It looks like what SmarTown was doing year ago is just beginning to catch on. A recent CCN Money article was praising the efforts of a not for profit called the Mountain Area Information Network for creating a community portal supporting local entrepreneurs. Four year ago a test model called St. Pete SmarTown in St. Petersburg Florida built a local portal promoting local downtown areas businesses when accessing free WiFi at BayWalk (the local shopping, dining and entertainment center). This portal was packed with local news and community information with partners like the St. Pete Times and Bay News 10.
The unique thing about this portal is that it allowed real time content uploading from the local businesses, even using short videos. Whether it was a summer sale or just a few pizzas for half off in the next 15 minutes, the content could be changed on the fly offering updated on demand information. This model got 5,000 hit per month just in the local WiFi zone. The middle of the portal feature local articles written by business and community leaders giving great community information. This information was enjoyed by locals and tourists alike while they decided where to go and saved money on coupons. It is nice to see this model now expanded in rural communities. Good luck Mountain Area Networks. It worked in St. Pete, we hope it works for you.
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