Swanage Carnival 2009
We have added a new video of the Red Arrows display from this afternon to the carnival page http://www.virtual-swanage.co.uk/attractions/page.aspx?p=carnival
We have also added new photos of the display into the gallery http://www.virtual-swanage.co.uk/gallery/default.aspx
Accommodation reviews
Following valuable feedback from many of the advertisers on the Virtual Swanage website, we have completed the new accommodation review system.
This facility is opt-in only so accommodation businesses who wish to accept reviews online will need to update their settings to enable reviews.
The review form will collect an overall rating, contact name and email, the month and year they stayed at the business and their comments.
We have added a tracking system so we will be able to see if someone is submitting multiple reviews and any abuse of the system will result in reviews being removed.
If any business is found to be submitting their own reviews or of their competitors, their listings will be permanently removed and the business will no longer be able to advertise on the Virtual Swanage website.
We hope this new addition to the website will be useful as a valuable marketing tool for the businesses who choose to accept online reviews.
Saga over the sale of Swanage caravan park near end
SWANAGE Town Council has reassured locals that the conclusion of the saga over the sale of its biggest asset is near.
It has spent months trying to offload Swanage Bay View caravan park as it faces money worries and has remained tight-lipped on progress, with the item discussed in closed sessions at meetings.
After Liberal Democrats in the town called on the Tory-run council to update the public, it has released a short statement, but is still giving little away.
From http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/districts/purbeck/4492095.Saga_over_the_sale_of_Swanage_caravan_park_near_end/
I wonder what will happen to the clubs who use or rent rooms on the site?
Future Site updates
Is been over 2 years since the current version of the website was launched and a lot has changed online since then.
The technology which runs websites has changed and now runs a lot faster and people now expect a lot more from a website than static pages.
We are currently looking at ways to improve the performance of the website and to make the site more interactive for users.
Some of the additions we are considering are:
- New menu system with access to every main pages from every page in the site.
- New ratings system on the Accommodation area to allow visitors to rate and review the accommodation they have stayed in.
- Ratings system for site pages so we can improve any pages which visitors feel are lacking in information.
- Better use of online mapping services to show clearer location maps for events, businesses, photos and attractions.
- Holiday planner with the facility to email and print a holiday plan.
- E-Postcard system in the gallery to allow visitors to send an electronic e-card to their friends.
- Social Bookmarking to allow users to bookmark a page or site on their favourite social networking site.
Please can you post any suggestions on ether these changes or post your own suggestions and we will add the best ones into the new site when it launches later this year.
Email system closed
Due to abuse of the email system on virtual-swanage.co.uk, we have been forced to close the free email facility on this website. Please can all the users sign up with an alternative service such as googlemail or hotmail for their email needs.
We are sorry about the short notice of this change but due to the system being used for identity theft, it had to be removed due to a pending investigation and therefore all accounts had to be removed.
