Stanwix Carlisle Gains a Community Web Site

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) September 1, 2008 -- Stanwix, the most affluent part of Carlisle, seems to have been behind the times since the turn of the new century. Only now has the community gained a website focussed on the residents of the local area. www.stanwix.info is precisely that; a website devoted to making community information available to residents and those with a need to know the ins and outs of what's happening in the old Victorian village north of the river.

Stanwix is one of the more desirable areas of Carlisle in which to live, for the simple reason that it is close to an incredible mixture of facilities without feeling city-like. It is friendly, close to the city facilities across the Eden Bridge, as well as great parkland. The village is well served by a surprising array of shops, pubs, restaurants and now a fast food "hub". There are a variety of businesses operating in the area, frequently almost unnoticed by the casual eye. The University of Cumbria is also represented; at the former Cumbria Institute of the Arts site - or the "Art College" as it is still known locally.

The Stanwix community website came about almost by accident. Ray Cassidy was trying to learn the skills needed to put his panoramic virtual tours on the web, in the hope of earning an honest crust. In the course of learning the ropes of both the software and the photographic skills, that were needed to produce virtual tours, he started developing a sequence of views of the Stanwix area which developed into a full blown virtual tour of the heart of the area.

Rather than simply produce a "dead" and pointless website, he decided to bite the bullet and have a serious crack at producing a website that would be useful to more than just himself. After a few conversations with friends and family members, he realised that a community website built around the virtual tour experiments would fill a gap in the local facilities. A quick hunt round the domains that were available out in www-land revealed the fact that Stanwix Caravan Park (near Silloth)had the dot com domain already and were always top of any Google searches based on the keyword Stanwix. Somehow Stanwix.info seemed the most appropriate domain for a community information website.

Starting from years of web experience - but an almost pathological reluctance to make a website, Ray had to learn fast. Help came from Nigel Burnie who runs Digital Solutions UK from his home in the area and another friend Tom Phillips of PCS Websites in Lancaster, who both gave up valuable time to persuade Ray's ageing and reluctant grey matter to absorb new knowledge. After a month of frustration and graft the website framework is finally up - and waiting for content to be suggested by local people. It is hoped that interest will grow steadily, organically; rather being "Ray's Information Prescription" identical to other community websites. This site will grow as a result of input from the residents and businesses of the area.

One of the concerns Ray had initially, was that there was potential to cut across the activities of David Smith who runs the paper based community magazine, which does an excellent job already. The Stanwix Pages is now in its 10th issue and has established a loyal readership and regular advertisers. After a simple chat, it was clear that there is room for both activities and the two media should complement each other nicely. There are a variety of audiences in the area and even in the 21st century, not everyone wants to go online for their information all the time.

So, what next? Ray is waiting for awareness to grow and for people to suggest the way they want the website to grow. If you run a community service or organisation, this will be a perfect vehicle for you to get your message out. Doctors, headteachers, dentists, nurseries and anybody else who tries to persuade us to look after ourselves, you now have a new avenue to educate or raise awareness. People, if there is a snippet of information you can never lay your eyes on at the crucial time, let Ray know what - and how it could be made available. Businesses are going to be catered for as well. If you run a business in the immediate or surrounding area and you see the residents of Stanwix as potential customers there is the start of an advertising section. Initially, until traffic volumes develop; short 2 or 3 line text ads will be available free for small and local businesses. By the end of September 2008 when the traffic has been assessed a structured advertising programme will be introduced with realistic pricing to cover the costs and time of keeping the website up and running.

Spread the word and let's ensure that when people Google for Stanwix, they find us and the fantastic place we're lucky enough to live in!

More information can be found online at http://www.stanwix.info

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