It's been a long process, but we're almost ready to release a major change in our online public presence.  Rather than a simple, online brochure about what we do, FORGE has implemented a dynamic, participatory website that will bring the stories, sites, and even sounds of refugee communities into our homes and offices.  The site will allow users to actually engage in FORGE projects by learning about the specific area of need, the project plan, the project leaders (all refugees), the project budget, and more.  You can subscribe to running project blogs in order to stay updated on successes each project has or whatever obstacles it may face.  You can even ask questions of project leaders and project managers.  You might have to wait a few days for a response though - many answers will come straight from the field.

Of course, we're incredibly excited.  Not only has this taken us a lot longer than we had initially planned, but it completely changes the face of FORGE and opens the door to participation from the public.  Along with that excitement, however, there's a strong sense of anxiety... what if this doesn't work?  A long period of research into successful online ventures has made us confident that this model is best for FORGE, but there's always that risk.  At this point, we're dealing with that anxiety be extensively testing the user interface and flow of the site.  Does this button show up well?  Does this page clearly say what we want it to say?  Does the tone of this section properly represent the project?  It's a lot of work, but it's pretty fascinating.

The internet is an amazing tool that can generate a lot of success.  But, with well over 100 million websites out there, it's not an easy game to play.  More than ever, proper execution is key.  Everything has to work.  Content has to be frequently updated.  All answers must be available.  It's daunting.  I'm going back to work.