With the launch today of two more community-focused Web sites, The Advertiser now has 20 online neighborhood sites covering residential areas on O'ahu.

If you live on the North Shore or in Salt Lake/Moanalua, you now have a Web site with news and photos concentrating on your area.

The neighborhood sites, located at myAdvertiser.com, contain community-specific breaking news, local articles written by Advertiser reporters and staff from our community People newspapers, and most importantly, photos and reports written by residents themselves.

The new Web sites, along with the existing sites for Kailua, Hawai'i Kai, Kapolei, 'Ewa, Mililani/Mililani Mauka, Kane'ohe, Waipahu, Manoa, Wai'anae, Pearl City/'Aiea, Kaimuki/Palolo, Wahiawa, La'ie/Kahuku, Waikiki, Ala Moana/Kaka'ako, Kalihi, Downtown/Chinatown and Kahala are part of our effort to provide neighborhood news and photos not available anywhere else.

These sites allow residents to take an active role in the news and events that help shape their communities, said James Gonser, community news editor at The Advertiser.

"If you've ever asked, 'Why aren't stories about my community in the news?' well, here is your chance to change that," Gonser said. "Residents can use the sites to write and submit stories they think are important to their communities and families."

Stories about youth soccer teams, volunteer cleanup efforts or neighborhood security watch meetings that are not usually covered by the media can be written and submitted by residents to the appropriate Web site.

MyAdvertiser.com uses a computer tool called Get Published!, which allows readers to submit their own news articles and photos.

"I think the MyAdvertiser.com site is awesome — a great way to get more specific community info to the people in those communities!" said Kristen K.C. Bonilla, public information officer at the University of Hawai'i.

The Advertiser has been building this network of community Web sites since November, and next month the final three sites — Makiki/Mo'ili'ili/McCully, Nu'uanu/Punchbowl and Diamond Head/Kapahulu — will complete coverage of the entire island of O'ahu, with 23 sites.

For more information, call James Gonser at 535-2431 or send an e-mail to myadvertiser@honoluluadvertiser.com.