‘Virtually’ Christmas in Suffolk
Published 12:00 am Sunday, November 20, 2005
Just in time for the holiday season a local advertising company has created a Web site to help residents, visitors and new arrivals navigate their way around the city’s many events.
The site, www.christmasinsuffolk.com, is the brainchild of Tom Powell of the Addison Group advertising agency in Suffolk.
Powell said he wanted sort of a &uot;clearinghouse&uot; for information on all of the holiday events and one that would be updated daily and readily available to all.
&uot;Some of the things that go on seem like they are kept quiet, and
you don’t know about them unless you are in the loop,&uot;
he said. &uot;I wanted to put it all in one place.&uot;
On the top level of the site visitors will see two main links – Events and Charities.
The former lists every event that Powell has been able to gather and includes all of the pertinent information, such as who, what, when and where.
The Charities link gives the visitor all the information they will need to make a donation to any of the local organizations or programs, such as the Suffolk News-Herald Cheer Fund, Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army.
At the bottom of the page is a link called Submit It Here, which allows anyone to provide their information to Powell and his Internet gurus. Simply fill out the information on the screen, such as your name, e-mail address, name of event, date of the event, a few details about what will occur and then submit it. It will automatically be sent to Powell’s office.
Phone numbers are not required, but Powell said anyone wishing to talk about this site or learn more is invited to contact him at 923-9185.
&uot;There are no limitations (on the amount of information provided),&uot; said Powell, but added that there is a 24-hour turn-a-round time to allow for all submissions to be vetted.
&uot;We’re not just going to put anything up there,&uot; he said.
Unlike many Web sites, this one is supported by advertising. Addison is &uot;footing the bill,&uot; said Powell.
Although today is the official launching of the site, Powell is already optimistic that it will become &uot;bigger and better&uot; as time goes by. He said they might even incorporate a New Year’s 2006 link, or include new restaurants and retail establishments as they open throughout the city.
&uot;All of this is to promote economic development and tourism,&uot; he said. &uot;I have an idea that this is something we could use for just about anything happening here.&uot;
doug.grant@suffolknewsherald.com