WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The organization representing the National Guard officer corps on Capitol Hill has a brand new presence on the Internet.
NGAUS today launched a completely redesigned and upgraded website at http://www.ngaus.org. In addition to a fresh look and greater functionality, the site has a variety of new features and content.
The site also incorporates "responsive web" design, which automatically adjusts resolution, image size and scripting to the users' device, whether it's a computer, tablet or smartphone.
"What we have done is the equivalent of building a big, beautiful new house complete with many modern conveniences at the same address where we've always lived," says retired Maj. Gen. Gus L. Hargett Jr., the NGAUS president.
"The new look is what most of our regular visitors will likely notice first, but it's the new features that excites us most. They will enable us to better serve and engage our members and enhance our ability to communicate on their behalf with Congress and the general public. "
The new site, which was developed by Balance Interactive of Springfield, Va., with input from NGAUS members, includes more news, a blog, a weekly poll, an interactive map of state National Guard information and a visitor-submitted Photo of the Week.
In addition, a new subscription management feature allows users to subscribe or update email preferences for the Washington Report, the association's weekly e-newsletter; National Guard magazine; and other NGAUS electronic communications.
Some features from the old site will return. One is Write to Congress, which has become a potent grassroots lobbying tool. NGAUS members indicated that that it was one of the most popular items on the old site.
About NGAUS: The association includes nearly 45,000 current or former Guard officers. It was created in 1878 to provide unified representation in Washington. In their first productive meeting after Reconstruction, militia officers from the North and South formed the association with the goal of obtaining better equipment and training by educating Congress on militia needs. Today, 134 years later, the militia is known as the National Guard, but NGAUS has the same mission.