OnWEAC celebrates 10 years

This article in News & Views - the predecessor publication to OnWEAC In Print - announced the launch of OnWEAC in May 1996.

When OnWEAC was launched in the 1996-97 school year, few people had even heard of Amazon.com or eBay.

“WEAC was one of the first NEA state affiliates to launch a Web site,” said OnWEAC Editor Bill Hurley.“I remember when we were excited about reaching a milestone of 50 visitors a day. Today,we have thousands of people visiting the site every day.”

Over the years, OnWEAC has stayed on the cutting edge, adapting, improving and expanding to meet the growing interests and needs of members and nonmembers. It has won more than a dozen awards.

Today, OnWEAC and the OnWEAC Members Only site offer a wealth of information and services, from breaking news to updated listings of professional development opportunities. Even more impressive is the array of services for members, including online conference sign-ups, award nominations, the Cyberlobby, and contest entries.

“I think most members don’t realize the extent of information and services available to them through OnWEAC,” Hurley said.“It is our challenge not only to offer these quality services but to make people aware of them and make it easier for them to find them and use them.”

Usage and demand grew so quickly that in 2000 OnWEAC expanded to include a Members Only site.Also in 2000,WEAC’s monthly print publication – then called News & Views – was redesigned and restructured to integrate with OnWEAC. Since then, this publication has served members as the print version of OnWEAC.

The other major piece of the “OnWEAC family” is OnWEAC Direct, a weekly electronic newsletter that was launched in 1999 (graphics were added in 2002). OnWEAC Direct highlights information and services posted to OnWEAC each week.

Many more improvements are on the way, including a new design and simplified navigation structure to be unveiled soon.Watch for it!

OnWEAC was redesigned in 2000 and, although there have been some modifications, it has looked very much like this since.

Another redesign is now in the works, and currently it looks something like this. The new, more user-friendly design will be launched in early 2007.

Posted February 6, 2007