Wednesday, November 18, 2009

No More Press Releases

Well, not entirely. This week the News section of SDOC Publishing was converted to Blogger. I still plan to do press releases when the situation calls for it but I can get a lot more personal with you here.

When you have a lot of irons in the fire, it's easy to forget to write about them. Soon after Dunwoody officially became a city and the first council elections were underway, I became a Founding Sponsor of the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce. SDOC Publishing is the only web development firm to carry this title and I continue to serve as the lead webmaster for the Chamber.

Last year I said that SDOC Publishing was interested in building up the business community of our new city. I said it, I meant it. Supporting businesses doesn't just involve building and promoting their website, although that is my specialty. For a business to thrive, they have to have advocates in their community. Non-business owners in this town are often suspicious of any commercial interest. But the reality is that without a community-based business organization, the homeowners and other residents won't have the goods and services they need readily available. Many won't have jobs to make a living. It is in everyone's best interest to have an open dialogue between the residential community and the business side.

I joined the Chamber and worked on its web presence from Day One and saw a bevy of growth and change in a very short time. The city is getting its feet under it, and the DCoC has had a hand in guiding ordinances that represent a compromise in many interests. I won't lie, it's chaotic sometimes. But there aren't many opportunities to watch a new city sprout from a seed. So it's worth bearing the chaos.

The Chamber website is a team effort. I work as the "architect" - determining what the information needs are and what goes where. I was able to delegate specific graphic elements to another designer so I can focus on that content. Then I'm going to train some of the office staff in keeping the site up to date. It's not difficult, but there are new skills to be learned. Server maintenance responsibilities are on the IT committee.

Take a look at www.dunwoodycommerce.org. Use the contact form to tell us what you need, what you want to see. Content and interactive features don't write themselves and priorities have to be organized, but if our local business community needs to be promoted, I'll be right there to make it happen.

Monday, August 4, 2008

SDOC PUBLISHING LAUNCHES FIRST POLITICAL WEBSITE

DUNWOODY, GA - (August 4, 2008) Website Specialists of SDOC Publishing announced today the launch of SDOC's first political website.

SDOC Publishing was contracted to create the Dunwoody City Council Campaign website for Friends of Mary Jo Chambless, Inc. Mary Jo Chambless is running at-large for Dunwoody District 3. The site is located at www.maryjofordunwoody.org

"What greater honor could there be than to support the new city than with one of the great citizens willing to continue to serve, even after the years of work getting the city established in the first place?" said Adrienne Duncan, owner of SDOC Publishing. "As a city we have to get serious and get ready to operate. I am glad that SDOC could play some small part in that."

The work was not glamorous. "The campaign is only six weeks! This site had to be up ASAP and I managed to get it launched in about 10 days after the contract was agreed to. It wasn't just design and pretty things, there is a ton of interactive features." Duncan describes several different email-based forms in both ASP and PHP languages, as well as an opinion poll for visitors to participate in. In addition, the logo and navigation are all animated with Adobe Flash® An online donation feature will be added within a day or two.

To say that search engine optimization was a priority would be an understatement. "There's a lot of people to reach, and not a lot of time to reach them. Every last technique to make this site easy to find was employed. I'm just glad I got it launched in time before the press releases went out!"

SDOC Publishing website design and development is based in the Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody. Initial consultations are free of charge and by appointment only. All design work and pricing is customized for each client. Visit www.sdocpublishing.com for further information.
###

Sunday, August 3, 2008

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE NEW CITY OF DUNWOODY

Four years ago, my husband received word that he still had a job after major company layoffs in Houston. But the job was in Atlanta. There were many choices to make: what kind of home, what kind of neighborhood.

It didn't take much research to realize that the best choice of both was Dunwoody. The community was a dream come true. Our minds were made up that we would find a home in Dunwoody, send our children to Dunwoody schools, attend a Dunwoody church and be involved in the life of Dunwoody.

It took several all-nighters on the Internet and two trips to Georgia to find our home. When we finally found what we thought was perfect for us, my husband got the look that said without words, "You're getting this house, I don't care what it takes!" I had a lot of paperwork to go through to get SDOC Publishing re-established in our new home with new state and county regulations. SDOC's first new clients after relocating were Dunwoody-based business and organizations. They include the Briers North Subdivision, DCBA Inc, and the Atlanta Alumnae Panhellenic Association, which meets in the DeKalb Cultural Center on Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. When the Citizens for Dunwoody and DunwoodyYes! corporations were founded, our family were involved almost immediately. SDOC Publishing's website proudly displayed the DunwoodyYes! bumper sticker graphic right on the front page.

Just as our family have endeavored to be good citizens of our new city (!), SDOC Publishing has always endeavored to be a good corporate citizen as well. While some of our friends and neighbors are aspiring to public office, we feel our strength is in good business. Our new city will need strong business for all of us to thrive. SDOC Publishing has been eager to be part of the Dunwoody business community since Day One and we look forward to serving private industry, non-profit organizations, and political endeavors alike.

Congratulations, Dunwoody! Here's to a bright, prosperous future for all of us!

Adrienne D Duncan
Owner, SDOC Publishing