Longboat Studios announces the launch of StarkvilleEATS.com, a local restaurant and entertainment directory for Starkville, MS, with a custom template design running on Joomla, the versatile open-source content management platform.

The New Improved StarkvilleEATS.com

Starkville is a relatively small university town in central Mississippi, home to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. With steady population growth, the current media outlets struggle to capture the interest of the entire community. Some folks read the newspaper, others watch TV, and many turn to the Internet. We are too small for an alternative free press like most college towns, and too large for everything to spread word of mouth. There are plenty of cultural events, outstanding restaurants, and nightlife, but no where can you find all of these listed in a single source. Sure, you can find reviews for Starkville on sites such as Yelp.com or TripAdvisor.com, but information is outdated quickly and reviews too sparse to really be useful.

Many cocktail party conversations revolved around what new places had opened and who had tried them. It became clear that we had a need not only for more cultural experiences in our lives so we could expand our discussion topics, but also for an accurate, up-to-the-minute restaurant directory where local people could share their opinions.

Joomla proved to be the perfect platform to develop such a site. As an open-source solution, developers from around the world are constantly adding enhancements and improving the core application. In the past, it would have taken a team of engineers and months of development to roll out a project such as StarkvilleEATS. Today, through the collective efforts of countless coders, an idea can go to market almost as soon as it is thought up.

Working fast has its advantages, but also many pitfalls. Time wasted is time never regained, and chasing down the “next big thing” that never materializes, or slapping a useless interface on an otherwise great concept is money down the drain.

Can this be avoided? Yes. As you develop your Internet strategy, consult an experienced professional. Technology and buzz words come and go faster than hair styles, but one thing remains constant whether you are selling products, promoting an event, or simply staying in touch with family and friends. Keep in mind that whatever project you develop for the Internet, it all boils down to communication, and communication is just another name for storytelling. Get your story straight and you will be just fine. It doesn’t matter what you call it: blog, article, text, essay, tweet… Start with your story, then use absolutely every tool and technological advance to communicate it with anyone who will listen.

So what’s the story of StarkvilleEATS.com? Why don’t you check it out an let me know what you think?