It seems to me that the websites under discussion are designed for two different purposes, both of which have a use if used together. The Visit Newbury site is designed to attract tourists to the area, retailers will then take advantage of increased footfall; as the retail offer in Newbury is not a destination in its own right at present compared to other nearby Centres, it is understandable why this is not a focus of teh web. Newbury net is a much more detailed site and covers retailers in some depth; this is much more useful for residents and those nearby, and as a link from Visit Newbury for those that want to look into Newbury's retail offer.

I suspect that this link has not been made as there are a number of features of Newbury Net which do Newbury a dis-service; there is a statement on the Home page by Brian Burgess that gives a pretty negative impression of the town; the list of retailers is out of date; the last news was posted in April; many links do not work (eg Kings Coffee House); and it has a forum that in the main is negative about almost everything that happens in Newbury. If any town centre business thinks that this is the website that should represent the town then they really should look in to the detail.

We need to develop the Visit Newbury site to be more encompassing, and if Newbury Net can get itself sorted this would be the natural link from VN.

Quoted from NewburyP

We need to develop the Visit Newbury site to be more encompassing, and if Newbury Net can get itself sorted this would be the natural link from VN.

You seem to be confusing websites NewburyP. I accept your criticism of newbury.net, and it used to concern me that it appeared to have so much negativity on the forum. However I would suggest that if you read the forum on Newbury Today, that you will find just as much, if not more negativity.

The two websites under comparisson for Newbury shops were Visit Newbury and Shop Newbury. There is no negativity on Shop Newbury and apart from needing updating, there is no reason whatsoever that a link to this site could not be included from Visit Newbury. Maybe retail visitors to the BID site should be made more aware of the Shop Newbury website.

Perhaps you should look at this posting from the Newbury Forum to understand that Shop Newbury is a popular site and is perfectly adequate to satisfy the BID requirement and it is FREE.

http://www.newbury.net/forum/m-1305919556/s-252/#num252

Quoted from NewburyP

It seems to me that the websites under discussion are designed for two different purposes, both of which have a use if used together. The Visit Newbury site is designed to attract tourists to the area, retailers will then take advantage of increased footfall; as the retail offer in Newbury is not a destination in its own right at present compared to other nearby Centres, it is understandable why this is not a focus of teh web. Newbury net is a much more detailed site and covers retailers in some depth; this is much more useful for residents and those nearby, and as a link from Visit Newbury for those that want to look into Newbury's retail offer.

I suspect that this link has not been made as there are a number of features of Newbury Net which do Newbury a dis-service; there is a statement on the Home page by Brian Burgess that gives a pretty negative impression of the town; the list of retailers is out of date; the last news was posted in April; many links do not work (eg Kings Coffee House); and it has a forum that in the main is negative about almost everything that happens in Newbury. If any town centre business thinks that this is the website that should represent the town then they really should look in to the detail.

We need to develop the Visit Newbury site to be more encompassing, and if Newbury Net can get itself sorted this would be the natural link from VN.

Calm down dear - it's only a website. It's a shame that you see alternative ideas as 'negative' (understandable though if you've been listening to the Supreme Leader and his Ministry of Information). I am sure if you'd been around here for the last 10 years, you might share some of the cynicism around the top-down central planning of the Cartergrad Project, which has destroyed so many of the things it said it was here to help with.

No matter...the issue at hand is back to what we're trying to achieve and how best we might go about it. Websites are notoriously difficult to get right....see this, which tries to be a one stop shop whether you're relocating a business or planning a shopping trip.

http://www.livingreading.co.uk/reading-uk-cic.html

Websites could soon be old hat in any case. Perhaps smartphone apps are the way to go, and Vodafone is working on some pretty nifty GPS gadgets as we speak. It might be worth having a word with them to trial it in Newbury for free.

A tourism-style website is naive to invest in, because (as brian said) it won't appeal to the locals. Getting the locals onside has to be a higher priority than hoping for coachloads of Highclere daytrippers, and they will sell the place to the wider world much more effectively than any website.

To do that, Newbury needs to shed it's image as an expensive town (yes, taxis, green meanies, pubs, farmers market - that means you!) and focus on doing the basics brilliantly by....

