King and Queen
In the words of one resident. 'This was the best thing to happen to King and Queen in decades.'
KQInfoTrail.net was deployed on May 1, 2003. Since then, it has attracted over 5,000 unique visitors and increasing numbers of listings on the village directories and community calendar. The Technology Leadership Team (TLT) has established partnerships with other community agencies that have led to the development of a Kid's Club site for the children of King and Queen and agri-tourism and business workshops for those thinking about starting a business. Marketing materials developed by this group are cost-effective and have wide appeal. The unique accomplishments of the King and Queen program are described below.
- King and Queen was the first county to begin active work on the TOP program and served as a model for the counties that followed. The Technology Leadership Team (TLT) recruited in King and Queen was exemplary in its broad representation from all geographical and occupational sectors of the County. The list of affiliations of the King and Queen TLT was posted on the TOP web site as a guide for the counties that followed.
- The King and Queen program developed partnerships with other community groups such as the Community Prevention Council and Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) to garner additional resources and expand the offerings on the Information Trail site. Funding from a 21st Century Learning Grant made possible the development of the Kid's Club link (thetigertrail.net) to the main web site. Targeted toward latch-key children this project also provided help with homework, messages related to substance abuse prevention, and listings of youth activities in the county, making available a safe site for web exploration by children. Garnered funds also supported the participation of several high school students on the TLT, adding valuable input from this group as well as developing leadership capacity. The TLT cooperated in the preparation of the Rural Utilities Grant proposal to set up public access computer stations across the county. Although not funded at this time, the proposal will be resubmitted in the next funding round.
- The King and Queen TLT established a major connection between the Take Charge process and the King and Queen Information Trail. The overall goal of the TOP project was to prepare rural counties to move ahead in the Information Age, providing not only the tools for technology, but also encouraging the use of that technology to develop leadership, community capacity, and shared decision-making. Over one third of the residents attending at least one of the sessions had not taken part previously in a community planning process. TLT members noted that the Take Charge sessions helped to build 'community' for the next phase of the project, and the emphasis on the value of technology in economic development helped speed the web site development process. Recurring government meetings including the monthly meetings of the King and Queen Planning Commission, the King and Queen Board of Supervisors, and the King and Queen Public Schools are posted on the Community Calendar, along with the agendas.
- The TLT approached the King and Queen Public Schools to evolve ways to work together. A survey on computer availability and Internet access among families in King and Queen was developed in partnership with the TLT and an Extension evaluation specialist at Virginia Tech and is being sent home with children in the school system. Promotional materials about the KQInfoTrail such as the bookmark reached parents by way of their elementary age children.
- The King and Queen program developed a model for on-going cooperation and interaction with the County Board of Supervisors. Regular updates by the local leader kept the Supervisors apprised of progress. Local issues and topics from the Supervisors are to be posted on the web site Discussion Board, encouraging citizen participation in their community and providing feedback for the Supervisors to review when making decisions.
- The King and Queen TLT developed unique marketing ideas that proved useful to other TOP counties. Holding a contest to name the King and Queen electronic village attracted the attention of both youth and adults, and additional exposure for the web site by gained by the opportunity to vote at Community Pride Day in Fall 2002. The contest idea was adopted by another county, based on the success in King and Queen. The bookmark and business card with the web address were attractive and cost-effective. The popularity of these items is noted in the fact that 3,000 bookmarks were distributed in less than a year, and over 800 business cards in about two months.
- The Agri-tourism Business Conference, involving all the counties in Planning District 18, attracted regional attention to entrepreneurship opportunities existing in rural communities. Both tourism and direct marketing of local products and crafts present income opportunities for farm and rural landowners, and posting such goods and services on the web site can attract visitors and customers from Virginia and around the world. Among the 60 participants in the agri-tourism conference were the Director of Virginia Cooperative Extension, a staff member of the District 1 Congressional representative, and economic development officers from surrounding counties. Evaluations indicated that the conference had met an existing need, and a follow-up workshop on developing a business plan had 21 people registered. Faculty from Virginia State University provided content for both of these events. A panel of local entrepreneurs shared their expertise and advice at the agri-tourism program.
- The King and Queen program has placed on-going emphasis on promoting new business start-ups and supporting existing small fledging enterprises, a goal at the very heart of this project when it was first conceived. Five King and Queen residents have taken advantage of the Virtual Business Incubator and several businesses are receiving assistance with their web pages through the Internship Program developed by the Blacksburg Electronic Village. King and Queen has attracted the greatest number of listings on the Business Directory of any TOP county (150), and has recorded over 2,700 visits to that site. Local residents have pointed to discovering businesses offering goods and services in their home county that they never knew existed. An attractive colored flyer produced by the TLT encourages folks to visit the web site and patronize local businesses, thus boosting the internal economy.
- The King and Queen web site has continued to attract visitors and listings on its various directories. Over 5,000 unique visitors have been recorded and over 8,300 total visits, rather extraordinary outreach for a county with an estimated population of 6,600 (based on the 2000 census). King and Queen has the highest number of individuals registered as villagers (179) and a total of 57 organizations on the community directory. The five community-wide information meetings scheduled in different locations and still in progress will likely bring about additional registrations. The marketing efforts in King and Queen have focused more on the web site and its potential for economic development, rather than on the role of technology alone. This approach appears to have been very successful in gaining the attention of residents in King and Queen and elsewhere.