A screen shot from the newly launched Cheney Merchant's Association website which will strive to be the No. 1 source for information on the community.
The old fashioned telephone book is no longer the source of information it once was. Certain other online avenues are only as good as the input and information they contain.
The newly launched Cheney Merchant's Association website plans to be the place - locally at least - where both residents and visitors can find information they need on businesses and organizations.
The page has been under construction for several months as the merchant's group sought to do a more thorough job of promoting business as a whole in Cheney.
"We've listed, as far as I can find, every business and organization in Cheney, whether you're a storefront or at home," web designer Joan Mamanakis said of the site thata can be found at http://www.cheneymerchants.org.
The basic listing is done at no charge and includes the name of the business, a short description and one contact, be that address, phone, email or online presence.
"That's just free to make sure we've got a complete listing," Mamanakis said.
CMA members - dues are $100 per year for storefront businesses, $30 for home-based companies and $15 for nonprofits - have as much information as they want listed, including logos and other images.
"You get a full listing," Mamanakis said. That can also include online coupons to drive traffic to a business's page.
Mamanakis estimates there are about 230 entries, including about 200 storefronts plus about 30 home-based businesses.
The newly designed website went from a beta version to fully live just recently. During Cheney Rodeo weekend word was slowly passed around to visit the page and provide input.
"We were kind of saying, 'This is a preview mode,'" Mamanakis said.
The site is constructed on a platform called Wordpress, which means there are certain limitations on the end product. "There are things that would be a challenge to change," Mamanakis said.
And there are other features that she said would be nice to change - if that can be figured out.
"If it is within our ability to change it to look at how it might be in the future, we'll take a listen," Mamanakis said.
Mamanakis said the Google analytics are now in place to provide information on traffic to both the CMA page, as well as the individual member listings.
"It's a good start and hopefully if people do find it useful, that will help us keep it current," Mamanakis said.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
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