What Joe Crawford started as a small list in March of 1999 has grown to over 600 members, and likely many more subscribers to the list’s RSS feed. This is arguably the largest organized body of San Diego tech professionals. So, the question now becomes how can we improve Web San Diego, the listserv and the website?
As of October 2006 a new direction for the website has been envisioned. As of this writing, what is found on the live site can loosely be described as a blog which features moderator messages on permalinks, a business directory with links, and meetup/event notices. Certainly we can improve upon these offerings and implement a more comprehensive feature set.
Existing Features:
Blog: The blog’s focus will be geared towards highlighting businesses, people, events, and news relating to San Diego’s tech industry. Many posts will be in “roundup” style with the goal of separating the signal from the noise.
Business Directory: The directory will become a local business and professionals directory featuring useful and relevant information. No longer will this be designed in the standard “link + description” style which offers little value in comparison with today’s other methods of conducting search and research. The new directory features full-page business/professional profiles including modules for review, photo galleries, document space, business contact information, products and services menus, and more. This means that members, who often post about job openings or contract work needed, can easily be referred to relevant categories where possible candidates are just a few clicks away.
Meetup/Event Notices: Rather than continue using the blog as a platform for announcing meetups and events we are moving to a web calendar based approach. This will allow members to interact and participate much more easily. Further we will be promoting not only Web San Diego events but also those of events which are likely of interest to the local technical community.
Features in Development:
Charity Center: There is rarely a more admirable use of collective energy, talent, resources, etc than to help those in need. Web San Diego’s charity center will be a section of the website which will allow reputable local charities to post information about charity events, or goals so that visitors and members of Web San Diego can consider offering support if they wish. This section will not be promoted or “pushed” but will be visible on the site for those feeling the desire to give back J.
Matrix Media Technologies will sponsor (donate the time/resources) a quarterly web design/development donation in which members and visitors can nominate local non-profit organizations, one of which will be chosen to receive a web-makeover valued at $3,500.00.
Social Media Center: Relying on the various social networking, tagging, and sharing sites offering API’s we will develop a section which keeps tabs on the mentions of San Diego and its various locales on these major aggregators of technical web users.
Have something to add? Please stop by our feedback form and send us your ideas!
The Web San Diego Yahoo WebGroup/Listserv
As of October, 2006 the list reaches a membership of over 600 users. This list is ideal for anyone who wants to interact with San Diego’s technical community from a central location. The list is not intended for promotional activities but instead for networking, notices of events, notices of jobs available or contract work available or being sought.
The list is simply a tool to help centralize San Diego’s often under-recognized vibrant technical community.
Web San Diego Resources:
- Signup to the List
- The Vision of Web San Diego
- Web San Diego at Stumbleupon.com
- Web San Diego apparel at CafePress