NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — North Adams needs a creative strategy to tackle the important issues of economic development and job creation. In order for North Adams to properly capitalize on the national and global exposure the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art has provided, a cutting-edge Web presence needs to be created.
The articles in Time Magazine, The New York Times and The Washington Post are read by tens of thousands of people whose access to the city is through the Internet. The new Web site should be interactive with video clips from Mary Grant the president of MCLA, Joe Thompson, director of Mass MoCA, elected officials, business owners and residents. The site should also include the ability to view all the requirements necessary to start a business whether it be retail or industrial. This Web site needs to bring North Adams out of the screen and right into the homes and offices of people around the world.
This new Web site will cost money and everyone knows that money is very hard to find. So, how does this project move forward? The computer science classes at MCLA, Drury High School and McCann Tech could be used to build the site. Local artists could be used to shoot the video clips and photograph all the scenic beauty throughout North Adams. By including our students and art community a sense of ownership is created among these groups of people. The city would monitor content and manage the Web site with the help of the students and artists.
In order to attract businesses in a very competitive market North Adams needs to think nationally as well as globally. The city cannot expect an employer to just waltz into town we need to go get them and the internet is the first step.
Let's show the world what we have to offer and let's do it together by combining our students, artists and residents. This is just the first step as a more in depth marketing plan would have to created to further put North Adams in front of as many businesses as possible. This first step is an important one and it can be done with everyone working towards the common goal of job creation.
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