NIIT & Microsoft Network's Website#1 contest

NIIT in association with Microsoft Network India has introduced Website #1–a

personal website award for beginners. The award, instituted by NIIT SWIFT,

offers an opportunity to all enthusiastic netizens to own personal websites on

the world wide Web and get rewarded.

To make the experience more enriching, learners will get an opportunity to

host their websites for free for a period of one-year. The owner will get rights

to register the website in his/her own name as opposed to hosting it as a

sub-site of an existing website. There will only be a single reference point for

the website-the user's own ID.

For example, the owner's site will be called www.name.com,

as opposed to www.name.portalname.com.

An FTP access would allow unlimited updating facility at one's own convenience.

P Rajendran, COO, NIIT said, "NIIT SWIFT helps demystify computers for

beginners and makes them Internet savvy. Website #1 will enable them to apply

these learnings' to host and own a personal website and come out as

winners."

Participation in the contest is open to anyone who enrolls for a SWIFT Net

Weaver Program at a NIIT center or SWIFT Point. The Net Weaver package costs Rs

3,499 and introduces learners to the world of Internet. It teaches learners the

fastest and easiest way to create and host a website free of cost for one year.

The participants create their own website using the easy tools, register at

the MSN India site and submit the website URL for judgment. The site would be

judged by a jury on look&feel, design and content. Entries for the Net

Weaver program close on September 30, 2001 while entries for the Website#1 close

on October 30, 2001.

Shriram Adukoorie, Head, MSN Business Group said, "We are pleased to

introduce Website #1 along with SWIFT. The first of its kind in India, this

concept represents MSN's plans of popularizing website creation among the

masses. This is in line with the unique and exciting offerings that MSN aims to

give its users and partners."

Winner of the contest will be entitled to an all-expenses-paid week-long trip

to US, including visit to the Microsoft Headquarters in Redmond. Besides this,

there will be 1,000 prizes for other participants and early bird entries, which

include mobile phones, discmans, exclusive Microsoft merchandise and more.