2009 -> 2010

Dear Galiano Islanders,

Thanks for a Great 2009! Looking back over this year's calendar, it's clear that Galiano is on the move.

2010 is going to be ActiveGaliano's year. We'll have a site redesign, some simplification of features, an expansion of the 'Directory', and hopefully a much increased subscriber base. (And will 2010 finally be the year that we get the 'easy printouts'?!)

We'll also have more input from organizations like the Lion's, and the Activity Centre Society. My continued "tour of the island" is to include a meeting with the Library and I'm hoping to get an invite to a Park's Board meeting as well. (If you want a visit to your organization, just let me know!) (And while I'm at it, thanks to Lucy for posting the PAC meeting dates!)

Next year I hope to be writing about how we've achieved our goal of getting ActiveGaliano up to the front page of a Google Search for Galiano Island, but we'll need help from all of you to do that.

The first events for 2010 are already starting to roll in, including one on the first day: a Polar Bear Swim! http://activegaliano.org/polar-bear-swim Brrrrrrrr!!!

The classified ads continue to roll along as well. http://activegaliano.org/galiano-island-classifieds Check out this ad if you think you might like to teach some piano: http://activegaliano.org/who-can-teach-me-play-chords-my-keyboard

For the new year I'm going to be trying out some e-interviews, where I send out a bunch of questions via e-mail, and coax folks out of the woodwork to answer some of the questions I have. I'm hoping to start with Henny Schnare on issues related to the Chamber of Commerce, and with Mandala Tea, Galiano's own tea business. If you have ideas about who should be interviewed for such a thing, do let me know.

I'm also going to be getting more specific with a thing I'm calling the Golden Triad: "Employment, Housing and Culture". You might even find the website migrating around that theme in some subtle ways. To start I'm going to be exploring the possibility of having rental owners pre-approve a medium-term stay for any candidate that wins a specific job posting. Then we can pitch jobs with associated accommodations.

Oh yeah, the new Notification Feature!

One thing that ActiveGaliano.Org keeners can now do is get notified of new content each evening. If you login to the site, go to the "My Account" link, and go to the "Notification Settings" tab, you'll find a place where you can set yourself up to receive a daily summary e-mail IF new content has been posted. It's a pretty handy way to be informed of new stuff being posted. Do let me know about your experience with that setting.

And with that, let me wish you and your extended family a great 2010, and THANK YOU for supporting our website. We're starting to move out of a phase of exploration, and into a phase of building more and more genuine connections in the real world.

cheers!

Christian

p.s. If you would like to leave the island a New Year's Wish login to the site and click the "add comment" link at the bottom of this page: http://activegaliano.org/2009-2010

[ You've got to bumble forward into the unknown. - Frank Gehry ]