Municipal Websites Research Articles

Cross-sectional analysis of the environment in Agenda 2030: Public diplomacy on municipal websites in Portugal

This article delves into local public diplomacy from the perspective of climate action. A cross-sectional analysis is made of the climate perspective in the international 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, considering the social, political, and economic challenges implied by human alteration of the environment. The websites of local municipal corporations in Portugal are analysed to identify the information referring to Agenda 2030 and its convergence in climate action. To this end, a content analysis method was designed based on the relationship of the Agenda’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) with their associated climate change goals. Attention is paid primarily to the websites’ fixed sections, and secondarily to their informational content and external portals. The method is applied to the websites of seven of Portugal’s municipalities. Conclusions are drawn concerning whether or not they provide information on climate change so that the effort directed by these local governments towards climate action can be determined. A comparison is made with the international case. This tool contributes to localizing the SDGs and prioritizing environmentally important components.

Online harvesting of municipality websites into trusted digital repository

PurposeMunicipalities, as the front lines of service delivery, use websites as one of the tools to communicate information to the public. While it is considered a record, many organisations, including municipalities, do not manage websites as such. This study aims to explore the archiving of websites as records in the municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province in South Africa by using the web archiving life cycle model.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a mixed-methods research with an explanatory design, with quantitative data collected first through content analysis of websites and qualitative data collected through interviews. Researchers used multilevel sampling, first quantitatively analysing all available websites of the municipalities (52) in KZN, and then qualitatively selecting only records managers, information managers, web administrators, communication managers and website managers or designers from municipalities because of their understanding and involvement with websites in some way.FindingsThis study established that some records on municipal websites are often in paper format in record-keeping systems, whereas others are born digital and are not captured in the systems. Municipalities lack a dedicated web online harvesting tool as well as an archiving policy or strategy to guide website archiving. Furthermore, municipalities placed a high reliance on service providers to keep their websites operational.Research limitations/implicationsIt became clear during the interviews that most of the participants were unfamiliar with web archiving. As a result, only 12 of the 56 selected participants from the municipalities provided the required information in relation to the current study as others could not provide answers. Data for other participants were not analysed.Originality/valueDue to a lack of infrastructure for ingesting digital records into archival custody, a framework for harvesting web content of value is proposed both internally in municipalities and externally to an archive repository.

Public Branding in the Digital Age: An Empirical Investigation of U.S. Cities

ABSTRACT Cities globally consider public branding to be an important governance strategy. This study investigates the use of websites for public branding by U.S. cities, and examines the influence of a city’s socioeconomic composition on its digital branding strategies. Data was collected through content analysis of municipal websites to analyze the trends in practices. The cities were then ranked based on identity, communication, engagement, and operations, and the top ranked cities were further studied. Multivariate analysis revealed that education levels and diversity were associated with selected aspects of the branding efforts of sample cities, identifying key areas of improvement and recommendations.

Local Economic Conditions Affect Aedes albopictus Management

Invasive mosquitoes are an emerging public health issue, as many species are competent vectors for pathogens. We assessed how multiple environmental and socio-economic factors affected the engagement of municipalities in Italy (n = 7679) in actions against Aedes albopictus, an invasive mosquito affecting human health and well-being, between 2000 and 2020. We collected information about mosquito control from official documents and municipal websites and modeled the role played by multiple environmental and socioeconomic factors characterizing each municipality through the random forest algorithm. Municipalities are more prone to manage A. albopictus if more urbanized, in lowlands and with long infestation periods. Moreover, these variables are more predictive of management in municipalities with a high median income and thus more economic resources. Only 25.5% of Italian municipalities approved regulations for managing A. albopictus, and very few of them were in Southern Italy, the most deprived area of the country. Our findings indicate that local economic conditions moderate the effect of other drivers of mosquito control and ultimately can lead to better management of A. albopictus. If the management of invasive mosquitoes, or other forms of global change, is subjected to local economic conditions, economic inequalities will jeopardize the success of large-scale policies, also raising issues of environmental and climate justice.

