For Immediate Release: May 7, 2008
Media Contacts: Emma Filar, Marketing & Communications Associate
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New Web Site Launch: News Release
The National Building Museum is pleased to announce the launch of its new and improved web site. The upgraded and updated site is the result of two years of analysis, design, and programming. Our goal is to provide our visitors with a virtual experience that is as compelling as a visit to the actual Museum. Of course, the digital world can never match walking through one of our inspiring exhibitions, sitting in the Great Hall for a long lunch, or seeing the delight of a child at a festival, so our intention was not to try to replicate these experiences. Instead, we designed our web site to complement and enhance our on-site programming.
The updated site features an interactive, up-to-date calendar of events where registrants can get automated reminders for programs. User can now also easily access archival and cross-referenced information. For example, recordings from our lectures and symposia are available from as early as 1995 and the most current resources for exhibitions such as biographies, image-galleries, and news articles are automatically presented in an “also of interest” section throughout the site. The upgraded site also enables our online visitors and members an easy, instant, and secure way to register for programs, make donations, and purchase products from our award-winning Museum Shop. The site allows our visitors to create individual profiles indicating specific topics of interest for communications and specialized website content. Users will also enjoy that their profiles will be securely saved for future transactions and can be updated at any time by logging in. Bookmarking and social media tags are also embedded throughout the site so that visitors can share Museum news and information with others on sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Del.icio.us.
In addition to the site’s many new technical features, the graphic design and interface present a dramatic improvement. We have streamlined the site’s navigation, making it more intuitive and user-friendly. We also created a visual navigation system for the many visitors who simply want to browse around the site without a specific destination. We think this dual presentation will allow our "power users" the ease and efficiency of rapidly getting to their resources, while simultaneously inviting millions of new users to learn more about the built environment as they can casually browse through articles, media, and archives.
In the coming months, we will be introducing new site features including customizable pages populated with user defined content, special offers and content only available for our members, downloadable, at-home educational resources for families, and additional multimedia.
You can tell us what you think of our upgraded web site and help us make improvements by completing our quick online survey here:
Sustainability initiatives generously supported by the Home Depot Foundation
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
