A Websites’ Beginnings

By Sherry Serrano

UH alumni Diane Nakashima created the website called Ka`analike Mana`o (Sharing of Ideas); a compilation of resources offered by officials for Hawaii residents.  The website address is www.soc.hawaii.edu/dianena and was conferred in May 2005.  The website started as a practicum project for a journalism course she was taking at the time.  “I thought I’d take journalism courses for editing, to learn how to edit,” She said.  But personal reasons led her to a new focus that also became helpful for any journalist.  “What happened was lately, my father was going in and out of the hospital,” she explained.  Wanting to seek options for her father’s welfare, she realized the complication with each agency’s information.

Inspiration meets

“I wanted to gear it more towards the general public,” she said. “Following the PowerReporting webpage, what we did was focus on what we thought were important to Hawaii’s residents.”  The PowerReporting webpage is a compilation of links to topics important to a journalist. “I broke it up into children, teenagers, adults, and elderly.”  The sites topics include: state agencies, UH agencies, local counties, national and federal agencies, and non-profit agencies.  Links, contact information and brief descriptions are included with each agency listed.  Her website allows any person to find an agency for his or her specific need.

A Little Background Help

Nakashima, currently Manoa’s catalogue coordinator, also has a background in graphic design.  She revealed some of the techniques and tips she kept in mind while designing her webpage.  She kept her layout simple and to the point.  She also used “stand alone pages” for her links.  “Each page is a link in itself,” she explains.  This makes opening multiple windows less complicated for the user.  She also used several search engines instead of just one for her research.  She also wanted the website to be uniquely Hawaiian.  She used Hawaiian phrases, but explains that when planning to use a foreign language phrase, the designer should double check with an expert in that language.  She also suggests using programs such as Dreamweaver or Frontpage.  

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