Commerce and Citizenship

Virtual Field Trip

 

1. Pretend you are seeking to relocate your business to Northwest Indiana. Based on their city and chamber of commerce web sites which of the following cities/places will you consider first? Why?

Based on the city and chamber of commerce web sites I would consider Valparaiso as the first option in relocating my business to Northwest Indiana. I would choose Valparaiso over East Chicago and Highland because based on the websites Valparaiso's were very informative on how to begin a business venture in the city. Any possible question I could have would be answered between the city's website or the chamber of commerce. The city's website also gave plenty of information on the type of community I could expect entering into. This is also a very important aspect to look at when relocating especially if a family is involved.

 

2. Pretend you are a tourist. Will you visit Lake County or Porter County first? Why?

If I am a tourist I would definitely choose to visit Lake County first. I would go to Lake County first because, while I do enjoy nature from time to time that is not the only recreational interest I have. From browsing each website Lake County really hit on the various interests that different people can have whereas Porter County's activities revolved around the outdoors. Lake County did a very good job at making sure people were aware of how close Chicago is to the area and how accessable it is to get to from Lake County.

 

3. Pretend that you are a resident of each of the following cities. As a citizen which city serves you the best through their web site? Why?

The city that would serve me best as a citizen through their web site would be Valparaiso. The web sites for Highland and Whiting were more for individuals looking to become a citizen. There was not too much information about events happening around the town. Highland did have news updates about the happenings but it seemed to me as more of a PR move to show people how their community works together.

The Valparaiso site has a good balance of information for individuals that might move into the area as well as information for the community members. At the bottom of the homepage there was a City News Section as well as a section for Community Events. There was also on the side a section in which community members can read the meeting minutes of the various organizations within the community. Highland nor Whiting had anything nearly as comprehensive as this.

 

Cities and regions are not the only places represented within the virtual region. Take a look at the Miller Beach pages. Miller is a neighborhood in Gary.

 

4. Who created this site? Why do you think the site was created?

This site was created by Steve Spicer. I think this site was created because so many people have preconcieved notions about Gary, Indiana and the surrounding areas. This site might have been created to combat that and show people who are not familiar with the area that some aspects of Gary are worth seeing and that there is quite a bit of history behind this region of Northwest Indiana.

 

5. How is this site different from the city, tourism, and chamber of commerce sites you looked at? Is its primary purpose to promote the neighborhood to outsiders?

The major difference with this page is that it was created and being kept up by a member of the community. It does not have anything directly involving the actual city of Gary or the community of Miller Beach governments like the other pages did for their cities. This page is more informative about the area dealing with historical aspect and what Miller beach has to offer to the citizens or to outsiders.

I do not necessarily think that this website is used to "promote" the community to outsiders, if anything it is a link to previous members of the neighborhood. If you look on the Forum page most of the posts are from individuals who have moved away from Miller Beach but want to stay in contact with classmates or old friends. In the same respect I think that this website is more of an educational tool for outsiders in the fact that it includes the history of Miller Beach as well as information about the area such as the schools and attractions.

 

6. What image or story about Miller Beach does this site convey? Does this image match the image that you have of Gary?

This site conveys the Miller Beach is a nice quiet place in which someone could raise a family. That definitly does not match the image that I have of Gary.

 

Analysis

7. To what extent do city government web sites promote their cities for economic development? How might this goal come into conflict with providing citizens with information about their cities?

I think that the main purpose for some city government web sites are to promote their cities for economic development. Each web site provided to us for this vitural field trip had some sort of information about how a business could fare well in the different cities. In all honesty it would be stupid for a city not to include information about economic development. Cities and communities want to strive to be as prosperous as possible, and that is one way to do it.

This goal might come into conflict with providing information to the citizens by not including such things as Community Events or forums in which community members can give their opinions on what is going on in the city. That was what was so good about the Valparaiso city's website. It made sure that it's current citizens were not overlooked with the information provided.

 

8. To what extent do the city and chamber of commerce web sites that you looked at here attempt to "brand" their cities? Do you feel that branding a city is an appropriate thing to do? Why or why not?

I think that the "branding" occured more in the chamber of commerce web sites than the city web sites. Valparaiso and Highland both had some type of slogan or predominatly placed idea as to why their city was so great to live in. I feel that branding a city isn't so much appropriate as it is necessary. If you are trying to attract new businesses you need to indicate why your town is the best choice and creating a "brand" for your city is definitley the best way to go about it. The branding draws the perspective business owner in and then the rest of the website can be used to show why the city is the best choice.

 

9. What story or image does the Valparaiso Chamber of commerce site create for Valparaiso? How is it similar to or different from your own perception of Valparaiso?

The Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce site follows through with the slogan found at the top left hand corner of the homepage, "It's Great to Make it Home." It goes through and talks about how charming and community oriented the city is and what a great place it would be to start a business.

This does match my perception of the city of Valparaiso. I think that they have however talked a little too much about their expansion plans about the redevelopment projects. I have been at studying at Valpo for three years now and all they have gotten done doing is discussing this project, it doesn't seem as if anything is actually being put into motion. That does not change my view about Valparaiso being a good place to live or start a business. Any city is slow on development.