A Portal to the (Online) Armenian World: New York ARF Launches Innovative New Website

WOODSIDE, N.Y.—The New York “Armen Garo” Gomideh recently announced the launch
of a new website, www.hyecenter.com, based out of the Armenian Center located in Woodside,. As a preview event, the website committee held a workshop on Sept. 18 to introduce the site and its features.

New York Gomideh chairperson Valod Atakhanian opened the program with welcoming remarks. He described the purpose of the site and the enthusiasm for the committee to take on the project.

The website site is more than just the online presence of the Armenian Center, he said. It will
also house videos, articles, and links, and serve as a portal for the community at large.

Website committee member Razmig Haroun then gave an overview of the philosophy behind the site and its purpose. “This portal allows us to transcend the physical barriers of this community center and engage, not only the Armenian community of Queens, but the community of New York,” he said.

Haroun emphasized that with this new site, the center is able to adopt the most current and effective methods of organizational communication, while encouraging visitors to register and actively take part in community life.

Committee member Sossi Essajanian presented the site’s functionality and capabilities. She went through section and tab, showing how visitors can view articles, the calendar of events, and various publications and newsletters. Her presentation illustrated the site’s dynamic features
and tools that allow users to add content, rate, and comment. Essajanian asked those in attendance to think about the site as a virtual place that functions like the Armenian Center. “This site is a place of meeting, somewhere to exchange ideas and grow, just as our Armenian Center is within these four walls. But this site will take us outside those walls only if people register and join in the building,” she said.

Website committee chairperson Mardig Tcholakian briefed the audience on the history of the site’s construction and invited them to fully use its features and creating additional needs and requirements to support the diverse aspects of the community. He also showed how an organization can effectively use the site, allowing it to reach more organized and presentable results.

“We hope to broaden the center’s reach through the internet to a wider audience and we need your help in using, promoting, and extending its capabilities to serve more individuals and
diversify its users,” he said.

Following the presentations, audience members were invited to ask questions and provide feedback. Many were encouraged by the diversity of tools available to registered users to post and promote events, and talk with fellow community members.

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