Monday, August 20, 2012

Main Street Arkansas Update - August 20, 2012


One Month from Destination Downtown.  It’s time to register!  Don’t forget the Tuesday, $50 registration for those who can’t take three days off work.

Statewide 5-Year Preservation Plan Listening Sessions
August 21, West Memphis, Main Street Office, 5pm 

Main Street Arkansas Calendar –August 20 - 24, 2012 
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MONDAY                            
TUESDAY                          
WEDNESDAY                   
THURSDAY                        Nancy – Fayetteville, Urban Forestry Training             
FRIDAY                               
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IN THIS ISSUE:

Stats from Google
New Main Street Blytheville Director
Cash Mob – Downtown El Dorado
Russellville Downtown Master Plan Unveiled August 28
Let’s Get Local in Eureka Springs
Preservation Alliance of AR Call for Awards Noms
USPS Every Door Direct
Cyclist Need Cities to Protect Them
Grant Opportunity

A few statistics I learned at last week’s Google seminar on small business:
·         In 2011, 68% of Arkansans have high-speed internet access in their home or workplace.
·         85% of the world has Internet access
·         80% of the world has electricity, as a comparison
·         50.4% of cell phone users use a smartphone
·         More than 6 out of 10 (61 percent) of smartphone owners who use their devices to shop have done so while shopping at the store, and more than half (52 percent) reach for their phones on the way to the store
·         Smartphones currently influence 5.1 percent of annual retail store sales, translating into $159 billion in forecasted sales for 2012.  This will grow to 19% by 2016.
·         50% of all websites are viewed on a mobile device (tablets & phones) [does your website have sniffer technology & a mobile version?]
·         These numbers are growing exponentially

New Main Street Blytheville Director

Cash Mob – Main Street El Dorado

Russellville Downtown Master Plan Presented August 28

Let’s Get Local in Eureka Springs
“Starting Thursday, August 16th visitors and locals can pick up stickers that are their ticket into the fun at the Farmers Market, Chamber of Commerce and participating lodging. The events all start at Basin Spring Park, in the heart of downtown Eureka Springs, for the next 6 weeks from 5-7PM. Each week a different aspect of shopping, playing and dining will be showcased in the park and the participating stores downtown. Local vendors will have booths and prizes in the park, live music, and maps of where the deals for real locals and “Local’s for a Day” are that night…..”

        Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas Call for Awards Nominations

USPS Every Door Direct Mail
With Every Door Direct Mail® service from the U.S. Postal Service, you can reach the market that matters most to your business: nearby neighborhoods. Postage is as low as 14.5¢ per piece – and you don't even need to know names or street addresses. You simply identify the neighborhoods you want to target, and your printed piece is delivered with the day's mail to every address.

Cyclists Need Cities to Protect Them – Livability  

Digital Humanities Projects Supported
National Endowment for the Humanities 
The Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants support the planning or initial stages of digital initiatives in any area of the humanities. Examples of eligible activities include planning and developing prototypes of new digital tools for preserving, analyzing, and making accessible digital resources, including libraries’ and museums’ digital assets; innovative uses of technology for public programming and education utilizing both traditional and new media; scholarship that focuses on the history, criticism, and philosophy of digital culture and its impact on society; scholarship or studies that examine the philosophical or practical implications and impact of the use of emerging technologies in specific fields or disciplines of the humanities; and new digital modes of publication that facilitate the dissemination of humanities scholarship in advanced academic as well as informal or formal educational settings at all academic levels. The application deadline is September 25, 2012.