By John Collins, jcollins@lowellsun.com
Updated: 12/12/2009 06:35:45 AM EST
TYNGSBORO — On the Web, it’s not the same old Tyng anymore.
Completing a mission they began eight months ago to give the town’s Web presence a major cyberface-lift, Media Program Director Rony Camille and Town Administrator Rosemary Cashman unveiled last week the town’s brand new, www.tyngsboroughma.gov, site.
With emphasis on “brand.”
“I hope the colors, together with the logo, will combine in people’s minds and become our brand, a logo that people will recognize instantly … so they don’t have to think twice about it,” said Camille. “I’ve gotten some very nice comments so far. People seem to be very impressed.”
Most prominently, the wholly revamped Web site features the town name written in a carefully selected cursive font, and a color-scheme combination of wood-trim and light blue that was created by Kompleks Creative, a graphic design and Web-development firm based in Durham, N.C.
There’s been a strangely recurring compliment from some who have visited the new site, according to Camille.
“People have been saying to me, ‘Wow, suddenly we look very professional.’ My reply is that this town already is professional. We just needed to change the way the town looks to the world, and show the surrounding communities that Tyngsboro is the place to be right now.”
The switch from old site to new involved hundreds of hours of collaborative effort among Camille, Cashman and Kompleks Creative.
The site is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, allowing blind users equipped with special software to run their cursor over the various text and links for audio readings of everything that’s on the page, Camille pointed out.
“I’m very pleased with the new layout,” said Selectman Bob Jackson, who based his successful campaign earlier this year chiefly on a promise to improve the flow of information between Town Hall and the residents.
“There’s some things I’d like to see added to the site with time, including all the town’s historical financial information — past budgets, expenditures and revenues. But this site makeover is a job very well done.”
Selectman Ashley O’Neill also gave a glowing review of the new site’s appearance. “It represents us well,” O’Neill said. “Not that our old web site was that bad, but this shows us moving forward in a positive direction.”
What Tyngsboro’s site does offer and many other municipalities do not, according to Camille, is the use of Twitter.
“I’m really hoping to use Twitter as an extension of our online platform to get in touch with residents and let them know what’s going on in the community,” explained Camille, who cited last winter’s Ice Storm as the inspiration. “In an emergency people might not have power, but their cell phones still work. So they can pull up the town Web site and get Twitter updates from the power company that serves Tyngsboro. It’s a way to communicate that’ll never be affected by the weather — that’s what I love about it.”
This article is reprinted from www.lowellsun.com