BELEDİYELERİN EĞİTİM ALANINDAKİ GÖREVLERİ: KIRIKKALE BELEDİYESİ ÖRNEĞİ

Today, it is a goal to reach the information society. In order to reach the information society, it is necessary to carry out educational activities and to ensure the continuity of these activities. In today's world where educational activities have gained importance and concerns about education have increased, the role of local governments, having important duties in this field, are undeniable. It is important for municipalities, which are local government units, to continue their educational duties, which are also supported by the regulation, meticulously in order to reach the information society. At this point, this study aims to emphasise educational duties of municipalities in a sample of a provincial municipality and to make suggestions. In this study, firstly, the relevant literature was reviewed, then a local government with important duties and responsibilities at the point of education was investigated, and the educational activities of Kırıkkale province, which was selected as a sample, were accessed from the municipality's website, and the educational activities carried out between 2020 and 2024 were analysed by content analysis research method and inferences were made. As a result of the study; It was seen that the educational activities of Kırıkkale municipality between 2020-2024 consisted of educational activities especially for children, young people, women and the whole public. The neighbourhood mansions project for women, which is especially focused on women, is a remarkable educational activity. The sale of cloth dolls produced by women in these mansions to other countries is very valuable in terms of bringing labour into the economy. At this point, as units close to the public, it is essential that the municipalities have continuity in this service line due to the prominent role of the municipalities in training activities at the point of putting into practice the talent and interests of public as units close to the public.

Annual Reports of Municipalities in Terms of Accountability: Municipalities in Burdur

In Turkey, with the Public Financial Management and Control Law No. 5018, it was aimed to make the expenditure process in public administration fast and functional, and related arrangements were made in the budget principles in terms of accountability and transparency. Within the framework of accountability, an annual report is required to be prepared and announced to the public. Annual reports are also included in the Municipal Law No. 5393 and are shown as one of the control mechanisms of the municipalities. With the Regulation on Annual reports to be Prepared by Public Administrations, the report was requested to be published on the website of the relevant administration. It has been observed that the municipalities examined within the scope of the study have official websites. 
 Within the scope of this research, it has been researched the municipalities websites in Burdur province whether they publish their annual reports or not also whether they are up to date. Annual reports for 2020 and 2021 were searched on the websites of municipalities in the research. As the result of the research, most of the municipalities have not included annual reports on their websites, and some of the municipalities include are not up to date.

The role of municipal digital services in advancing rural resilience

Community resilience refers to collective efforts to help improve response and recovery for the entire community in response to disasters. Municipalities that provide information and services to residents through digital platforms have more options for meeting citizen needs during crises. In this study, we examine the provision of digital services by rural municipalities in Maine, USA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on an inventory of 100 municipal websites and interviews with 20 municipal officials, we assessed the prevalence of 20 digital services, associations between municipality characteristics and digital services, and factors that spur changes in digital services. We discovered that many rural communities use digital platforms, and provide digital information, digital transactions and opportunities for digital democracy. While we found positive associations between greater levels of digital services, larger community populations, and more representative forms of government, we learned that a range of technological and cultural barriers also determine the degree to which a municipality engages with and adapts their digital services. Our findings establish a link between municipal digital services and rural resilience, confirm prior trends observed in larger and more urban local governments, and encourage future work on relatively under-studied rural areas.

