kildare.ie has won the LAMA Award for "Best Use of External Communications".
It beat off stiff competition from South Dublin County Council, North Tipperary County Council, Donegal County Council, Longford County Council and Leitrim County Council.
The winners were announced at the Citywest Hotel last Saturday night, 19th January 2008 by RTE presenter Sharon Ni Bheolain and The Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government John Gormley presented the Award.
LAMA, the Local Authority Members Association, represents elected councillors nationwide.
The County Kildare Community Network operates www.kildare.ie, which is the number one website for information and resources relating to County Kildare, capturing the largest online audience in County Kildare and beyond, with over 5.3 million visitors accessing the domain in 2007.
The Kildare County Council website, www.kildare.ie/countycouncil is the largest website on the domain accounting for almost a quarter of all website visits and its recent makeover helped contribute to the success on the night.
The County Kildare Community Network website, www.kildare.ie, has recently been upgraded. The new look website includes many extra features including a bigger and better Community Directory, an improved Events Section, an enhanced Business Directory, and improved and updated content. New features include Kildare A-Z, Kildare Links Directory, Best of Irish Links, and a brand new Community News section with RSS Feeds.
The improved design reflects the quality and diversity of content and contributors to kildare.ie
Adherence to web standards and improved accessibility & usability are an integral part of the new design.
Another winner on the night was Castletown House, Celbridge. It won the LAMA Award for "Best Heritage Project". The other nominations in this category were the Cliffs of Moher New Visitor Experience in Clare, Woodstock Gardens in Kilkenny, Ardagh Clock Tower in Longford, St. George's Heritage Centre in Leitrim, Dalkey Castle Heritage in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown, Wicklow Historical Gaol, and Lackagh Museum & Heritage Centre in Galway.
For more information visit the following websites
www.kildare.ie - Kildare Community Network
www.kildare.ie/countycouncil - Kildare County Council
www.lamaawards.org - The LAMA Awards
www.castletown.ie - Castletown House
Feedback on the new www.kildare.ie website is most welcome. Send your comments to info@kildare.ie.