Article posted January 17, 2012

The following announcement was issued by the town 0f Oakville on January 16th, 2012

New website offers intuitive enhancements for customers

As the primary source of information for municipal programs and services, the Town of Oakville unveiled its newly revamped oakville.ca today, introducing new features, new functionality and new opportunities for the public to connect with their local government.

“Our new website will simplify our customers’ online relationship with the Town of Oakville. Residents told us they wanted quick and easy access to important information,” said Mayor Rob Burton. “Our team has done an excellent job at taking oakville.ca in a positive direction. I look forward to seeing how our community interacts with the new tools we’ve developed with them in mind.”

Oakville has also increased its social media presence on Facebook and Twitter to enhance the way residents can interact with the Town of Oakville. The town can now be found on Facebook at facebook.com/townofoakville and Twitter @townofoakville.

Oakville’s new customer-focused website offers multiple ways to explore the site and find information. Quick links and intuitive headings direct users to frequently visited pages. New and enhanced features include:

         ·      New search tool

         ·      New look and feel

         ·      Improved accessibility

         ·      Restructured content and navigation categories

         ·      Translation tool

         ·      Links to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter

         ·      Easier access to RSS feeds

         ·      New event and meeting calendar

         ·      Integration of content from previously existing sites

         ·     Adaptability to support future advances in technology

The new oakville.ca was developed to improve the customers’ experience with the town, making it easier to access and share information. To engage Oakville’s diverse communities, web accessibility standards and guidelines were given special consideration and will continue to be a top priority.

“As websites are always changing, we will continue to enhance our site to meet the changing needs of our residents, businesses and visitors,” said Jane Courtemanche, director, Strategy, Policy and Communications. “We look forward to expanding our use of social media tools to build new relationships with the community and providing even more interactive engagement opportunities.”

In the 2011 Citizen Survey, 65 per cent of respondents identified the website as their preferred way to access information about the town.

To check out the new website or to join Oakville’s online community visit www.oakville.ca