Municipality2HTTPS: A study on HTTPS protocol's usage in Italian municipalities’ websites

The usage of HTTPS protocol is essential for secure communication with websites, especially when it comes to the websites of local municipalities. This protocol ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of online data transmissions, protecting users from unauthorised access and data breaches. By implementing HTTPS, municipalities can provide a secure and reliable online experience for their citizens and build trust in their digital services. This paper presents the Municipality2HTTPS research project, which aim is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the current state of HTTPS implementation in approximately 8,000 Italian municipalities’ websites. The study was conducted using the purpose-built software platform, named MunicipalityEvaluator, and the results were aggregated both geographically and demographically based on a numerical score derived from a specific scoring system: this system was obtained by expanding the requirements set forth by Italian regulations on the topic. The obtained results identified several areas for improvement in HTTPS implementation and regulatory compliance, including the need for more awareness-raising activities and support for municipalities with limited technical expertise. The results also revealed discrepancies between regions and demographic groups in terms of HTTPS implementation and regulatory compliance.

A GIS-Based Assessment of Flood Hazard through Track Records over the 1886–2022 Period in Greece

This paper addresses the riverine flood events that have occurred in Greece over the last 136 years (i.e., during the 1886–2022 period), focusing, amongst others, on the case of urban floods. The flood record of various sites of the country has been collected and analyzed to determine their spatial and temporal distribution. Greece is a country where flood data and records are very scarce. Therefore, as there is not an integrated catalog of Greek floods spanning from the 19th century to recently, this is the first attempt to create an integrated catalog for Greece. The sources used include published papers, local and regional newspapers and public bodies (mainly the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the official websites of Greek municipalities). Additionally, the main factors responsible for their occurrence have been issued, regarding the country’s climatic, geological and geomorphological setting, as well as human interventions. In addition, the atmospheric circulation driving factors of floods are assessed via an unsupervised neural network approach (i.e., Self-Organizing Maps). Based on the results of this research, an online GIS-based database has been created, depicting the areas that have been struck by riverine floods in Greece. By clicking a flood event in the online database, one can view several characteristics, depending on data availability, such as duration and height of the rainfall that caused them and number of fatalities. Long-term trends of mean and extremes seasonal precipitation also linked to the spatial distribution of floods. Our analysis shows that urban floods are a very large portion of the overall flood record, and they mainly occur in the two large urban centers, Athens and Thessaloniki, as well as near large rivers such as Pineios. Autumn months and mainly November are the periods with higher flood hazards, based on past records and cyclonic atmospheric circulation constitutes the principal driving factor. Our results indicate that a flood catalog at national level is of fundamental importance, as it can provide valuable statistical insights regarding seasonality, spatial distribution of floods, etc., while it can also be used by stakeholders and researchers for flood management and flood risk analysis and modelling.

Implementation gaps of the Portuguese Nacional Health Plan 2012-2021: evidence mapping analysis

Abstract Background The National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) is responsible for carrying out the evaluation of the Portuguese National Health Plan (PNS) 2012-2016, extended to 2020 (and later to 2021). As part of PNS evaluation, this study aims to identify gaps in the implementation of the PNS 2012-2021, and to identify the degree of alignment and coherence between the strategic axis, goals, and monitoring framework issued by the PNS at different levels of implementation (national, regional, local and municipal). Methods A mix study, employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches was performed based upon a modified scoping review. Portuguese healthcare institutional websites and municipality websites were identified as the main data sources and secondary data were gathered. Evidence (plans, programs, or strategies) with publication date between 2015 and 2020 were included. A data collection matrix was validated by a group of experts from major stakeholders from academia and public health services. The matrix included 3 main categories following the PNS intervention logic (5 strategic axis, 4 goals and 37 monitoring indicators). Results A total of 204 documents met the inclusion criteria. Evidence from national level (55%) and local level (35%) represented about 90% of the sample. Overall, three implementation gaps were identified: 1) absence of two Regional Health Plans (in a total of 5 mainland health regions); 2) lack of about 1/3 of the expected Local Health Plans (16 out of 53) and, 3) low transposition (or approximation) of the PNS monitoring framework into the hospital and primary care contract-programs, one of the main management tools for planning. Conclusions The identification and analysis of implementation gaps contribute to the final evaluation of the PNS. Moreover, the results can guide the next planning cycle pointing out sensitive areas of implementation which need more attention from various stakeholders. Key messages • Implementation gaps can compromise the impact of PNS as the strategic tool to set the necessary health interventions and their alignment at national, regional and local level of implementation. • The next planning cycle should tackle the identified implementation gaps with the purpose of strengthen PNS as a strategic planning platform and with the aim of maximize population health gains.

