Sunday, December 09, 2007
Editorial: Christiansburg plans a virtual overhaul
A prettier Web site will help only if content follows.
From the RoundTable blog
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Christiansburg's town Web site has never been anything to get excited about. It is neither flashy nor loaded with useful information. That could soon change.
The town council last week voted to spend up to $40,000 -- paid over four years -- to overhaul the site and up to another $500 per month to keep it up to date. They plan to seek proposals from Web developers soon and have a new site up and running next summer.
It will be money well spent. The current site compares poorly to other municipal outposts on the Internet. Citizens rightfully demand easy access to government resources, and Christiansburg has not delivered.
The site needs more than a facelift. It needs useful content to fill it.
Right now, there isn't much reason for people to visit. They won't find council agendas until it is too late for them to be useful. Nor will they find any kind of supporting documents explaining what the council is talking about and voting on.
Few departments provide helpful services. The town code isn't even online.
Those are basic resources. Sure, it would be great if Christiansburg followed Blacksburg's lead and let residents watch video of council meetings on the site, but just getting the essentials online would be a welcome start.
In the future, the town might even expand its digital offerings. There is already talk of upgrading to allow electronic bill paying so that residents no longer need to trek to the town hall or to waste a stamp.
One idea to avoid, however, is commercializing the town Web portal. Mayor Richard Ballengee suggested Christiansburg could defray some costs by selling advertising.
Doing so would invite any number of problems, starting with who gets to advertise and ending with losing what could be a valuable tool amidw a cacophony of annoying ads.
Web sites are basic civic offerings in this digital era. The money the town will spend is an investment in citizen access.
Christiansburg has been making strides in the physical world. A recreation center, downtown renovations and an aquatic center under construction all benefit citizens. Finally, the council has turned the same eye for improvement to the digital world.
