The Co-op's Website: A Work in Progress
by Ruth Parnell, Maple Street Co-op News editor

Maple Street Co-op's website is up and running, fulfilling a decision voted on at a strategic planning meeting several years ago.

The initial planning phase comprised efforts by then Director Suzanne Davidson, Manager Alan Harrington and myself, and we recruited the services of Montville-based web designer/manager Jonathan Adkins who came up with the design based on our requirements, registered our website address (http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au) and put Maple Street Co-op on the Google search map.

The task fell to your editor to select material and edit it with the right formatting, ready to present to Jonathan. These processes were and still are time-consuming and often glitch-ridden, and not helped by your editor having a full-time job in publishing and also having to get your favourite newsletter out every two months, and then some! It means that the Maple Street Co-op's website is in a process of evolution, with new material and archival material being added from time to time.

Because the website is an important aspect of the Co-op's educative role in the community and beyond, thus reflecting our mission statement and strategic planning directives, the content is very text-driven – particularly the Maple Street Co-op News page featuring articles under subject heading and author name.

By clicking on buttons on the Home page and the About the Co-op page, you can join the Co-op, learn about the Co-op's history and find out how to set up your own cooperative. The latter page also contains information about our directors and staff, the health practitioners who operate out of our Consultation Room, the various submissions the Co-op has made on important issues like genetic engineering and the SEQ Regional Plan, and more. The Co-op News page also has a PDF of our latest edition; just double-click to open it.

The ever-patient Jonathan Adkins has helped nurture this website creation and is involved in its ongoing development.

Jonathan has his own website and graphic design business in Montville and provides affordable creative design and web management services for a diverse and growing clientele base. He graduated from the Queensland College of Art in 1987, and went on to establish himself as graphic designer with awards under his belt.

Jonathan's made quite a name for himself locally, as you'll find out if you ask just about any business in Montville with a website. He's also the publisher of the Montville Guide which promotes local businesses as well as community groups and services via the web. He has a talented team of IT associates and printers to assist in a range of web and print media jobs, including graphic and web design, corporate identity, advertising and marketing, digital 8MP photography, panoramic photography, domain management and print media management.

"Together we strive for quality, creating lasting relationships with our clients," says Jonathan.

Among his latest websites are ones he's created for The Blackall Range Care Group, Bradley & Bray Solicitors, Hall Contracting Pty Ltd (civil and dredging engineers) and Montville Country Cabins. Jonathan is also now offering clients the opportunity to join the world of e-commerce with his new e-trolley website facility with a Paypal checkout. To find out more about Jonathan Adkins and his work, visit http://www.adkins-online.com.au or phone him on 0407 761 685.

[From "Maple Street Co-op News", December 2005/January 2006; published by The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny, Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au, website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]