Local data at a national scale: Introducing a dataset of official municipal websites in the United States for text-based analytics

Municipal websites serve as central platforms for local governments to share information with the public. They offer authoritative, up-to-date, and free access for researchers to collect city-level data. However, until now, a comprehensive and accurate database of municipal web addresses did not exist. Here, we introduce a complete and manually verified dataset containing information on whether a municipality has an official website and, if so, what its web address is, of all 19,518 municipalities in the United States. With this dataset, researchers can easily conduct systematic searches on municipal official websites for self-defined keywords. The search results are well-suited for text-based analytics. This new data source benefits urban scholars who struggle to access high-quality local data for nationwide studies and contributes to narrowing the data gap.

Safe streets for some: A review of local active transportation responses across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction & research objectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted daily travel. This paper contrasts 51 US cities’ responses, namely street reallocation criteria and messaging related to physical activity (PA) and active transportation (AT) during the early months of the pandemic. This study can be utilized by cities for aiding in the creation of locally responsive policies that acknowledge and remedy a lack of safe active transportation. MethodsA content analysis review was conducted of city orders and documents related to PA or AT for the largest city by population in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. Authoritative documents issued from each city's public health declaration (ca. March 2020) to September 2020 were reviewed. The study obtained documents from two crowdsourced datasets and municipal websites. Descriptive statistics were used to compare policies and strategies, with a focus on reallocation of street space. ResultsA total of 631 documents were coded. Considerable variation existed in city responses to COVID-19 that impacted PA and AT. Most cities’ stay-at-home orders explicitly permitted outdoor PA (63%) and many encouraged PA (47%). As the pandemic continued, 23 cities (45%) had pilot programs that reallocated street space for non-motorized road users to recreate and travel. Most cities explicitly mentioned a rationale for the programs (e.g., to provide space for exercise (96%) and to alleviate crowding or provide safe AT routes (57%)). Cities used public feedback to guide placement decisions (35%) and several welcomed public input to adjust initial actions. Geographic equity was a criterion in 35% of programs and 57% considered inadequately sized infrastructure in decision-making. ConclusionsIf cities want to emphasize AT and the health of their citizens, safe access to dedicated infrastructure needs to be prioritized. More than half of study cities did not instate new programs within the first 6 months of the pandemic. Cities should study peer responses and innovations to inform and create locally responsive policies that can acknowledge and remedy a lack of safe AT.

Web accessibility of Indian cultural heritage information: an analytical study of museum websites

PurposeThis paper compares the web accessibility of Indian museum websites assessing the level of compliance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1). The study aims to assess the accessibility of Indian museum websites in terms of their severity.Design/methodology/approachThe accessibility evaluation of 11 Indian museum websites was conducted using Siteimprove Accessibility Checker (SAC), an automated website testing tool.FindingsThe study results indicate that the mean conformance score for the Indian museum websites for level A was 19.27, while for level AA and AAA, it came out to be 2.63 and 4.09, respectively, with the highest severity scores for error (16.3) followed by review (5.81) criteria and warning (3.81). The major findings indicate that the websites of Indian museums poorly conform to web accessibility guidelines.Practical implicationsThe study's findings will assist the museum's website creators, managers and administrators in determining the level of conformity as per standard accessibility guidelines helping them make strategic decisions to improve the accessibility.Originality/valueMost of the studies available in the field of website accessibility range from the web accessibility of educational institutions, tourism websites, municipal websites and ministerial websites, but there are very few studies investigating the accessibility of museum websites. A quantitative evaluation of different aspects of accessibility was conducted in the study, which can pave the way for the better design of web sites by addressing deficiencies.