1. A locals-only discount day....say on a Thursday. Free parking/discount vouchers.
2. Sunday opening. Two thirds of town is shut - even when 12,000 turn out for the carnival. Lobby them to open up and coordinate activities for the 'big days'....canoe race, waterways, 10k run etc to give the crowds somewhere other than Tesco to spend their money in.  
3. Community litter picks...sponsored by Veolia.
4. Two x 100ft banner ads on the BT Tower promoting discount day.

BrianB - noted re the Shop Newbury site - this site could be adapted to link from the Visit Newbury site; my points about Newbury Net still stand.

Muddler - I disagree that a tourist website is not worth investing in; we need to appeal to both locals and tourists. The ideas you list are what the BID team are working on, and Parkway will hopefully spearhead Sunday opening across the town.

There needs to be a plan for the attraction and retention of both locals and visitors; to ignore either does not make any sense.

Right I think I've sorted this. Here's an extract from my new website http://www.visitcartergrad.co.uk

WELCOME TO CARTERGRAD
Set beneath a canopy of 21st century timber-clad towers, Cartergrad was built on the ruins of a friendly market town called Newbury.

Today, the town offers a wealth of great days out for all to enjoy. Journey back through time at Camp Hopson, an authentic reconstruction of shopping in the 1980s. And for thrill-seekers, why not take part in the regular pastime of bollarding - a white knuckle ride you won't forget in a hurry!

If culture is your thing, then take a stroll via the closed-down museum to the People's Cinema for the latest blockbuster. And if you're here for a more lively weekend, pop to Liquid for 80p drink promotions..it's a riot!

There's plenty more to pack into your stay with us too.....try out our unique 'sinking park', berate a green meanie, or [that's enough ill-informed internet posting - ed]

Quoted from Muddler

1. A locals-only discount day....say on a Thursday. Free parking/discount vouchers.
2. Sunday opening. Two thirds of town is shut - even when 12,000 turn out for the carnival. Lobby them to open up and coordinate activities for the 'big days'....canoe race, waterways, 10k run etc to give the crowds somewhere other than Tesco to spend their money in.  
3. Community litter picks...sponsored by Veolia.
4. Two x 100ft banner ads on the BT Tower promoting discount day.

Excellent ideas Muddler and I'm sure they'll be welcomed.  I particularly like the locals only discount day although why limit it to one day - allow local people to apply for discount cards which they could use as you describe. Either way, easy enough to organise: are there similar schemes elsewhere?

An addition to your list.

5. Late closing day: I can never understand while so many shops open at 9.00am ish every day when there aren't many people around and then close when everyone is on their way home.  By 6.00pm Northbrook Street is a wasteland, with only drifts of litter and a few shirtless fellows clutching cans of special brew  accompanied by lethal-weapon dogs and cans of special brew to welcome shoppers into town.  I know it would take a while to catch on, but surely it would make sense to have at least one late closing day in the town centre.  Perhaps Parkway could take the lead on this.

Meanwhile I have taken some photos of alternative locations for the new arts centre which I'll try to post later.  They would all have the huge advantage of boosting town centre footfall while exploiting currently derelict sites.

Quoted from NewburyP

Muddler - I disagree that a tourist website is not worth investing in; we need to appeal to both locals and tourists. The ideas you list are what the BID team are working on, and Parkway will hopefully spearhead Sunday opening across the town.

You really believe that Newbury will attract shopping tourists. What makes you think that I wonder. Why would a tourist come and walk around Newbury town centre with the dozens of other quaint towns and villages as possible tourist venues, we can't even keep our museum open. With places on the map like Oxford, the Cotswolds, Winchester... etc......

The Newbury and surounding areas website majors more on surrounding areas than Newbury town. The list of shops is incomplete and I assume the ones listed have paid for an insertion. There is a nice section inviting the reader to visit Hungerford. That works for Newbury. The one tourist attraction we have is closed till 2014.

You may believe that Newbury.net is negative but when there are schemes in the pipeline to ravage Victoria park fot their pavilion, dig holes in the Wharf, close one of the bridges, allow SLI to do what it likes in terms of planning, do you consider that all that should go ahead without any discussion.

There has been a lot of nonsense on this BID thread but that is the nature of forums and a proportion of them were because some of the posters didn't understand what it was about and for some reason, some of them thought that it was going to add to the tax burden.

Quoted from BrianB

Perhaps you should look at this posting from the Newbury Forum to understand that Shop Newbury is a popular site and is perfectly adequate to satisfy the BID requirement and it is FREE.

I thought you said that Shop Newbury wasn't popular with traders as there had been little uptake?

