|
www.stradanove.net
November 1997
Introduction
The younger generations have shown that they willingly and easily take full advantage of the opportunities offered by modern telecommunications media.
In a national and regional context, development of teleservices and programs to facilitate and maximise access to information through computer networks is, by now, a priority.
Creating a public information access system through computer networks and, in particular, Internet, will enable us:
The basic idea underlying the site is to make StradaNove the busiest virtual city square on the Web where young people in Emilia Romagna, or, more in general, all young network "surfers", can meet to access information, exchange messages and opinions and finally have a place where they can present their digital and telematic projects to the general public. It is thus a site that begins in a context of service and encourages an approach between institutions, in this case the Emilia Romaga Region, and young people. Considerable space, though, will be dedicated to entertainment and enjoyment with numerous opportunities to take full advantage of the interactive potential of the network. For the very first time, a public authority will undertake a project that also envisages an on-line news section targeted on a younger public with "SS9 News", the site's newspaper. With StradaNove, the Emilia Romagna Region will undertake even wider diffusion of the computer mentality with the end purpose of expanding in the near future, in agreement with other organisations within the territory, points where the general public can access Internet. In this way, new technology will be increasingly and more thoroughly distributed throughout the area.
The site has been set up by area of interest and the following will be supplied for each:
The fact-sheets set out to provide help to solve large and small bureaucratic problems and face even difficult decisions with equanimity. They have been prepared from the InformaGiovani data bank updated at a national and local level. They give news about jobs, different kinds of schools and laws affecting education in general and the school in particular. They also provide information on volunteer services, children's rights, articles of youth interest in general, anything involving youth tourism and much more.
The proposals for network navigating are the end result of careful and constant network monitoring. The sites selected are those regarded as interesting, trustworthy but also enjoyable, new and suited to the target audience. The information is kept up-to-date and the sites explained with short descriptions.
Discussion groups and mailing lists on the different subjects covered have been prepared for the particularly interested and "interactive" surfers. More importantly, the interactive area can be visited not merely as spectators but as active agents.
SS9 News is the site's journalism section. It is a computer news network targeted on young people and has an ambitious goal: tell the young people in our Region about their daily world through news and investigative services capable of digging below official and formal "surface" stories. In this way, they can touch on matters more meaningful to young people which play an important and familiar role in their daily affairs: music, leisure activities, cinema, the latest trends, the underground and so on. There is, in fact, an underground world which young people are in daily contact but which rarely makes an appearance in the traditional media. But this underground offers a rich vein of news (for example, aerosol art which is a widespread movement in our Region with its own specific language and values shared by the "group").
The InformaGiovani Centres throughout the Region have their own special, independently organised space in StradaNove where they can inform their users about all their services and initiatives.
An "Interactive" area envisages a number of suggestions and mechanisms for contacting and exchanging ideas with other young people or with the site editorial staff.
StradaNove graphics is simple, enjoyable and attractive. The language is contemporary, direct and informal.
The home page comic girl and her group of friends accompany the visitor around the entire site. They are the perfect travel companions and guides to the Internet world and present themselves as young people who are at once open, knowledgeable, curious and carefree.
All this is based on the assumption that Internet is a world without frontiers but with a perplexing street layout where the best route is not easily found and it is easy to get lost. StradaNove, thus, sets out to be the special "virtual correspondent" for all the young people in our Region but, equally, a preferential traffic lane for a young public and an invaluable travel guide.
A hypothesis for other European Regions
The StradaNove experience can be shared by other European Regions that support the basic principles of the project.
Data bank of special youth terms and discounts
Some technical information
The StradaNove site has been designed using the most avant-garde technology made available with the growth and development of the World Wide Web. Special attention has been given to use potential and interaction thanks to frames and dynamic html. Its design kept future, though just around the corner, growth potential in mind-e.g., push technology and the increasing presence of multimedia elements. The Site can be accessed with any standard computer configuration and navigation programs. However, its innovative features are best seen with the latest software releases and a computer with adequate capacity. The site server has been prepared with open and free software (Linux operative system, Apache Web server) on a Pentium Pro 200 computer connected to Internet with a dedicated 64 Kbps line).
The recommended configuration for navigating in StradaNove is: PC with Pentium and 16 MB RAM or better, Netscape Navigator 4.03 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.
For all information contact:
Enrico Guerzoni
Claudio Forghieri
http://www.stradanove.net Home back
|
