Pacific Northwest Portal

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Pacific Northwest Portal is an Internet gateway offering political news, viewpoints, and other information to the world. It generally covers five American states - Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. Its intended audience includes progressives and Democratic activists. It is advertised as a regional start page and media center.

Pacific Northwest Portal is a major project of the Northwest Progressive Institute. First founded in January of 2005, the site is now a popular destination for bloggers, citizens interested in political news, and journalists.

The website aggregates hundreds of different RSS feeds, most from local left-wing blogs, but also "newswires" searching traditional news sources, and even NOAA weather reports or business/financial headlines.

Its directories provide links to hundreds of progressive blogs within the region, as well as links to the Democratic Party and other left-leaning interest groups.

[edit] History

January 31, 2005 Pacific NW Portal launches. is announced on multiple blogs, including Daily Kos and Atrios.

February 7, 2005 Pacific NW Portal launches an expanded Washington section, syndicating 6 additional blogs from the Evergreen State.

February 10, 2005 The font on the RSS feeds is changed to Trebuchet MS and new CSS is added.

February 14, 2005 Pacific NW Portal launches an expanded Oregon section, syndicating 6 additional blogs from the Beaver State.

February 28, 2005 Pacific NW Portal launches a revamped site, including an About Us page, Business News Center, remodeled link tree, and an updated Blogs & Websites directory featuring 16x16 pixel graphics next to each blog title (usually the favicon or a screenshot of the blog).

March 21, 2005 Pacific NW Portal rolls out improved newswires with better filtering.

March 29, 2005 Blog syndication changes are announced and the directory is updated.

April 25, 2005 The directory is updated and the new Highlights section is unveiled.

May 10, 2005 The new Toolkit section is introduced and most pages are given important updates.

May 23-June 3, 2005 Pacific NW Portal offers comprehensive coverage of the trial in the Republican party's lawsuit challenging the results of the gubernatorial election.

July 11, 2005 "True Blue", Pacific NW Portal Version 3.0, is launched. It includes new pages, new blogs, new features, and a redesign.

August 4, 2005 The early August update launches, with a new Toolkit page and other minor updates.

August 30, 2005 The late August update debuts, with new graphics, syndicate changes, & new blogs.

October 24, 2005 "Marine Green", the official codename for Pacific NW Portal version 3.5, is launched. It encompasses a redesigned Highlights section, a new Resources section, a reorganization, and several design changes.

November 21, 2005 The late November update is released and the Regional Blogs Directory is updated.

May 25, 2006 "Seaside", or version 4.0 launches, with a massive directory revamp, syndication changes, improved compatibility, and dozens of other changes.

[edit] Sections

From Pacific Northwest Portal

Front Page. The front page is what most visitors see when they first access Pacific NW Portal. The front page includes newswires for the three major Northwest states and a national newswire, as well as a list of recently added blogs, a selection of regional highlights, and a section for general announcements or specific news from the Northwest Progressive Institute. Below these sections, in columns arranged by state, are the twelve syndicated front page blogs - four each from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
The Washington Outlook. This section, focusing on Washington, is accessible from the main page. It includes nine additional syndicated blogs from the Evergreen State which provide additional news and commentary to visitors. It also provides a newsflash with major stories, a short list of facts about the state (i.e. capital, largest city, area, etc.), and it carries local newsfeeds from major cities in Washington.
The Oregon Dispatch. This section, focusing on Oregon, is accessible from the main page. It includes nine additional syndicated blogs from the Beaver State to provide additional news and commentary to visitors. It also provides a newsflash with major stories, a short list of facts about the state (i.e. capital, largest city, area, etc.), and it carries local newsfeeds from major cities in Oregon.
Feedback. The Feedback page allows visitors to contact the Northwest Progressive Institute and the Portal's web team, submit blogs and websites from consideration, read what people have been saying about the site, and use the Knowledge Base for help in troubleshooting display problems.
Regional Blogs Directory. This page is one of the most important on Pacific NW Portal. It's similar a telephone directory, providing links to hundreds of progressive blogs throughout the region, arranged and alphabetized by state. Each blog is identified by a 16x16 graphic, either the site's favicon or a tiny screenshot of the site. Mousing over any link will prompt a tooltip menu to display the blog's location and description.
Resources. This page allows for easy access to the Northwest Media and Democratic Party directories. It also contains Pacific Northwest Portal's Community Center, with tips for activists who want to start their own blogs, how to meet fellow progressive bloggers, and links to other sites that are useful for research.
Northwest Media. This page provides links to traditional media outlets - newspapers, television, and radio stations - arranged by state.
Democratic Party. This page provides links to state and local Democratic Party organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest. Find state party websites, as well as websites for the Democratic Party organized by county, legislative district, congressional district, and Young or College Democrat chapter.
About Us. This is the page you're on - the page where you can learn about Pacific Northwest Portal, its mission, history, and policies. This page also includes our "Syndicated" and link buttons.
Toolkit. This page provides Business, Traffic & Weather together on one page. Four feeds give you the latest business & labor news, including business headlines from the Seattle P-I & Seattle Times. Additionally, it has national Yahoo Finance headlines and a labor news feed. Visitors can check their local weather conditions and get the latest weather info from NOAA. Traffic cameras for major cities in the Pacific Northwest are also available, and the page provides quick access to state DOT websites.
Highlights. The Highlights section allows you to explore the regional progressive blogosphere with ease. On the left side of the page, Regional Wire shows the latest eight posts by state (Washington, Oregon, and Idaho/Montana/Alaska) from the blogs in our directory. On the right side of the page, Under the Radar shows recent diaries on Daily Kos from local bloggers, as well as recent podcasts and posts from candidate blogs. Finally, the Highlights page is where you'll find archived special content such as the gubernatorial election challenge.
Front Page Utility. This page allows visitors to set their browser start page to Pacific Northwest Portal's front page. The page has a tool that allows IE and Firefox to do this very quickly. It also provides instructions for users of just about every web browser out there.