Political parties’ influence on the transparency and participation of Spanish municipal websites: the case of Catalonia, the Community of Madrid, the Community of Valencia, and the Region of Murcia

In modern democratic states, citizen participation is promoted through representative channels. In recent years, at the different institutional and political levels in Spain, some classic parameters of democracy have been called into question, such as citizen representation, deliberation, and the responsibility of the rulers towards the citizens. This crisis coincides with a decline in bipartisanship in Spain and the appearance of new parties. Some of this parties championed the regeneration of democracy, committing themselves to encouraging transparency and citizen participation in public management. As local entities are the institutions closest to citizens, both transparency and participation become key elements to comply with these parameters, providing the technologies of information and communication (ICT) with new tools such as websites and portals, which can contribute to strengthening them. This research aims to analyze the use of these channels to promote transparency and citizen participation, by the municipalities of 4 autonomous communities (Catalonia, the Community of Madrid, the Valencian Community, and the Region of Murcia), placing special emphasis on how the left-right axes and old-new parties could influence, along with the population size of the municipalities. The method used consists of a categorical content analysis, based on the Infoparticipa Map indicators and two linear regression models using ordinary least squares. The results and conclusions of the study show that the size of the population and the autonomous community are determining factors in the transparency indices. In addition, the political formations aligned to the left of the ideological spectrum, together with some of the new parties, influence the greater transparency and participation of the websites of the municipalities governed by them.

Crimean Mosaic: Spatial Analysis of the Structure and Dynamics of the Regional Museum Network

Referring to the data of the author’s database of Crimean museums, this article offers a spatial analysis of the structure and dynamics of the museum network. The official digital resources (websites) of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Museums of Russia portal, the website of the Private and Folk Museums of Russia, and the websites of municipalities are used as the main sources of information. The database information makes it possible to reconstruct the images of the region, taking into account their geographic reference. The museum landscape of the region forms a polyphonic historical and cultural image of Crimea, which is divided into five clusters (zones): literary and historical (Southern coast of Crimea); military-historical (Sevastopol); historical and local history (steppe Crimea); historical and archaeological (Kerch Peninsula); historical and ethnographic (mountainous Crimea). Clusters differ in the structure of the museum network and the historical dynamics of its formation. The author analyses the features of the formation of each museum cluster and the images of the past it broadcasts. The image of the war is most intensively present in the museums of Sevastopol and Balaklava as the places of the deployment of the Black Sea Fleet. Literary Crimea is concentrated in cities and urban-type settlements of the southern coast of Crimea, where many famous writers rested, were treated, and created their works. Images of the Soviet past are disseminated by local history museums of the steppe Crimea. The ancient civilization and medieval Crimea are represented in the Kerch cluster and partly by the historical and archaeological museums of the South Coast and the mountainous Crimea. And, finally, the national (Crimean-Tatar) image of Crimea is preserved in the museums of Bakhchisaray and Simferopol. Such a complex mosaic of Crimean images is the result of the influence of external and internal factors — the richness and diversity of the historical and cultural heritage of the region formed over the centuries and the zigzags of the state cultural policy. The change of statehood over the twentieth century (imperial, Soviet, post-Soviet — Ukrainian and Russian — periods) has left its mark on the museum space of Crimea.

ПАСПОРТ МУНИЦИПАЛЬНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ В ИНФОРМИРОВАНИИ О ТЕРРИТОРИИ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ РЕСПУБЛИКИ ХАКАСИЯ)

The article examines the passport of the municipality as a comprehensive source of data on various characteristics of the territory. The purpose of the article is to analyze the opportunities and problems of using the socio-economic passport of the municipality as a comprehensive source of information for different groups of users interested in the territory. The study of passports of municipalities of the Republic of Khakassia has been carried out. To source the information we used official websites of municipalities of the Republic of Khakassia and the database of municipalities of Rosstat. The data of passports of municipalities were compared with the data of official statistical information. We have analyzed the passports' indicators for their sufficiency to characterize the natural, industrial, financial, human, social and infrastructural capital of the territory. The conclusion is made that the existing system of passports of municipalities does not solve the problem of informing the interested users about the territory. It is proposed to develop a new approach to the formation of territorial reporting, based on the principles of integrated reporting.

