Connecting Sandpoint

Let’s Begin

Sandpoint is a great place to live. We have the mountains, the lakes and the four seasons we sometimes complain about. In the middle of no-where, we’ve created a haven for the arts and environmental causes. Recently, we came to realize that we’re also a holistic town. We have one of the highest per-capita rates for massage therapists in the country.

Because of our environs and our interests, we have a great community. It ‘s a community rich with diversity. We have the “natives” who grew up here before anyone found Sandpoint. We have the back-to-the-landers who moved here decades ago to find themselves and their place. We have the escaped yuppies that were more than willing to give up their accouterments of urban living for a fuller life.

With all these factors, which can sometimes feel like tensions, we have a rich depth of people and interests. As we settle into being uniquely Sandpoint, we want to get to know each other, reach out and help each other. We are maturing as a community.

Let’s connect

I know I’ve said and I’ve often heard others say, I wish we could connect with others. I wish we knew more about what others are doing.

That’s why we are offering WholeSandpoint.com to the community. Our goal is to create a WordPress MU (multi-user) site that will allow us to connect, share and invite each other to be a part of what we are doing. This large site will allow individuals, groups, non-profits, and businesses to create websites, blogs, calendars and any other forms of internet communication with our community and beyond.

WholeSandpoint.com can be the reconverted warehouse that is an incubator for some, a home for others and a shop or store for someone else. In other words, it can be whatever our community wants to make it.

The how

WordPress and its MU version are free open-source programs that are now the way to do web sites. I’ve built over a dozen of  WordPress sites and blogs. If I can teach myself how to it, you can certainly do it with the help of our own user group. I have to warn you, the fun in doing it can be a little addictive.

WordPress allows us to customize how we use the program in endless ways. If you can imagine it, chances are WordPress can do it. We just need to figure out how.

Because we are a virtual co-op, the cost of having a site with all its features should be minimal. Who knows, we might be able to find sponsors and advertisers to help reduce the costs.

Beyond the site

My hope is that what we are creating is more than a site – it is a hub for a whole network of connections. Our calendar can be how we find out where to go to experience a new group of people after we read up on what that group does on their web site. Our calendar could become the go to place to learn what is happening in Sandpoint and it’s environs.

Beyond Sandpoint

For many businesses, their success and possibly their survival rest on expanding their market beyond Sandpoint. Over the last few years, I’ve asked business owners if they have a website. Most say no – they don’t know how to begin, it’s too much or they don’t think they need one.

With WholeSandpoint.com, we have a great opportunity to transcend these concerns to expand our business. We now live in a virtual world, even in Sandpoint. With the technologies now available, we can enjoy living in an isolated area, but our businesses can be worldwide.

Request for help

I can’t do this alone. I need help in:

• building, operating and managing the site
• generating the seed money to get it started
• spreading the word to enroll members and visitors to the site
• making it more than a web site

If you want to be a part of this, give us call or email Leslie.

Leslie Villelli

208.290.4784

Leslie [at] wholesandpoint.com

• Written by Owen Marcus