Chamber enters World Wide Web

15 years ago

 Image   So, we’ve spent some time the last year thinking about ways to market our area, our people, our businesses, and ourselves to the “outside world.” We also need to do it cost effectively, and in new and/or innovative ways.     All the young ladies in the office have Facebook pages. So, after Myspace became passé, it seemed like a good idea for “The Chamber” to have one too! As you may have read previously, I do not own a cell phone, I don’t have a computer at my home, and I am not in danger of ever being proficient with my thumbs, or otherwise being a threat to your personal safety. But last summer when even Larry King started advertising a Facebook page and a Twitter connection, I figured, “That’s It, we need to hop on the tweetering bandwagon.
    And, with those New Year’s resolutions, I’ve recently started “blogging.” We were open on Martin Luther King Day, and we busily pawed around on Flicker and our own extensive photo albums (electronic) trying to decide how and where we’re going to place them, out there on the World Wide Web for everyone to see. All the better for you to decide to come visit us, spend some money, eat our food, visit with the neighbors, and then decide to come back and buy a second home, start a business etc.
    Well that was all fine and well, until I discovered we can search Facebook by categories, by foods, by interests! Well low and behold. You better believe it, this falls into the category afore mentioned of “things we can mandate to the ladies,” or “resolutions I may easily be able to keep.” If there are groups of folks out there who connect to each other by the common interest of “Yard Sales” then by the goodness, as the official keepers of Caribou’s City Wide Yard Sale we are going to find you. We want to be your friend.
    The ladies in the office may not ever look at their own Facebook sites again after they have to participate in my mandatory fun of finding all the crafter folks, snowmobilers, skiers, ATVers, moose folks, and others to “be our friends.” Who knew poutine, ployes, potatoes, hunting, Acadians, moose, and Canadian geese would have so many potential friends! Whewhua! We’re going to find you.
    We’re a somewhat homogenous group on the surface of things here in the office. We’re all women, we’re all living in a small rural community, but after that sentence ends, we’re not so similar. I’ve been busily quizzing our young connected ones. Hey, have you heard of this site?” or, “Do you know anyone who uses that site?” Well, and then there’s the whole, are you kidding, what do people text? What do you text? What do your friends text to you? Wait, no, don’t tell me what you’re texting, just tell me what folks in general are out there texting each other.
    One odd tidbit: I found two very cool sites this past week, one, an interactive periodic table, which I’ve absolutely no use for, and I’ve learned CHS seniors do not take chemistry. Disappointing, but a good site nonetheless. The other “stumbled upon” one related to capitalism, small business and social responsibility. OK so it’s true, the ladies weren’t excited either, but I stuck it on my desktop anyways, and have gone to it a few times since. I know we have topics to share, ponder upon and dwell over.
    Take care, and we’ll be seeing you in a group on the Internet somewhere soon!
    Wendy Landes, MPA, is the executive director of the Caribou Chamber of Commerce & Industry. She can be reached in person at 24 Sweden Street, Suite 101; by telephone at 498-6156 or via e-mail at wlandes@cariboumaine.net.