The Warrior Gateway creates value for the military community by connecting service members and military families to the service provider community (NGO’s and Government), the employer community, the donor community, and the government. One way to think of this is that the Warrior Gateway is an attempt to eliminate the information barriers that prevent dialogue between communities, and prevents constructive feedback and recommendations on both sides.

We believe that information should be easy to get, immediately available and valuable to the person looking for it. That’s why Warrior Gateway “ease of use” is a top priority.

To this end, we will build the Warrior Gateway platform around cutting edge web technologies –user communities; instant search; tagging hierarchies; data syndication; feedback matrices; social media. These capabilities (which have only been mastered in recent years) will allow the military community to connect with the information they care about in an unprecedented way.

The site will have the following features:

• Comprehensive database of service provider profiles:  Giving you vital contact information, service information, and an opportunity to see feedback on what service providers were effective

• Advanced search and browse functionality:  Search and browse the information on the site by keyword, by tag, by location (e.g. “25 miles from my house”) and by rating

• User customization: Answer a few questions and see services in your area; fellow veterans you can connect with; and jobs that are available;  Then  save information in your profile, and allow the Warrior Gateway to search for you, giving you notifications whenever new relevant information is available

• Virtual community:  Share your interests with a community of veterans;  Connect to people in your area; see who is interested in what you’re interested in; see who has gone through the things you have

• Feedback and Ratings: Leave feedback on the effectiveness of the services you received, helping to create a “ground up” measurement of service provider quality, helping the providers to improve

• Job Board 2.0: Get access to job listings; Get access to a skills profile builder for the military community to help with your post-military career transition; learn about job skill requirements and then where to get the training; and then instantly connect to the employer