Virtual Finland has undergone a thorough process of face-lifting and restructuring. VF`s editorial staff hope that the readers - an astonishing four million a year - will continue to visit the site and, most of all, enjoy their virtual exploration of the true gem among countries. It was launched in 1995 - only a few years after the birth of the World Wide Web. From the very beginning, the principal aim has been to provide extensive and up-to-date information on Finland and the Finns. Different parts of the site have been updated from time to time, and yet this is the first occasion the entire Virtual Finland changes its substance, structure, and appearance.
The purpose of this process was to lift the portal to a new level that better reflects what Finland is truly about in 2004. We are a country of high technology and high culture and we have many stories to tell and things to show," says Juha Parikka, VF`s editor-in-chief. "Most notably, there has been a clear shift to a more magazine-type format." The team behind Virtual Finland comes from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs` Unit for Promotion and Publications. Most of the actual articles are, however, written by freelancing specialists. In addition to reshaping and updating the information in VF, an equally important objective has been to achieve a modern and pleasant visual appearance. "We wanted the new Virtual Finland to be visually as interesting and easily accessible as possible. The key premises in this process were style, clarity, and credibility," says Parikka. The appearance is of Finnish design as it is produced in cooperation with Satama Interactive, Finland`s leading digital services company.