08.11.2008

1 comment:

Maximilian C. Forte said...

Yes, I think it is quite beautiful, a very impressive site that looks like it has a great future ahead of it. I think that the key idea is also that it is indigenous owned and controlled. I am doing my best at turning over my own sites to indigenous control, but not much luck so far.