Using Village Manager in a Recession

VillageManager.net - a free service to the public - can be used in many ways during the recession to help your community thrive. Here are some ideas:

• Start keeping a list of tools and equipment neighbors can share. In your community there are specialty pieces of equipment - and the know on how to operate them - that can help you start and finish a product inexpensively.
• Keep track of your senior citizens. Create a schedule for visiting them, especially during the coldest and hottest months of the year.
• Organize games at the park for the community's kids. They can get outside, run around in an organized activity.
• Keep track of vacant/foreclosed housing. Keep notes and pictures of the properties. Share them with officials when appropriate.
• Organize events with local businesses. Build a neighborhood loyalty club. Example: anyone in the neighborhood association gets a free haircut on Wednesdays.

In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, we have not to fear but fear itself. We can rely on our neighbors to take care of our child, parks and public spaces.

Planning Marketing in Your Village

Market Knowledge has created a guide for communities to create and implement a community marketing plan. Check it out:

http://www.eightpoints.com/communitymarketingplanning.htm

Another BIG Question

Here's another question we'll answer in great detail:

How did you pick those funky business categories in the business profile?

What questions should we answer or topics should we discuss on this blog?

Creating, maintaining, and understanding a village is a task that many people around the world are responsible for. We thought some of the following questions may provoke discussion about village management:

• So, what is a village?
• Are villages urban, rural, suburban?
• So, why should you create a village?
• What should I know about properties?
• What should I know about businesses?
• What should I know about people?
• So, why did we start VillageManager.net?
• What's important to successfully running a village? Organization? Creativity?
• Does a village have to be a geographically-defined area?
• Okay, I've entered the information, what do I do now?
  

We'll add to this list. Provide your own questions. Let's start a dialogue.

Chris

How To Create a Village

A village is made of people, property, and businesses --- and the relationships between them. There can be many relationships. One person can own one or more properties and/or own one or more businesses. So, enter your property info first, then your business info, and finally the people info. Be sure to enter the name of a person only once. Then associate your village's properties and businesses with their owners.

Welcome to the VillageManager.net Support Blog

Welcome to the VillageManager.net support blog. Look to this blog for ideas on how to best use your VillageManager.net account.