Lesley Clemens, Research Analyst. Performance and Research Directorate,
Department of Training, Level 2/151 Royal St, East Perth 6004, Western Australia.
Email: Lesley.Clemens@training.wa.gov.au
Indigenous, communications, website, consultation, traditional networks, regional communities, cultural variations, technology, design
The following paper briefly documents the process of the Billabong (http://www.training.wa.gov.au/billabong) site development for an Indigenous target group in 2002-2002. The target group were field staff in the metropolitan and regional areas of Western Australia belonging to the Western Australian Department of Training. The aim of the site is to encourage access to Indigenous specific employment and training information as well as communication across the regions. The project is currently in the pilot stage with the view to being released onto the Internet at a later date. The name Billabong was used to create the feeling of an online 'resting place' and encourage interactivity between its Indigenous users.
An extensive consultation process was used and continues with the ongoing development of the Billabong site. The issues arising from this process formed the basis of the research.
This paper looks at some of the specific cultural characteristics particular to Indigenous communities and discusses how these can be harnessed using Internet technology to encourage online interaction.
The conclusions and recommendations will be in light of the Billabong target group's information needs and are intended to maximise the effectiveness of the Billabong site. The project was funded by the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) (http://www.anta.gov.au/).
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