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Nonprofit One Economy Corporation Fills Online Void with Web Content for Low-Income Audience; Beehive Web Site Expands Access to Opportunity with Dedicated Focus
Nonprofit One Economy Corporation Fills Online Void with Web Content for Low-Income Audience; Beehive Web Site Expands Access to Opportunity with Dedicated Focus
Published 05-29-03
Submitted by One Ecomony Corporation
In what is likely an online first for this audience, One Economy has expanded the site to include contributions from 10 award-winning and expert columnists who will write on topics ranging from parenting and financial security to home decor and job hunting -- with a low-income audience in mind. While experts estimate as many as 9 million distinct destinations on the Web, few are actually designed to reach the 32.9 million U.S. residents living in poverty as of 2001 according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
"We're providing new Internet users a safe, informative place to explore the Web, and access services, resources and advice that reflect their direct challenges and interests," said Farai Chideya, a renowned political, social and pop culture journalist and commentator who is The Beehive editor. "What we can make of our lives is defined greatly by the information we can access. Adding columns broadens and strengthens our value."
First launched in 2001, The Beehive has proven its value with more than 80,000 visits now each month from the 10 communities the nonprofit currently serves and beyond. The site is written at a seventh grade literacy level to ensure information accessibility, and is provided in both English and Spanish with most content also available in Russian, Haitian Creole and Urdu. Up to 40 percent of its users visit the site for Spanish-language content.
The Beehive focuses on topics that can help people raise their standard of living by accessing information and learning how to take action on family and health issues, money management, job training and searches, education opportunities, housing and local government contacts. The site also includes localized information on health related topics, finding health and child care, computer support, elected officials, housing, and legal and immigration information for a growing list of cities that currently includes Atlanta; Baltimore; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Chicago; Cleveland; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; and Washington, D.C. Future plans include online contests for free financial makeovers and other practical advice, as well as guest columns from actual site visitors, who will be invited to share their personal stories online.
New Beehive Contributors Include:
-- Glinda Bridgforth, Detroit: a respected financial planning expert who runs her own business, Bridgforth Financial Management, and is frequently quoted in media from Essence to Money magazine
-- Dr. Stephen Wall, Washington, D.C.: senior research manager of Saving Newborn Lives, Save The Children, a global research program to improve newborn survival
-- Jennifer L. Baum, Rockaway, N.J.: a certified personal trainer and writer
-- Peter Bacon, Australia: an educator and writer delivering vocabulary quizzes and puzzles to engage site visitors in learning
-- Julia Goldman, New York: the Beehive's "Job Doctor," contributing advice to job-seekers and journals following their employment, also a writer for Jewish Week and graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism
-- Anthony Teddesco, New York: writer, publisher and editor; co-author of Online Markets for Writers
-- Elaine Chen, New York: former reporter for Mobile Computing & Communications, Electronic News and Computer Shopper
-- Julene Snyder, San Diego: winner of the 2002 Society of Professional Journalists Award for Magazines in the feature category and an award-winning fiction author
-- Kiini Ibura Salaam, Brooklyn, NY: a published author and contributor to Ms., Essence, Utne Reader and various other publications
-- Jennifer Hollowell, Lewiston, Maine: a freelance writer and Web designer, and work-at-home mother of two boys
About One Economy Corporation
One Economy Corporation, based in Washington D.C., is a national nonprofit dedicated to maximizing the potential of technology to help low-income people improve their lives and join the economic mainstream. Through partnerships with nonprofits, governments, corporations, affordable housing owners and public housing agencies, One Economy offers access to technology, information and resources designed to help low-income people improve their standard of living. The organization was founded in 2000 with support from the Ford Foundation and other foundations and corporations, and currently operates in 12 cities nationwide including New York City. It is a recipient of the 2003 Susan G. Hadden Award from the Alliance for Public Technology for its work expanding equal and affordable access to information technology. For more information, visit www.one-economy.com.