Civic Practices to Honour the Dead – New Forms of Urban Commemoration in the Conditions of Russian-Ukrainian War

The social cataclysms of the up-to-date history of Ukraine, first of all, the modern Russian-Ukrainian war, and the scale of the mass death of people connected with it, could not help but leave an imprint on the mentality of Ukrainians. Death and burial in this context are considered as a crisis situation (event), first of all, for the family group, as well as the other social communities in which the deceased has been involved: local, professional, friend groups and others. New forms of commemoration are emerging and gaining permanent features in the conditions of Russian-Ukrainian war, especially in the format of a large-scale invasion. Civilian burials in extreme conditions, spontaneous memorials, anti-war performances, a change in the toponymy of the settlements in order to commemorate military defenders, natives of these localities are among such forms. The network martyrologies have become one of the types of memory preservation and honoring victims among civilians of Ukraine and the military men. Modern IT technologies allow expressing mourning in a new format: both publicly and privately, in communities those are not limited to family or friend circles of relations. The groups of followers, colleagues or acquaintances, official or private persons form their virtual heritage on the Internet in the real time regime building virtual connections on the Internet in the form of social networks, forums. This heritage remains online for an indefinite time, allowing other users to mourn and attach to reminiscences and the obituaries using emotional likes or comments under the posts. The headlines of obituaries of Ukrainian municipal websites contain emotional commitments to encourage community members to express collective mourning for dead fellow villagers. Emphasis is placed on the civilian position of the dead. Obituary texts are aimed at the reader’s empathetic response, focused on the moral virtues of the deceased; premature death is stated, and hence the failure to realize certain life plans. Nobility and determination, courage and boundless cheerfulness – these are the epithets abounding in the official obituaries on the fallen Defenders.

Vidzeme Region Inhabitants’ Media Usage Specifics

Abstract Research purpose. There is a growing trend of society believing more and more in public broadcasting and media because they can objectively explain and reflect on what is happening in the world and Latvia. As the pandemic escalates, people are increasingly listening to what professional journalists and experts are saying. The survey organised by the National Media Council (neplpadome.lv, 2021) also shows that trust in public media in Latvia has been growing. However, one important challenge now is handling misinformation and false news, mostly seen on the Internet and social media. To be able to trace and analyse misinformation and false news that might have a significant impact on the population, first, it is important to identify the traditional and digital media as well as other Internet sources that have been frequently used by the population. The purpose of this study is to identify media platforms, including regional media, that are in daily use by the Vidzeme region’s population. Design / Methodology / Approach. A quantitative research method was used in this study, specifically, a survey, which consisted of a questionnaire comprising 18 questions on media use. Overall, 333 respondents living in the Vidzeme region participated in the survey. The questionnaire was designed in collaboration with Alberta College communication students. It included questions on traditional (TV, radio, magazines, newspaper) and digital media (portals, social media) that the population uses to access daily and weekly news. Findings. 1) The most frequently used media are social media (87.5%), while the Internet (85.5%) is considered the most reliable source of information. 2) Regional media continue to be an essential source of information for local communities. Originality / Value / Practical implications. Communication specialists of regional municipalities can use the results of the study to strengthen communication with the population via municipality websites and newspapers, thus, contributing to regional, local, and fast-growing micro-media ecosystem understanding. One limitation of the study is the limited scope of research, which is why the authors are planning to expand the research into the study of other regions of Latvia.

