A wasted resource? Maybe not for long

My original opening paragraph for this week’s column was going to begin by discussing my disdain for wasted opportunities. I already had it written in my mind. I was really pleased with the direction my mental outline was going. Then I had my plans completely dashed. You see, this week I planed on focusing on the fact that Pageland is wasting a valuable resource. No, it isn’t money, equipment or even talent. My topic was going to be something which towns and cities are increasingly being judged upon: their website.
Many of you may not even realize Pageland has a website. Indeed, the town is the owner of www.townofpageland.com. While some of you may find this insignificant, I can assure you that it is of ever increasing importance. As technology spreads across age, geographic, and topical boundaries, internet presence for municipalities is becoming a crucial part of showing the world what a community has to offer. From the look of Pageland’s website, the town has little to bring to the table.
This was the part of the article where I was going to discuss why Pageland is wasting an opportunity by not having a better website. Minimal, outdated, useless information does little to show the world what Pageland is all about. In fact, the website’s content is so old that the “Town Council” section still shows council members ousted in the last election and the “Recreation” section is still presenting football and cheerleading registration information from 2005. In addition, the overall appearance of the site does little to present Pageland in a positive light. This is a shame because websites allow the creator to highlight positive attributes and gloss over those that are a bit more undesirable. While this has been done for years through brochures and other promotional materials, websites are better because they allow the message to be delivered to a vastly wider audience with much greater efficiency.
Another major asset of a website is its ease of modification. I say that with some trepidation because I know from personal experience that there is nothing easy about changing a website’s content to the untrained person. However, a person with the proper software and knowledge can, with a few clicks of a mouse and strokes of the keyboard, completely change the look and content of a website in relatively little time. This is important because this relative ease allows a website to be employed to provide vital information to citizens or potential visitors quickly.
Finally, one of a website’s best advantages is that its format allows the creator greater flexibility to utilize multiple media forms such as picture, sound, video, and print in one place, thereby maximizing the effect of the message. By combining all of these together, a cohesive blend of information can be assembled, allowing the website’s owner to put the best foot forward.
All of my planning and these points were shot down when I decided to take another look at Pageland’s website before sitting down to write this. It was then that I discovered that on the front page, in colorful capital letters, was a message stating that a new look was coming to www.townofpageland.com.
Now you see why I had to rethink my entire article. It seems that someone had the same idea as me and recognized that Pageland’s website needs drastic improvement. Therefore, my message has changed and, for once, I can sum it up briefly. I hope that the website developer will focus on more than mere cosmetic changes. Pageland’s website is a chance to create a forum for Pageland to sell itself to potential visitors, future residents, and prospective businesses. Additionally, this website is another method for the town to effectively communicate with current citizens on everything from local ordinances, to town council meetings, to upcoming events. With a little work, perhaps www.townofpageland.com can become more than just a wasted opportunity.

Adam M. Foard is a graduating 3L at the Charleston School of Law and a licensed real estate agent with A & E Real Estate in Pageland. He resides in Jefferson, with his wife Clare.