NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT:
Carol Blackman
Marketing Director
cblackman@handsnet.org

Providing Human Service Professionals with the Benefits of Information Technology

San Jose, California - October 15, 1998 - HandsNet, a national non-profit organization providing online information services and training, is expanding its highly acclaimed online services by launching WebClipper, a personal clipping service and professional library geared towards human services professionals. Developed with input from the community, this new service tracks subscriber specified issues on 500 Internet Web sites and delivers information directly to the subscriber's email box. The Web sites are selected by Editorial Advisors who are human services issue-area experts.

"HandsNet's focus is to help human services professionals integrate online technology into their daily work. We developed HandsNet's WebClipper to find, organize and deliver information˙ that human services professionals need every day. This is the only service that has created a series of predefined topics so you can quickly research an issue without having to know a lot about the techniques of searching through a database," said Michael Saunders, executive officer of HandsNet.

Information technology has been promising consumers that they will have the benefit of valuable information at their fingertips. However, "information overload" has become a part of the current lexicon. HandsNet's WebClipper is designed to address the current opportunities and pitfalls of information technology. Developed with market research and HandsNet's 11 years of experience with thousands of human services professionals, WebClipper provides a comprehensive and organized library on specialized topics. Current topics include: Children, Youth & Families; Comprehensive Strategies; Nonprofit Funding & Resources; Health Policy; Housing & Community Development; Hunger and Nutrition; Immigration; Legal Services; Substance Abuse & Violence Prevention; Budget, Tax and Policy Analysis; and Welfare Reform.

HandsNet has worked with issue-area experts to identify the Web Sites that are most valuable to human services professionals. Leading edge technology has been used to turn this collection of sites into a single, searchable professional library. The collection emphasizes research, funding notices, legislative and policy analyses, and model program descriptions. Other services include:˙ Headlines for news and analysis about program and policy developments; the Professional Directory to find listings of experts by organization, work focus and geographic location; a Job Bank for postings of nationwide job announcements; a Discussions Area to share strategies or request help from other members; a Calendar to list nationwide events; a Publications area where members without Web sites can post their research and reports; and an Alerts area to review and publish calls to action.

HandsNet's WebClipper operates like a personal research assistant for a fraction of the cost of other services. A single membership to the service is $99 per year. Membership includes the use of Webclipper's personal clipping service, access to all of the information posted on the site plus the ability to post information directly to WebClipper to be included in the searchable library. Currently, HandsNet is offering an introductory Free Trial Membership for 30 days to anyone who would like to try the service. The only requirement is completing the online registration form posted on the site at http://www.handsnet.org in the Free Trial Membership area.˙ (HandsNet members are pre-registered for a free account -- check your HandsNet email for details or contact us at membersrvcs@handsnet.org)

The launch of HandsNet's new research service coincides with the redesign of HandsNet's public Web site. After serving the human services community for 11 years, HandsNet wanted to highlight the successful services that members have been providing.˙ And "a picture is worth a thousand words." The updated new public home page is designed with photos representing the clients and staff from some of the many programs that have been HandsNet members through the last decade.

"Our members are our partners. Our real goal isn't simply to push information technology. It is to help enhance the effectiveness of hundreds of incredibly innovative, hard working people who do great work such as improving child care, advocating for greater access to health care or building affordable housing. So it just made sense to highlight their work on our site," said Saunders.

About HandsNet

HandsNet is a national non-profit organization providing online information and training services to help human services professionals strengthen programs and policy work on behalf of children, families and people in need. The two major components of the organization are HandsNet's WebClipper service and HandsNet's National Training Program. WebClipper is a member supported personal clipping service and professional library tracking issues a subscriber specifies from an array of human services fields. HandsNet's National Training Program includes training about using information technology held at HandsNet's Training and Resource Center in Washington. D.C. or at other locations around the country through HandsNet's Virtual Training Institute.

Founded in 1987, HandsNet has worked for more than a decade with thousands of organizations to make online collaboration and information sharing a reality for the human services community. Headquartered in San Jose, California with HandsNet's Training and Resource Center operating in Washington, D.C., HandsNet is supported by membership fees, training fees, and with grants and donations from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and from Bell Atlantic, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Adobe Systems.

Accessible on the World Wide Web at http://www.handsnet.org, HandsNet's public Web site offers information on current human service issues and a free trial 30-day membership to WebClipper, the new research and information service.

HandsNet members are pre-registered for a WebClipper free account -- check your HandsNet email for details or contact us at membersrvcs@handsnet.org, 408/291-5111, ext. 26.