As you can see, we’ve re-launched our neighborhood website, and have made a few changes.
Before I go on, here’s a shout-out to Ted Mittler who created and maintained the site for years. I copied most of the information on the current site from Ted’s original. Thanks from the neighborhood, Ted.
What is new?
So what’s new? First, I’ve applied a template that will reorganize the contents based on your device. If you access the site with a phone or a tablet, the template will shift everything around so you can navigate more intuitively.
Next, the site now has a blog, with the latest news about real-estate for sale, town meetings, new neighbors and other points of interest. Everyone in the neighborhood will get an email when we have new blog posts. My goal is to have one post per week.
What if you have some news to share?
Currently, if you want to send out to information to the neighborhood, you can either develop your own email mailing list, or send a message to board secretary Molly Gareis at [email protected] who will make sure the message is appropriate before forwarding it to the neighborhood. That works well for small bits of information, such as the next collection date for the food pantry, or notifying people when a tree falls across the road.
If, however, you want to write something longer, such as an introduction to a new neighbor, a lesson on getting rid of peony measles, or perhaps a review of a good book you’ve read recently, you can contact me (Kelly Shaw) at [email protected] and I will schedule a time for you to be a guest blogger on our community forum.
What is the same?
Pretty much everything Ted put into the prior website is still there. The only difference is a bit of reorganization, and the neighborhood directory and map are now password protected. We’re currently working out how to get the password to everyone securely.
Has anything been removed?
Um, well…yes.🤨
I removed the contractor recommendation application. Ted mentioned that there were problems keeping the information up-to-date. Additionally, there were complaints that some of the contractors did not live up to their recommendation. The board discussed the issue and decided there are enough other avenues for contractor recommendations in Williamsburg. We don’t need to try to maintain another.
The take-away?
In the end, this website and the community blog is an experiment. The board needs to know how you use the website, if at all, and how we can improve communications from the board to the membership, the membership to the board, and neighbor to neighbor. Please take the time to click around the site. If you have a suggestion, please post a comment below.
Regards, and best to all of our Burns Lane neighbors,
Kelly Shaw
BLRA Webmaster
Charlene Grabowski
blrawebmaster
Chris Gareis
Sue Reid