A framework for assessing trust in e-government services under uncertain environment

PurposeIn this study, a novel framework was proposed to assess the trust in e-government (e-Gov) services under an uncertain environment. The proposed framework was applied in Iranian municipality websites of e-Gov services to evaluate the readiness score of trust in e-Gov services.Design/methodology/approachA unique hybrid research methodology was proposed. In the first phase, a comprehensive set of indices were determined from an extensive literature review and finalized by employing the fuzzy Delphi method. In the second phase, interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy set (IVIFS) -was utilized to model the problem's uncertainty with analytic called IVIFS- hierarchy process (AHP) to determine the importance of indices and indicators by assigning the weights. In the third phase, the fuzzy evaluation method (FEM) is followed for assessing the readiness score of indices in case studies.FindingsThe findings indicated that “Trust in government” is the most significant index affecting citizen's trust in e-Gov services while “Maintenance and support” has the least impact on user's intention to use e–Gov services.Research limitations/implicationsThe study contributes by introducing a unique research methodology that integrates three phases, including fuzzy Delphi, IVIFS AHP and fuzzy evaluation method. Moreover, the fuzzy sets theory helps to reach a more accurate result by modeling the inherent ambiguity of indicators and indices. Interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy models the ambiguity of experts' judgments in an interval.Practical implicationsThe study helps policy makers to monitor wider aspects of trust in e-Gov services as well as understanding their importance. The study enables policy makers to apply the framework to any potential case studies to evaluate the readiness score of indices and recognizing strengths and weakness of trust dimensions as well as recommending advice for improving the situation.Originality/valueThe study is one of the few to indicate significant indices of trust in e-Gov services in developing countries. The study shows the importance of indicators and indices by assigning a weight. Additionally, the framework can assess the readiness score of various case studies.

A RESEARCH ON THE WEBSITES OF MUNICIPALITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF DESTINATION IMAGE

İnternet, yeni medya ve dijital iletişim kanalları kurumlara birçok yeni fırsatlar sunmaktadır. Bu fırsatların en başında kurumsal web siteleri gelmektedir. Geniş kitlelere ulaşmak, bilgi akışını sağlamak, kurumu tanıtmak, olumlu imaj oluşturmak, tanıtım yapmak ve farkındalık yaratmak gibi zengin bir içerik oluşturma fırsatı sunan kurumsal web siteleri günümüzde dijital iletişim stratejilerinin önemli bir aracıdır. Tanıtım ve bilgi verme anlamında büyük fırsatlar sunan web siteleri özellikle bir destinasyonun tanıtımı ve imajına katkısı açısından büyük önem arz etmektedir. Bu çalışmada Zonguldak ilinde bulunan yerel belediyelerin web siteleri incelenerek bu web sitelerinin destinasyon imajına katkı sağlayacak gerekli içeriklere sahip olup olmadığını tespit etmek amaçlanmıştır. Ayrıca bu belediye web sitelerinin destinasyon imajı bağlamında kurumsal bir web sitesinde bulunması gereken bileşenleri içerip içermediğini ortaya koymak çalışmanın bir diğer amacını oluşturmaktadır. Bu bağlamda Zonguldak destinasyonunda bulunan 1 il ve 7 ilçe olmak üzere toplam 8 yerel belediyenin web siteleri 1-28 Şubat 2022 tarihleri arası baz alınarak içerik analizi yöntemi ile değerlendirilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler neticesinde ilgili belediye web sitelerinin destinasyon imajına katkılarının sınırlı olduğu ve web sitelerinde destinasyon ile ilgili içeriklerin yetersiz olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca belediyelerin web sitelerini destinasyon imajı bağlamında etkin bir şekilde kullanamadıkları ve sitelerin kurumsal bileşenleri barındırması bakımından eksik olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır. Bu sonuçlar ve değerlendirmeler ışığında belediyelere sunmak amacı ile öneriler getirilmiştir