About Gippsland.com

Gippsland.com is an internet portal, established in 2001 to provide the "virtual gateway" to the Gippsland Region ~ it is the internet entry point and directory to the diversity of Gippsland. It was designed, built and faciltated by the team at Messenger from June 2001 to December 2002. It was successfully launched in October 2002 and handed over to the peak regional government body (Green Inc) in April 2003.
For overseas visitors, Gippsland is located in the state of Victoria, Australia.

Gippsland.com presents Gippsland to the global community ~ demonstrating the attractions, assets, advantages and benefits of Gippsland and seeking a critical competitive advantage in attracting inward investment, income and wealth creation for the region.

Gippsland.com is an essential element in the "process of discovery" for business seeking to find new clients, especially those customers who are located outside Gippsland. A key element of the portal’s structure, the Gippsland Business Directory promotes the businesses of the region to local shoppers and visitors alike. The internet is the most effective, low-cost promotional tool for the exporters of the region.

The gateway operates as a self-sustaining social enterprise by using a new model of engagement. Known as "social investment", this model uses a moderate business listing fee to create a sustainable portal; one that is capable of adding value to businesses that contribute while cross-subsidizing other services of benefit to the region and local communities.

Gippsland.com is business oriented. The VEEM Project ~ Victorian E‑commerce Early Movers ~ was specifically targeted at e-commerce uptake by the Victorian Business Community. Gippsland.com provides the strategic centrepiece for e‑commerce enablement in the region. It links with initiatives like the LGA e‑procurement strategy, the Sustainable Gippsland initiative and Revitalising Gippsland to name a few.

The provision of value, via trading opportunities, to the owner/operators of Gippsland’s businesses is the basis of a commercially sustainable regional portal.

GREEN Inc was approved as the legal owner of the portal in December 2001, and accepted day-to-day management responsibility in April 2003.

After a restructure of GREEN Inc activities the portal and its management was put to tender in 2006 and handed over to the successful winning bidders. Gippsland.com is now privately owned and run by a partnership formed by the owner and two former employees of Messenger Media & IT, the team responsible for bringing the portal to life in 2002. The partnership envisages further growing and developing the portal and maintaining its status as Gippsland’s premier internet gateway.

Our Vision

Gippsland.com aspires to act and operate in a sustainable manner for the "best interest" of the Gippsland region. It will provide relevant e-commerce tools for enhancing relationships across and beyond Gippsland. To enable the sustainable operation of Gippsland.com:

• Will provide quality, value-for-money and leadership in the promotion of Gippsland - within and outside the region by promoting the activities, events, attractions, features and attractions provided by the businesses and communities of the region;
• Seeks to convene and maintain a diverse network of "content providers" to assist in the distribution of news, features, images, opportunities and associated materials that "presents" Gippsland to the Global community;
• Seeks to develop and maintain a diverse range of income streams including business listings, banner advertisements, sponsorship (local government and corporate) to ensure a the viable operation of the Portal – and on-going promotion of the Gippsland Region; and
• Will continue to expand the content and functionality available from Gippsland.com.

Our Mission Statement

Gippsland.com will achieve this vision through:

• The development of close liaison with existing and potential businesses, members and content providers to ensure that revenues are maximised;
• Identification of a small number of priority projects that will enable rapid ramp-up of functionality of the portal and attract some additional revenue through corporate sponsorship; and
• Provide management of the technology that underpins the functionality of Gippsland.com.

Our Objectives

The objective of Gippsland.com encompasses the following points:

• To provide information via linkages to a wide and varied audience in a transparent and cost-efficient manner.
• To expand on the substantial regional asset to bridge the gaps identified by numerous government funded studies and research.
• To create a sustainable, regional asset that creates value for its targeted audiences.
  In this context, sustainable is taken to equate to self-sufficiency without government funding. Where Local Government Areas see value being generated via the Portal, they are welcome to contribute, but it will be by choice, not by necessity.