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Central Government

Singapore heritage board sees growth for revamped portal

By Robin Hicks | 13 July 2009

Singapore’s National Heritage Board (NHB) has reported record numbers of visitors to its portal yesterday.sg, which was re-launched in 2008 to boost its appeal among young Singaporeans.

The portal has seen a 25 per cent increase in page views since re-launch, adding 35,883 unique users. Yesterday.sg’s blog ranks as Asia’s most popular museum blog and is the world’s fourth most popular such blog, up from fifth spot one month ago.

Yesterday.sg was launched in March 2006, and was revamped in 2008 after a reader survey found that most of its readers were - contrary to expectations for a museum web site – below the age of 34.

Users are now able to post photographs in the site’s e-albums section and videos on Youtube-based Heritage TV. They can also archive content, a feature designed to help students looking for specific information – the most common reason for visiting the site.

The re-launch, which cost S$60,000 (US$41,000), saw the addition of new features such as widgets, RSS feeds, links to Twitter and Facebook, and a platform for the online game Mission Darkstar.

David Miller, NHB’s Assistant Director, Corporate Communications & Industry Promotion, said that he is hoping to see a 20 per cent yearly increase in traffic going forward.

“Families in Singapore do not sit down, tell stories and share their memories as much as they used to. We want Yesterday.sg to not only serve as a learning tool for students, but as a platform for Singaporeans young and old to share their memories of our national heritage,” said Miller.

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