I Choose Indy!

Pat Coyle and I had a conversation on our drive(s) to work discussing I Choose Indy and where it’s heading. Rather than put the information in an email to Pat, I’d rather share it with you folks since this is truly your site.

I Choose Indy! continues to get attention - first with the Indianapolis Business Journal and then The Indianapolis Star. Now, the audience is widening. Today we received 60 visitors from MSNBC on MSN. Word is spreading fast, so we want to continue building out the site.

Here are my thoughts on what’s next:

• Seed. In order for the site to continue growth, we need leaders in this region to acknowledge the site and share their stories. We’ve already got some - but the site would really take on momentum if we had local political figures, sports figures, celebrities and industry giants participate. That will get us into more organic searches and continue to gain attention outside the region for folks with interest.
• Weed. Utilizing WordPress was a great start for the site, but for those of you that have signed up and are not technically savvy, the admin interface to post is pretty clunky. We’d like to devote some development time to enhance the site administration so that anyone can click their way through it and get their word out. Pat and I both work full-time for great companies, so it’s something we need to invest in since we don’t want to get pulled away from our employers. A local designer has already volunteered on the look & feel so that’s on the way.
• Cross-Pollinate. There are so many good local sites and resources here in Indianapolis. The local media, local chambers, government, community groups, and bloggers - we’d love to connect with these organizations to cross-promote our site with all of them. Bloggers have already stepped up to the plate - we’re listed on a number of them now. I Choose Indy! is a distinct voice - it’s the voice of the region. You won’t find that on the other sites, so it’s important that we connect with them so that visitors can hear all sides. We’re not competing with any local site… we’re looking to promote them!
• Grow. If we seed, weed and cross-pollinate, the site is going to grow. When that happens, it’s a win for the site, for our sponsors and partners, and of course for our region.

Like it or not, this is going to take an investment. So Pat and I are going to ‘poke around’ and see what we can come up with. Perhaps some advertising or sponsorship on the site, perhaps simply getting some financial support from some regional folks. Maybe it’s simply posting a donation form! We’re not sure which… but one thing we do know is that it’s already working! People are writing, people are reading, people are talking… the word is getting out on why we choose Indy!

This is your site, so let me know what you think about this plan. Comments are always welcome!