Email Entry to Friend
Your Email:
Your Name:
Friend's Email Address:
Subject:
Enter a Message:
A friend has sent you a link to the following article: http://hawaiicam.com/index.php/hawaiicam/comments/104/ All things considered, you and I both know that to find decent web sites on the Internet these days you have to be patient and willing to click faster than Anna Nicole downs a chili hot dog. Here’s my view of the Top 4 Oahu destination web sites (with apologies to those sites that are better than these five but that I didn’t have time to click to). Visit-Oahu.com—Regularly mired in scandal and management problems (what’d you expect; they’re mostly funded by the state), the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau – Oahu Chapter has managed to put together a decent web site which showcases Oahu quite well. The site is clean and easy to navigate. The photos are first class, although obviously retouched to make the blue bluer than it really is over here. There’s a Travel Planning section and a Vacation Interests section which cover the expected Travel Tips and Tools, local Attractions, Beaches, and Dining locations. Since Hawaii is loaded with parks, golf courses and places for tourists to spend there money, the web site also features sections on Golf, Family Fun, Recreational Activities, Shopping. There’s even a Weddings and Romance section since the Japanese love to hold weddings here and mainlanders love to honeymoon here. I couldn’t find anything about the huge escort service industry. The Oahu Visitors Bureau. BestPlacesHawaii.com – The problem with most web sites that feature Hawaii is the plethora of online advertising. So-called “reviews” are really transparent attempts to get you to buy what’s being reviewed. BestPlacesHawaii.com does an excellent job of balancing the need to be commercial with the requirement to create a site that’s objective, informative, and worthy of a return visit. The Hawaii State Vacation Planner is surprisingly rich. Yes, you can find the typical advertised specials and discounts. You’ll also find information that’s easy to navigate through, attractive and worthy of your attention. The bonus? Not only do you get information about Oahu—they throw in Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island. No additional charge. Best Places Hawaii BestOfHawaii.com – This one is the most commercial of all the web sites in today’s review. Typical for this type of site is easy navigation and plenty of photos of all the islands. The expected sections on Golf, Tours, Shows, Activities, and so on—are right there and one click away. So are a gazillion advertisements for everything under the Hawaiian sun. Fortunately, the site is well laid out and not gaudy with ads—a common problem with sites on Hawaii. Best of Hawaii Traffic Information Center for Honolulu – There’s nothing fabulous about this site other than it is completely rid of taste, elegance, and professionalism. You won’t care because the content is what’s important. Live camera shots of Oahu intersections, beaches, highways, and much more. The web site is run by the University of Hawaii and uses a few hundred cameras that the state has scattered around the island. Again, it’s not pretty—but it’s cool. Click Honolulu Traffic Cams, or, cut and past the link below: http://www.eng.hawaii.edu/hawaiidot/index.html Are there more than a Top 4? Yes, of course. This is sufficient for now. I’ll review others at a later date.