If it doesn't attract traders now, what makes you think it will in the future without bringing the design and functionality up to date?

Quoted from user23.3

If it doesn't attract traders now, what makes you think it will in the future without bringing the design and the functionality up to date?

Do you think the design and functionality was the reason business were not very interested?  The only thing missing seemed to be a search option and a web link for the various businesses.

I think a smartphone enabled site would be more advantageous, perhaps a Newbury Shopping app for that blood phone every **** has got?

Quoted from Greenham Common

Do you think the design and functionality was the reason business were not very interested?  The only thing missing seemed to be a search option and a web link for the various businesses.

I think a smartphone enabled site would be more advantageous, perhaps a Newbury Shopping app for that blood phone every **** has got?

Just a guess so I could be wrong, but it looks 2001 rather than 2011. That would put me off.

Of course you're entitled to disagree but I think it needs a better search, Google maps, a mobile version (at lot easier than writing separate apps for different platforms) and above all an up-to-date and professional look and feel.

Quoted from Muddler

1. A locals-only discount day....say on a Thursday. Free parking/discount vouchers.
2. Sunday opening. Two thirds of town is shut - even when 12,000 turn out for the carnival. Lobby them to open up and coordinate activities for the 'big days'....canoe race, waterways, 10k run etc to give the crowds somewhere other than Tesco to spend their money in.  
3. Community litter picks...sponsored by Veolia.
4. Two x 100ft banner ads on the BT Tower promoting discount day.

Excellent ideas Muddler and I'm sure they'll be welcomed.  I particularly like the locals only discount day although why limit it to one day - allow local people to apply for discount cards which they could use as you describe. Either way, easy enough to organise: are there similar schemes elsewhere?

An addition to your list.

5. Late closing day: I can never understand while so many shops open at 9.00am ish every day when there aren't many people around and then close when everyone is on their way home.  By 6.00pm Northbrook Street is a wasteland, with only drifts of litter and a few shirtless fellows clutching cans of special brew  accompanied by lethal-weapon dogs and cans of special brew to welcome shoppers into town.  I know it would take a while to catch on, but surely it would make sense to have at least one late closing day in the town centre.  Perhaps Parkway could take the lead on this.

Meanwhile I have taken some photos of alternative locations for the new arts centre which I'll try to post later.  They would all have the huge advantage of boosting town centre footfall while exploiting currently derelict sites.

Quoted from user23.3

Just a guess so I could be wrong, but it looks 2001 rather than 2011. That would put me off.

Of course you're entitled to disagree but I think it needs a better search, Google maps, a mobile version (at lot easier than writing separate apps for different platforms) and above all an up-to-date and professional look and feel.

Do you think those are the reasons businesses didn't 'join in'?  I'd say a 'professional look and feel' is the least important of those things you listed.  It shouldn't be ugly, but usability and easy of extracting the information you want is more important I think.

Marketing and promotion have to be the most important features for getting the word out.  Facebook and all the other social networks have to be included in a modern web space marketing campaign I think.  Maybe even YouTube virals and similar.

Quoted from Greenham Common

Do you think those are the reasons businesses didn't 'join in'?  I'd say a 'professional look and feel' is the least important of those things you listed.  It shouldn't be ugly, but usability and easy of extracting the information you want is more important I think.

Marketing and promotion have to be the most important features for getting the word out.  Facebook and all the other social networks have to be included in a modern web space marketing campaign I think.  Maybe even YouTube virals and similar.

These sites looks good

http://www.mkweb.co.uk/shopping/ - http://www.shopletchworth.com/

but for me it's hard to find out about specific shops in the area on the first one, and to see where in the area they're located on the second.

So yes you're right, it needs to be easy to use and bring back the right results in the right format too.

Quoted from user23.3

These sites looks good

http://www.mkweb.co.uk/shopping/ - http://www.shopletchworth.com/

, and to see where in the area they're located on the second.

Actually, it doesn't say so but if you click on the photograph, it brings up the address and also a Google map with a marker which map can be zoomed down to close detail and swop to street view to show the location

Quoted from brian

Actually, it doesn't say so but if you click on the photograph, it brings up the address and also a Google map with a marker which map can be zoomed down to close detail and swop to street view to show the location

You're right, it only seems to be location maps for specific businesses though.

I can't seem to find a map that displays all businesses in one area, or one type of business in a larger area.