OnlineI was doing some searching for inspiration while working on the area directory section and ran into TheBubbler. It's a community portal kind of site like this one only it's for all of Wisconsin. The really great thing is they actually have an active community! I've run into other community sites before and they were all lacking in community. This one is hopping, though. So I signed up for an account and jumped in.
Now don't get me wrong; I'm not abandoning CRO. I'm still actively working on this place whenever the kids give me computer time and I hope some day we'll have a hopping community as well. But that won't happen over night and TheBubbler is already where I want to some day be so I'm recomending it to all of you who are looking for some local chat. It's not quite as local as this place, and their La Crosse county forum is as dead as we are, but non CR Wisconsonites are nice people, too. So check it out. But please don't forget to come back here, too. CRO needs your posts. 
Michelle
I found this site on theBubbler.
I'm not a Coulee Regionalist, I live between Lake Michigan and Lake Winnebago. So far, this is a good site for community, and family information for the folks of the Coulee Region.
Ah, those lakes.
That's not too far off from my home town of Sheboygan. That's a cool thing about TheBubbler. Since it's all of Wisconsin, I can chat with people from both sides of the state. I posted earlier today to see if any of my old BBS buddies are on there. That would be cool to hook up with old friends.
Michelle
Sheboygan is between the lakes. south eastern corner. I lived there for a couple years, in the late 90's.
Now I'm entertaining the idea of opening a regional between the lakes neighborhood forum, after seeing this one.
You got me curious so I looked at a map. I guess it's just level with the bottom corner. I was thinking it wasn't between because Fond Du Lac is at the bottom of the lake and Sheboygan is across from that but it looks like Sheboygan is just a touch farther north.
I lived in Sheboygan until '95 so I guess I just missed you.
If you make a forum, make sure you post a link. I'd love to see it. It's been a lot of fun making this one but also a huge amount of work. I've been working on it for months and still have a ton more to do. I suppose I'd be done by now if I could spend more time each day on it, so it depends how much free time you have. With two little ones, I don't have much. So this is a really loooong term project for me.
Michelle
Hi Michelle
Thought I'd stop over from the bubbler and visit your forum and see what it's all about.
You've done a nice job.
Carol
Thanks! I hope you stick around. Probably most of the site won't be of much interest since you're on the other side of the state, but you don't need to live here to chat in the forums. And goodness knows we can use all the help we can get in these forums. It's so nice to not be talking to an empty room anymore.
I haven't really done much advertising, yet, since I'm still actively working on the site. I want to get a few more things finished, first, and then I'll put up some flyers around town. Hopefully that will bring in more chatters.
Michelle
Oh I'm sure flyers will bring in some folks. I run our freerecycling list here for Jefferson County and it was a pretty dead list until I got some flyers out so people knew how to find us.
Carol
I keep debating when to start advertising. On the one hand, I'd like to wait until the site is more complete and has more content so people don't come and see the place is dead and leave again. On the other hand, I'd like to keep this conversation we've got started going and we really need more people to sustain the forums. So I keep waffling. What do you guys think? Do you think it's worthwhile putting up flyers when I still have so much work left to do on the site? It's probably going to be Winter before the site is "done". (Not that a website is ever done, but I think it will take that long to get all the initial features I want to add).
Michelle
IMHO I dont think it would hurt to put up local flyers. Maybe somewhere on there or on your home page state in BOLD that the site is still under construction with many new things coming and to visit often to see all the new updates?
Totally differnt areas, but I stareted advertising my pet sitting business well before I was ready to start working caring for critters. But I wanted to get the word out there saying Here I am. I got my first client 2 days after hanging flyers. Then they slowly started to trickle in, and when I was ready I advertised all around and people started coming from all around.
Carol
Hmmm... Here I thought I had made it obvious that the site was under construction with all those status posts on the front page and the "beta" in the logo. I'm not trying to be snarky, here, this is a serious question, when you came here did you not realize I was still working on it? If it's not obvious, then I'd better put something more on the front page. I'd hate for people to think that the site is done when big parts of it are still a mess! That's not a good impression to give. It's definitely far from done. I just made it live because there was enough done that I wanted to get people using it while I finished up the rest. I want to be sure people realize that.
As to the flyers, yeah, maybe I should put a few out and see what happens. I can always put out more when the site is finished, too.
Thanks,
Michelle
No I did not realize you were still working on it. I have no clue what beta and all that stuff mean. I looked for the term forum and hoped in hoping to say something.
If I dont see those words under construction or something to that effect I am clueless..... and I'm sure there are others like me.
JMHO
Carol
I'm sure there's lots of others like you. That's why I was concerned. Sometimes I forget not everyone is as geeky as me and knows about beta testing. LOL
Thanks for saying something. I'll put a clearer note on the front page. Or maybe even in the header since people may hit this site from a link and not go to the front.
Michelle
Ok, I added a note to the top and created a page based on my "to do" list. What do you think?
Michelle
For me, if it's not out there in bold telling me XYZ then I have no clue..........
I'll go peek cuz I actually logged in and came right to the forums.
Carol
Ah, yes, that was informative!!
Thanks!
Carol
Great! Thanks again for pointing that out. It's great to have real people here using this to get feedback from. I do all my posting from a regular user account so I see things from the user's perspective that way but it's not the same as seeing it from an outside viewpoint.
Michelle
The next time I feel lost and clueless I"ll just let you know! LOL!!
Carol
Please do. I could use the feedback!
Michelle
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