CDP Update

I need to start off with an apology. It’s been a while since I’ve last published a blog post. I have been working on trying to get my final project in order; this Downtown Cortland Project is not going as I had hoped it would.

There is some news on this front, though…

I had a phone conversation with Jed Ostrom (Sarah’s husband) from Next Interactives. He owns a regional website development firm in Ithaca. I contacted him with the hopes of helping Katie and I find a way to insert our blogs on the Downtown Cortland website. The phone meeting was very successful. We spoke for a little over an hour and I found out that he is going to be able to help us and then some. Here is a copy of the proposal email that I wrote to Lloyd after the phone conversation with Jed:

Hi, Lloyd,

I just got off the phone with Jed Ostrom from www.nextinteractives.com. He owns a regional website development firm, and I contacted him with hopes to help us with our project. The meeting/call went very well. I found that he will indeed be able to help us and more. He would really like the opportunity to be involved with the Downtown Cortland Partnership and the SUNY students. I am actually going to meet with him on Wednesday at 1:30PM at his office—to talk more about our project.

For now, Jed has volunteered to create a great solution to our problem in 2 phases

PHASE 1: Linking our new CDP blogs to the existing CDP website
The temporary solution is to put a highly visible link right on the home page of the existing CDP website that will direct the users to the new CDP blogs located on blogger.com. This way, by the end of next week, we can start blogging about the CDP immediately!


PHASE 2: Proposal for CDP version 2.0
Spend the next month working to create a detailed proposal for a wholesale upgrade to the CDP website… essentially, a blue print for upgrading the CDP website to meet the needs and 2007 goals of the CDP.

Here are some v2 features and project requirements that Jed brainstormed over the phone today:

REQUIREMENTS
1. Local sponsors fund this project - Create highly effective online advertising opportunities for several Cortland and other regional businesses to market there products and services directly on the new CDP site.

2. Web Masters = Cortland Students – Create an almost entirely self-updateable website that will enable Cortland students to add/edit/delete content. Create clear documentation for all updating tasks so that these duties can be seamlessly passed down from class to class. This will effectively lower all future website maintenance costs, while keeping the connection between the CDP and Cortland students year after year.

3. Parallel Growth with the CDP – Create a site that can easily grow along side the CDP year after year. Create website features that are scalable and easily updated (unlike the current CDP site)

FEATURES
…To be determined after at least a few more meetings with Jed. A great model website that Jed has suggested we take time evaluating is www.downtownithaca.com . In addition to getting the blog online next week, this will be the focus of our first meeting with Jed next week. A discussion of the pros and cons of www.downtownithaca.com , and how we can leverage what we have learned from our evaluation to help create a proposal/blue print for developing v2 of the CDP website.


It looks like this could be a very beneficial merger for both parties. One concern that some people had with this was the cost; how are we going to pay for all of this? Well, as it says in the email, this is going to be paid for by sponsors and local businesses. But, because Jed understands that we need to get this website up and running (the semester is coming close to an end!) he is going to get us up and running, and then help us try to find sponsorship. Also, if this is all OK’d by Lloyd, there will be a significant Next Interactives logo on each of the pages. This will help promote Jed’s company and considerably lower his rates; he would like the exposure. Another factor that will lower our costs is the fact that Cortland students will be the webmasters, not Jed (read more above).

The next step is a meeting that Katie and I will have with Jed on Wednesday. At this meeting we are going to get the blog up and running and critique the www.dowtownithaca.com website. I’ll let you know how it goes. This is where we are at right now, and I hope to be able to be publishing a post on this blog that has a link to the CDP blog by the end of this week!

I have a bunch of other posts to write... check back soon!