Local4All Web Site
Connects People to Their Community
by Karen Fetter
It started out as a local idea and has grown to accommodate any small town
with a zip code, nationally. Entrepreneur Carl Bromley has changed the way small
towns can publicize themselves for free. The web site is
www.local4all.com and it can be used by
anyone that wants to share information.
Carl started this venture when his newly adopted hometown Kittanning had no web
site. He created a photo-essay entitled 'Online Walking Tour' that followed the
Tourist Bureau's brochure for Kittanning as well as providing a
free-for-everyone Message Board.
Even with no big launch and no paid advertising many people that were once from
the area connected back to the community with emails. Even long-lost elementary-
school friends were finding each other through the hometown Message Board. Carl
thought that since his Kittanning web site was so useful for his own community
why not make a web site available to every community in the country. The idea
for Local4All had been born.
Now, Bromley and co-owner Julia Duris urge volunteers to update their own
community's web page in addition to others who self-publish information. Their
goal is to make publishing text on this web site as easy as hanging a poster on
a bulletin board.
'We provide an opportunity for small towns to connect with people,' said Carl.
'You can post an event, create a custom online map, publish a non-event, share a
photo, register your nonprofit, list your church, write a local news story, and
link a news story to your community page. And it's not just small towns... every
big city has lots of small neighborhoods. For us, if it has a zip code, there is
a community page for that neighborhood.'
For first time users, there are several tutorials for businesses, nonprofits,
and individuals to help guide you through the site.
For businesses there is inexpensive advertising and online tools. Your company
can be highlighted as a 'Community Sponsor' on your community's page and as a
'nearby sponsor' on nearby community pages. Advertising can include links,
simple online brochures, and enhanced online brochures with ratings and
testimonials. Free tools can give you 16 categories of non-event items and nine
categories of event items along with photos, stories, and links. Local4All.com
was created to help small business owners compete in advertising at a low cost
so they can get more impact with their existing ad budgets.
For nonprofits there is fundraising. Businesses can buy into the 'Community
Sponsor' program (inexpensive advertising), which generates up to $60 in income
to support your mission.
Mapmaking is the newest addition to the toolbox for fundraising. If you are
making a map then you can sell a sponsorship. If there is a certain location
that many people need to find and would benefit you by having a map available,
it can be done through Local4all. For example, Westmoreland County needed a map
to describe where St. Clair Park is located for the 'movies in the park' night.
And another helpful map was for Lynch Field.
Visit the links below to see the available maps that were done for free by
volunteers!
(note: do not type 'www.' In these addresses, the 'm20' and 'm23' refer to map
numbers and replace the 'www.' )
m20.local4all.com - Map of Lynch Field
m23.local4all.com - Map of St Clair Park
15601m.local4all.com - Greensburg Area List of Maps
Take a look at your town on www.local4all.com
and see what you can contribute to your community.
************
Local4All.com's mission is given with the acronym A.E.I.O.U. The 'A' is to
Assist individuals and nonprofit organizations by promoting their cause and
providing income. The 'E' is to Empower small businesses by providing
inexpensive, effective advertising opportunities. The 'I' is to Inform residents
and visitors of community events and promoting local businesses. The 'O' is to
Offset and reduce costs for nonprofit organizations. And the 'U' is to Unite
communities.
Searching for your community is simple. There is a search page on the site that
allows you to find a town based on its zip code. The page will then be displayed
of the town you are searching. At the top of the page is a local volunteer that
contributes to the web page along with articles or announcements of news that
pertain to the town. There are also photos and links to sponsors or nearby
sponsors. You will find an event calendar, a sales sections, announcements,
organizations, and businesses.
Suppose you are looking at your town on local4all and feel as though there is
something that you can add that would help you or help publicize an event.
Simply go to the section that pertains to what you want to add and click on the
link. For example, if you had an event then you would click on the 'add event'
link. This will display a form that allows you to add an event to the page. The
steps are easy and if you make a mistake or need to change it you can review it
and make corrections. Follow these steps and you can be a part of your community
page.
Visit www.Local4All.com
and learn how
you can contribute to your own
community's web page.
Remember, it's free!
Local4all.com
Carl Bromley
208 North Jefferson Street, 2nd Floor
Kittanning, PA 16201
724-548-5716