>I'm not an internet expert. I'm not a marketing expert. Nor do I claim to be.
What we heard at the Updayton Summit is that people want to be connected. They want to know what's going on and how to get involved. A central hub is one the ideas that emerged as a project to be pursued.
After thinking about Dayton's branding sites, thinking about what we have locally, and having looked at other sites in other cities I think we need to be careful. Websites serve different purposes. Should there be a hub? Should the wheel be re-invented? In looking at multiple Dayton sites I found alot of duplication. Is that necessary? It might just be - depending on the audience of the site. Is it for locals? Is it for travelers? Is it for people relocating? Is it for all the above?
My current thoughts are the result of Jeff's post at DaytonMostMetro. He shared a link for http://www.centerstagechicago.com (cultural/entertainment focused, no housing/community/volunteer info)
So I started thinking. What's here? (not in any particular order):
www.dayton.com and www.hellodayton.com (neither operated locally and definitely not inclusive)
www.activedayton.com
www.daytonarts.org
www.volunteerdayton.org (really the United Way site)
www.daytonoriginals.org (just an image campaign, no real info or call to action to "become" an original)
www.getmidwest.com (recruitment campaign, check out the arts section. pretty lame for one of our best assets. I have more links than they do. They sure have sports and arenas covered though!)
www.downtowndayton.org (focused on downtown)
www.daytoncampusconnect.com (not bad for being up less than a year)
www.daytoncvb.com (much improved over the last site)
I'm sure there are other sites I'm missing and I deliberately left out blogs. MostMetro is the closest thing going to the ColumbusUnderground though.
After checking out the Chicago site I felt compelled to revisit some other sites that I had checked out during the Get Midwest launch. These sites aren't perfect (or completely inclusive) but they speak to where people are coming from and demonstrate where we miss the mark. Live-Work-Play is a common theme:
LiveWorkPlayColumbus
ColumbusUnderground
ClevelandPlus
CincinnatiUSA
DoToledo and Toledo.Com (looks to at least be local)
VisitIndy (a CVB site that includes residents) and AroundIndy (strictly an event calendar)
I don't think any one site (from other cities or within Dayton) is the best. I'm curious, though, to know what you think are the best features of the sites above or of other sites you've seen (post their links, please). I'm sure with all the right minds and insights that Dayton (region) can come up with an awesome site that's a true original, demonstrating our innovation and creativity!
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