LANSING After 18 months in development, the Small Business Association of Michigan this week launched a new decentralized web site that lets several SBAM officers and managers post news directly without going through the webmaster.
It was a huge change for us, said Michael Rogers, SBAM Vice President of Communications. Im not sure a lot of organizations want to take that step. I still have the final say, but a lot of this is trust in the staff. We have good technical support and they feel comfortable with the electronic publishing process. In the end, its made SBAM must faster on our feet.
Rogers said SBAM saved about $20,000 in development costs by taping the experience of people on staff. Design issues were decided by committee before the back end of the web site was built by Troy Miller of Radiacreative.Com, an SBAM member.
One of the issues that popped up during staff discussion was everyone wanted the site to be more action oriented. They wanted people interested in small business information to go to the web site and find what they wanted more easily.
Initial infrastructure design work was started about 18 months ago by an SBAM staff member who then left. The project simmered for about a year until Radiacreative.Com completed the work. The site was in internal beta testing until Monday when it went live to the public.
The site also includes a sign up mechanism for WJRs Mitechnews.Com daily eNewsletters.
“Were trying hard to find ways to partner with unique players like MItechnews.Com, Rogers said. Mitechnews.Com covers people on the cutting edge of change in the small business community – dynamic element of the small business community wed like to get more involved with.
To view the new SBAM web site, click on SBAM.Org
