The Government Information Bureau (GCS) has launched a brand new multimedia public website today, facilitating public access to Government policies and administration, major and breaking news, up-to-date information about civil protection, as well as daily news from various public departments.
To support the “Master Plan for MSAR e-Government 2015-2019” and meet the needs of releasing multimedia messages, the GCS has developed an information management system, through comprehensively revising the news dissemination platform and related subsystems, and strengthening the security and mechanism of the system for exchanging information between public departments.
Besides centralising and unifying the release of all public departments, it is hoped that dissemination of Government news and information can be improved, facilitating quicker public access to the latest Government news via multiple channels.
To reflect the functional positioning of the website, there is a new domain name – “news.gov.mo” –in tandem with the original domain name “www.gcs.gov.mo”.
The new website combines multimedia – including real-time live video broadcasts, photos, news clips, and animations – and links to various Government department websites, to provide the public with the latest Government information, news and features, especially feature stories showcasing Macao’s participation in national development strategies and regional cooperation, such as the “Belt and Road” initiative, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, “Centre and Platform” and the city’s Five-Year Development Plan. There are 21 categories of Government news for public viewing.
The new website is available in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese and English. The layout is designed to be compatible with a variety of mobile devices and desktop computers, automatically adapting to different screen sizes, to provide users with a better browsing experience. Users may also add a shortcut of the website – using “add to home screen” function at mobile devices – for quicker access to the website.
Apart from viewing daily news, users may also enjoy additional content on the new website – such as through links to related news, contact information for news sources, introductions to department functions, public services, new media platforms, and news sharing using communication software.
In addition to news and information services, the new website provides two new online services: 1. Subscription to a daily e-news bulletin; and 2. General enquiries/suggestions. Once they have registered with the e-news service, users will receive the latest Government news, which will be automatically sent to their registered e-mail addresses on a daily basis, thus saving them effort in browsing the website.
Also via the new website, members of the public may connect to GCS pages on various social media and new media platforms, public accounts, and exclusive channels, including Facebook page, WeChat, Sina Weibo accounts, YouTube channel, and Macao's homepage on Toutiao, for surfing online information via their favourite channels.
The “MSAR News” mobile app has also been updated in tandem with the launch of the new website.