Morton Grove Post 134
6144 W. Dempster St, Morton Grove, Illinois

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New American Legion National Web site takes flight Nov. 9

INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 27, 2009) - An all-new American Legion National Headquarters Web site comes to life the week of Veterans Day. Easier to search than ever before, the site provides dozens of new features, including a frequently updated daily news menu on the landing page and unique hubs dedicated to specific Legion programs and interests.

The site will keep its familiar domain name at www.legion.org on the Web. From the landing page, visitors will be able to easily find their way to new Web presentations for American Legion Baseball, troop support, veterans benefits, the GI Bill, Legion Riders, Emblem Sales and the Legislative Action Center, among others. A new way of displaying and organizing American Legion videos will be found on LegionTV within the site. Links to American Legion departments, information to find posts, service officers and government resources can easily be accessed as well. New areas will make joining The American Legion or donating to a Legion program online easy and convenient.

The overhaul comes on the heels of successful electronic-media initiatives in recent months at National Headquarters, including the first-ever live webcast of The American Legion Baseball World Series, which drew nearly 19,000 unique visitors and more than 2.4 million minutes of viewing time, over a four-day period in August. The American Legion Burn Pit blog site (www.burnpit.legion.org), which was launched in August, has drawn national attention in recent weeks by helping raise more than $100,000 in a relief-fund drive to help soldiers attacked in Afghanistan. National Commander Clarence Hill launched his own blog site (www.clarencehill.legion.org) less than two hours after assuming leadership of the nation's largest veterans service organization, at the 91st American Legion National Convention in Louisville, Ky., in August. The site also invites visitors to click on American Legion Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts, as well as other social media.

"This is just one more step in a monumental journey to improve our communications as an organization," American Legion National Commander Clarence Hill said. "Today's media consumer expects information that is both informative and entertaining at the click of a mouse. The new legion.org is more searchable, informational and interesting than ever before. It is also just one step among many. The site will continue to be upgraded and enhanced, continuously, with new features like virtual tours and opportunities for members to interact with one another, and with their posts, from the site."

Hill urged Legionnaires to make www.legion.org the welcome page when they go to the Internet on their computers.

An interactive, members-only area of the site called MyLegion.org will be tested in January in selected departments. Also, enhancements to The American Legion Baseball site will allow coaches to easily register their teams with National Headquarters, starting Jan. 1.

"The ability to not only learn about The American Legion but also to conduct leadership activities on the Web - whether you are a baseball coach or a membership chairman - are coming soon," Commander Hill said. "Our direction on Web development is to bring The American Legion up to speed and use all of the electronic tools available to us."

Users of the ALPOP/AIM membership administration program on the Web will find many enhancements after Jan. 1. More than 1,000 American Legion posts use the system to manage membership and deliver Consolidated Post Reports online.

Additional promotional materials, for print publication and electronic presentation, for the new Web site can be found at www.legion.org/promoads.