Why the Web?

It seems like everyone and everything has a web site these days. I actually saw a web site for a squirrel the other day. Why? Mostly because they can.

 

In reality, most web sites are there because they are trying to sell something - a product, a service, a person's ego. This one is no different. We are trying to sell something.

 

How it began...

Beth and I recently considered moving; we needed a bigger house. When we went shopping around, we were amazed at how difficult it was to find a slightly bigger house that had the same things that we value in our current house - a mature, wooded lot, at least 1/2 an acre, maybe a creek in the backyard and lots of local wildlife.

 

Ok, difficult was a poor choice of words; impossible is what we discovered. We quickly learned that what we have here in Chartwell is very special and becoming even more rare as new houses are built in the area. That led us to the path we recently finished - upgrading our current house.

 

As I now sit out here tonight on our screened porch, with a light breeze in the air and crickets chirping everywhere, I am reminded of what an incredible decision that was and how disappointed we would have been had we left.

What does that have to do with this web site?

We are trying to sell something. We are trying to sell you the memory of the time you first decided to move here. We are trying to sell you the moment you met your first neighbor. We are trying to sell you reminders - reminders of why this is such an awesome place to live. So many good things happen when a community takes pride in what it holds special.

 

With this site, we are here to help make this an even better place to live by helping to develop community. Community is facilitated through good communication. Since we all can't be out mowing our lawns at the same time, we thought that a community web site would be a great way to spread some of this information and keep you informed what is going on.

 

This web site is based on the simplicity model. It will be of more use if we don't make things too complicated. Figure out what readers want to know and provide nothing more.

 

Our plans are to include the following:

• Important community documents   (password protected)
• Community interest stories about families in the neighborhood
• COPS information
• Referrals for contractors and services
• Late breaking information about stories of interest to the community
• A link to important community information available elsewhere on the web
• Events (yard sales, special occasions)
• Homes for sale

We want people to get to know each other so it is our intention to write small little stories about various people in the community and some of their activities. We intend to use those in the community to help write the stories. One idea we are pursuing is to use some of the students in the neighborhood to author some of the community interest stories.

Is there another reason?

Yup. We wanted to provide information to those who are interested in making Chartwell their future home. Too many times prospective home buyers are left to whatever limited knowledge a real estate agent might have gained over the years. Luckily we have several agents in the neighborhood who can give their clients great insight into the Chartwell experience. However, there are far more agents who bring clients here than these fantastic few.

 

So this is a tool that real estate agents can use to give their clients a comfortable view of life inside Chartwell - up to date and real. The clients will get a truly authentic experience.

Let us know what you think

This is meant to be a simple site. By keeping it simple we avoid making the authoring of this a full-time event and increase the likelihood of success. Since the current incarnation only comes from our household, we'd love to get your thoughts on how to improve it. Please drop me a note and let me know what you think.