VLCIA website sort of back: organizational questions

The continuing VLCIA website problems raise some organizational questions.

According to the VDT yesterday,

Website technical difficulties were a chief topic of concern at the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority Tuesday evening.

Staff expects the website to go back online in less than 24 hours

Well, let's see:

Well, sort of. The links in the flash thing at the top do work again, so you can get to detailed pages. Well, some of them: Staff & Board works, but Meeting Schedule does not. This description still applies:

It was also pointed out that meeting agendas and minutes were still available on the crashed website, but were intermixed with coding language.

The latest agenda is available. I thank VLCIA again for that, as I did both in Citizens to Be Heard and after the meeting Tuesday.

Doubtless VLCIA staff are doing what they can.

As an organizational issue, I wonder if the electricity was out for a week at the VLCIA office would the Industrial Authority do this:

According to Executive Director Andrea Schruijer, an upgrade was attempted two years ago unsuccessfully and the last true upgrade was over four years ago.

Or would they do this:

A Request for Proposal will be sent out by April for companies to respond to a bid for the creation of a new website.

Why do staff have to go to the board for permission to make their website work?

For that matter, why is fixing this not the job of the new PR and Marketing person? Not to mention, why is the new PR and Marketing person off taking a class in Economic Development 101? Silly me; I would have thought that would be part of the job description.

As VLCIA Executive Director Andrea Schruijer pointed out in response to a board member (I think it was Tom Call; video to come), the first thing prospective industries look at is the Industrial Society's website. And to her credit, unlike her predecessor, at least she's trying to get it fixed. The board appears to be where the source of the problem lies: they could have simply said years ago this needs to be fixed, go do it. To Chairman Roy Copeland's credit, at least now he's actively helping make that happen.

Here's hoping they get it working soon.

-jsq