The INTERACT Website: Important source of information for the ETC Community Karen Vandeweghe, Communications Manager, IS Bratislava 27 January 2010 | Brussels, Belgium

The Public Face • Aims of the website • What it offers • Success so far Aim of the website: 1. Easy and quick to use, content in different places through tagging system, 2. Communicating INTERACT, Programmes, ETC in innovative and dynamic way, 3. Key link with programmes. Is our public face, extensively used (see later), how many get first/regular impression of us, therefore important that it looks good and works. Success so far: Able to measure this effectively, so far good.

The Aims of the Website to be a useful, valuable and important source of information on European Territorial Cooperation issues to be a platform for stakeholders to disseminate and exchange information on latest news and events to show the added-value and achievements of European Territorial Cooperation to strengthen the links between the Territorial Cooperation actors   The website currently provides: - general information on INTERACT programme including on the previous programming period (INTERACT I) - up-to-date news of relevance to the INTERREG/European Territorial Cooperation Community - INTERREG agenda with a comprehensive overview of events and key dates in European Territorial Cooperation - Events Calendar with an overview of seminars, conferences and workshops organised by INTERACT as well as by other stakeholders - information on INTERACT services with management tools, documentation and events. The sections currently include programme management, project management, financial management, knowledge management and capitalisation, EGTC and IPA - key up-to-date reference documents (i.e. legislation, guidebooks…) available for download - INTERREG information: regulatory framework, programme document library, policy papers, etc. - Search engine, RSS feeds and videos - 'My Interact'; personalisation of the my.interact-eu.net providing bookmarking, tagging and social interaction opportunities. The website's main language is English. Yet, event agenda, external press releases, publications and programme-specific documentation are often multilingual. Moreover, the aim is to install Google Translator on the website so that external visitors can access the main messages of INTERACT news in their own respective languages. The website is technically composed of 3 layers: fixed menu points (boxes on home page), pages (e.g. event announcement) and documents (word, pdf). Pages are attached to fixed menu points and documents to pages via tagging. This means that the same page can appear on the website in numberous places at the same time, making administration of the website quicker (new pages go online faster) and more user-friendly (content can be found more quickly and easily).

 Aims of the website: The INTERACT II website, launched in September 2008, is INTERACT's main communication channel on European Territorial Cooperation.

What the Website Offers General information on the INTERACT Programme Actual and updated news on recent developments in ETC (policy papers, regulations, legislation, guidebooks…) Events agenda with an overview of seminars, conferences and workshops Information on themes of importance to the European Territorial Cooperation Programmes, e.g. on financial management, evaluation, project management, quality assurance, etc. Section on the macro-regional strategies The website's main language is English. Yet, event agenda, external press releases, publications and programme-specific documentation are often multilingual. Moreover, the aim is to install Google Translator on the website so that external visitors can access the main messages of INTERACT news in their own respective languages.

Interactivity on the Website: Active use of web 2.0 tools: RSS Feed, Tagging system, Contact Form, You-Tube, Facebook, Forum, Google Advanced Search, … The personal ‘my.interact’ space Website will continue developing interactive features, such as databases, clickable maps, forms, response-based features My Interact feature is a personalisation of the my.interact-eu.net, which allows users to alter the lay-out of the home page to suit their individual needs, leave comments on the news items, suggest tags and set bookmarks. The website will continue developing interactive features such as databases, clickable maps, forms, response-based features

Measuring Success: Feedback Website is seen as a valuable and important source of information related to ETC The events section, job profiles, calendar, and handbooks are among the most popular features The website has become a key dissemination tool for the ETC programmes to publish their newsletters, events, news, jobs and experts Internal and external feedback statistical date: 1. Mint and 2. Google Indicators in Communications Plan: Allows us to measure how effectively we are fulfilling our aims. - - The most common are job profiles, event information and handbooks. This shows the central role that INTERACT plays in providing information on vacancies, and in disseminating the programme's expertise to a wide audience. It also suggests that users find the information relevant and up-to-date.

Measuring Success: Statistical Data for 2009 Almost 100 000 visits Visitors from 177 countries Linked to over 1000 websites 54,14% of returning visitors Average time of 4 minutes - Almost 100 000 total visits, indicating the appeal of the website; Visitors from 177 countries, including a strong coverage in countries involved in INTERACT, demonstrating the scope of the website’s appeal; Linked to over 1000 websites, showing the success of dissemination of the website’s content and the strong role played by the website in the territorial cooperation community; - Over 40 000 visitors from Google, indicating our high profile in the search engine; - Almost 45 000 unique visitors, showing that a high number of users like our website and keep coming back. - In total 54,14% of returning visitors - - Combined with an average of 5 pages per visit and an average time of 4 minutes on the website, this shows that users are interested in what they find on the website and that internal links provide good connections between related content;

Thank you! www.interact-eu.net