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Because the producers were revising an existing site, they didn't face the challenges associated with new-site launches. The renewed interest surrounding the bicentennial of the Corps of Discovery provided them with an opportunity to connect with local stations and communities along the Lewis and Clark trail. Five stations (in Idaho, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, and Oregon) responded to a Request for Proposal (RFP) to develop Lewis & Clark content -- lesson plans, articles, interactive maps, and so on -- for their stations' Web sites.
With only five weeks to complete the relaunch, it was a challenge to coordinate and complete the stations' Lewis & Clark projects. WETA hired local freelancers who then, in a couple of cases, commissioned additional assistance. Consequently, keeping track of the project's progress and ensuring that assets would be delivered on time was difficult. In retrospect, the producers believe that they may have underestimated (1) the time needed to assemble, edit, and approve the local content, and (2) the need to establish clearer and stricter editorial guidelines for the stations to follow. Still, the resulting content enriched the site by providing a strong local-national connection.
According to a focus group study and online survey, 96 percent of repeat visitors to the Lewis & Clark site said they would recommend it to others. This extremely strong endorsement of the site by educators was very consistent across all types and grade levels of educators.
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