Our first franchisee Ian Ryan launched in The Shire on 19th April and together with journalist Dean Longville and sub-editor Tracey Gillon-Smith have started to carve out a niche for themselves. Local sports stories have been contributed by Reece Carter and appear on both the e-zine and the SportsLive website.
In Parramatta well known journalist Red Dwyer has taken over the local editor’s role and plans are underway to recruit a team of local mums and dads (see advert) for the sales role vacated by Jenny. The Business Chamber continues to support our activities and steps are underway to upgrade this on-going relationship into a major sponsorship – special thanks to Paula Roden for her efforts. Regular POL columnists John Blair and Jenetta Haims are also thanked for their long term support.
John Bown continues to make his distinctive mark in the Wollongong area and it has been particularly pleasing to see a number of his causes finally taken up by the traditional media – weeds, spring to mind.
Regular WOL columnists Bill Wright, Paul Wright, David Stanton and Paul Chad are thanked for their long time support. New WOL contributors Josie Folino, Jody Rays, Rob Battocchio and Patricia Shepherd are also welcomed and we look forward to their continued participation.
Greg Wilson signed on as our second franchisee and has become the SmartPages advocate in Wollongong working out of our offices in Market Street since mid-year.
Special thanks are extended to my long suffering partner Colin Seaborn who not only moderates the SportsLive website but manages the SmartPages back end and now writes both the SportsLive and Ideas & Innovations columns – that is, in addition to his regular job as a management consultant – what an effort!
Colin’s son Michael will be commencing fulltime in 2008 to take over the production co-ordinator’s role vacated by Luke Duffy who is leaving the company to attend the Police Academy in Goulburn – best wishes are extended to Luke in his new career. Michael will be following in his sister Lauren’s footsteps, so big things are expected.
Chris Maher is thanked for his unique contribution over the year as the chairperson for the Wollongong community’s Policy Advisory Group and for being an active community member, always with a helpful suggestion or contribution to the e-zine.
Murphy’s Law tells me I have probably have left someone out – in which case please accept my abject apologies.
This is our final issue for the year. We will be back in your Inbox the week commencing 21 January 2008. Happy Holidays!
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And on to 2008 …
A new community, a new video sharing website, our first franchisees and now a new content management system have made 2007 a particularly challenging year for YOC.
The past 12 months have been extremely hectic for everyone involved with YourOnlineCommunity, however apart from the appearance of Sutherland Shire as our latest community in April most of our ‘front of shop’ activities have remained virtually unchanged.
That is, until this week, which finally sees the appearance of both the Wollongong and Parramatta community portals in their new and final shape and the associated e-magazines revamped for the first time in nearly four years.
YOC is planning a further 11 communities in Greater Sydney in the next 18 months utilising the new format and steps are currently underway for an additional round of venture capital to finance these expansion plans.
We also hope to be able to announce some major new initiatives in the New Year which will see our ‘local internet’ concept utilised in a particularly innovative fashion.
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