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New Online Community for the Blue Ridge Parkway
January 25, 2010
(Boone, NC) – The Blue Ridge Parkway has a new online community, where people come together to share ideas, ask questions, keep up with current events, and learn about the challenges the Parkway and surrounding communities currently face.
BlueRidgeParkwayBlog.com is more than just a posting site. With multiple authors and categories, the website provides useful information in an easy to use and familiar format. Readers will enjoy learning about the Blue Ridge region and the national park in their backyard from people who are closely involved with the area, making this a true online community.
Established as a derivative of VirtualBlueRidge.com, the premier online guide for the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blue Ridge Parkway Blog has come into its own as a wealth of information for Blue Ridge news, events, and issues.
Do you have a question about Parkway rules and regulations? Click on the “Regulations” category beneath the “Information” menu. Click on the “FAQ” to read answers to questions submitted over the past 10 years. Find answers to questions like “How do I find out about Blue Ridge Parkway road closures?” and “Can I have my wedding on the Blue Ridge Parkway?”
Reader participation goes beyond simply posting comments and submitting emails. The Parkway audience at-large is invited to become an author. The application process involves completing a short form, and submitting a sample piece of writing on a topic related to the Blue Ridge Parkway or the Blue Ridge region.
“This is one of the things we’re most excited about. We want to make this site easily accessible to the public at-large. We want to be able to share someone’s expertise on a particular topic so that it’s helpful to the many. Our authors have something relevant to say about the area and can contribute in a meaningful way,” said Joe Veler, president of Virtual Blue Ridge.
While the most intensive focus of the Blue Ridge Parkway Blog surrounds the national park, staff members are working with regional business owners and community members on widening the blog’s focus to include the entire Blue Ridge region surrounding the 469 mile linear national park.
Scott Farfone, owner of Foscoe Fishing Company, shares tips and tricks for fly fishing, and fishing reports from the Watauga River and Tennessee Tailwaters. John Haynes, a land steward and developer for The Headwaters at Banner Elk, discusses real estate trends in the High Country. Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs makes announcements about its annual Appalachian Mountain Photo Competition.
“Connecting people within a smaller community to the larger surrounding one is something we had envisioned from the beginning,” said Veler. “It’s the basic premise that we are all connected, and what may affect one, could easily affect another.”
Houck Medford, founder and executive director for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and an author for the site, says “This is a wonderful instrument for building community—by helping the local communities and the voices of the Parkway address common needs and share common ideas. We are all in this boat together.”
All are encouraged to visit the blog and participate in the conversations. The authors are anxious to receive reader feedback so that they can continue to provide relevant information. “An online community should be based on a conversation, not a one-sided lecture,” said Veler. He added, “Discussion forums will be added in the coming months to provide further community interaction.”
The re-launch of the blog that occurred in early January marks version 2.0 of the website that was originally launched in the winter of 2006.
About Blue Ridge Parkway Blog:
The Blue Ridge Parkway Blog aims to provide an online community for the collective Parkway Voice to be heard and responded to. The views contained within the blogs are those of the blogger and the persons commenting on their blog posts. Virtual Blue Ridge is the premier online resource for information about the Blue Ridge Parkway with a fun-to-use and extensive travel planner.
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