By Deborah Bier, publisher and editor of this ezine.
At the Concord Magazine and Homepage, we are very excited to announce a number of changes taking place starting in October, 2000.
5th Anniversary Redesign
To celebrate our 5th year online, we are working on a major redesign of this site. Still under wraps, it will be easier, cleaner, more attractive, and even more enjoyable to visit and use. We have grown and changed so much over the years that a reorganization and new art are demanded. Of course, all our great content will remain: we are nearly 600 pages and still going.
About This Issue's Artwork
We hope you have noticed the rich-yet-subtle, faded-but-vibrant, strong-but-soft artwork throughout this issue of the Concord Magazine. It's the beautiful and rare work of artist Monica Shine of Culprit Fey. We think she noticeably raises the bar on Web art.
Her work seems particularly right for this Autumn issue. The look of aged surfaces, intense color, and the decay brought about by time suits the season perfectly. Rich with ochres, russets, golds, and browns, Monica's artwork vibrates with the colors of a Concord Fall.
She is one in a line of self-taught
artists. "My 80 year old Grandmother paints, owned a florist shop for years, and
has always involved me in her project of the day," she says. "My Mother is a wonderful artist who can do just about anything with style and flair. Together we decorate homes and businesses for the Holidays."
Monica demures that she is a professional Web artist. "I'm a decoupage artist, really" she says. "I just offer this artwork to make the Web a more beautiful place." You can best see the connection between her two media -- one virtual, the other concrete -- on her Passage Website, where she offers her hand-decorated furniture and giftware, as well as decoupage supplies, tips, and beaded handbags. Her soft, faded, beautifully blended colors and patterns are used with great deftness in both arenas.
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Improved Exposure for Local Businesses and Organizations
We also have a renewed and expanded commitment to market local businesses and organizations on the Internet through ConcordMA.com.
The complaint we have heard most often from dozens of business owners and organizations is that "people can't find our store on the Web!" However, our ConcordMA.com gets loyal, steady traffic from both local readers and those around the world. Our plentiful visitorship can be used to support local companies.
Concord businesses are worried that if they don't start reaping benefits from the Internet they could be seriously hurt. We agree this is a real problem; perhaps more so than you may think at first. One of the reasons our very local economy is so healthy is that we have always successfully adapted to change. (See a guest editorial on this subject here.) After all: we do have three busy downtown areas, while many towns don't have even one. We also boast hundreds of additional small and medium-sized businesses and organizations everywhere in town, both in traditional office settings as well as in homes. Concord's business sector is alive and well and the Internet can help keep it that way.
But doing business on the 'Net represents a huge change, and if Concord companies do not adapt quickly and effectively, they may lose existing and new business to competitors -- and that means lost revenues. And if they suffer, so does the entire town, because the business sector's viability is integral to our health.
Unfortunately, local establishments are learning first hand that when it comes to the Web, "build it and they will come" is a great fallacy. Marketing a business' site to attract visitors is absolutely vital. ConcordMA.com can act as a portal to a robust Web presence.
Please contact us at mailto:info@concordma.com or 978 369-0113 to find out how we can help you reach your goals.
A Name Change
A last change you might have already noticed is also a result of our continued growth. We are streamlining this site's name to become simply "ConcordMa.com". Much easier, right?
Text: ©2000
The Concord, MA Homepage
Art: Culprit Fey
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This website is a gift to the Concord community from Hometown Websmith, a full-service
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