I’ve started creating some widgets which will allow you to easily add MyWeaverville.com Headlines on your own website, blog, or social networking page. Widgets are small pieces of code you add to your site which are controlled by another party, in this case the headlines I post on MyWeaverville.com. Once you add the HTML code to your site you don’t have to do anything else — it’ll update automatically. You can get the code here: www.widgetbox.com/widget/weaverville-north-carolina-online-guide

Here’s what this widget looks like. It’s a working version, so you can play around with it to see how it works:

If you want to put this on your site but you’re having trouble getting it to work correctly, let me know and I’ll do what I can to help.

In this month’s MyWeaverville.com contest one winner will receive:

• $20 Gift Certificate to Blue Mountain Pizza
• $20 Git Certificate to Maggie B’s Wine & Specialty Shop
• $10 Gift Certificate to Preservation Hall

To enter, go to our Contests page, or you can submit your entry below:

If you haven’t entered the March contest yet, you only have a few days left.   Remember you have to enter each month’s contest separately (in other words, if you entered the February contest you are NOT automatically entered for the March contest).   Submit your contest entry here.

This month’s prizes are:

• $20 Gift Certificate to Blue Mountain Pizza
• $20 Gift Certificate to Angel of Chocolate
• $20 Gift Certificate to Maggie B’s Wine and Specialty Shop
• $10 Gift Certificate to The Garden Station
• $10 Gift Certificate to Weaverville Pet Pantry

Good luck!

Also, if you haven’t taken the MyWeaverville.com Reader Survey you still have a few days left to do that. 

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. tomorrow morning.  Spring forward, so the saying goes, so move the clocks forward an hour.

The Fire Department always puts out a reminder to check/replace batteries on your smoke detectors this time of year too, so don’t forget to do that.

And while you’re here, take a minute to fill out the MyWeaverville.com Reader Survey if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to enter the MyWeaverville.com March contest.  One person will win $80 worth of gift certificates this month. 

MyWeaverville.com has been in existence for a little over 6 months now, so it seemed like a good time to set up a survey and request a little feedback from all of you.  I promise I won’t do this too often, but it is the quickest and easiest way for me to learn about how you use and feel about the site. 

I’ve tried to make this as painless as possible — 6 easy questions (5 multiple choice and 1 optional comments section).  It’s also completely anonymous - no name or e-mail address necessary.  Thanks in advance for your time!

Click here to take survey

Just added the newest MyWeaverville.com page, Contests. Each month I’ll be giving away one or more gift certificates to local businesses, and all you have to do is fill out the super-short form on the Contests page to enter. This month you can win a $20 gift certificate to Blue Mountain Pizza.

Good luck!

I’ve added a couple new features to the site: the ability to print a specific post or e-mail it to a friend.  To access either option, simply click on the Title of the post to be taken to its page.  Once there, you’ll see the “Print this Post” and “E-Mail this Post” links above the title.   Click on the one you want and follow the instructions.

As always, let me know if you have any troubles with these new features. 

AM

You may have noticed the Weaverville Events Calendar looks a bit different today. That’s because I recently switched to a new calendar program, utilizing Google Calendar. This change allows you to do a little more than just look at the calendar, especially if you have a Google Calendar account yourself.

Some of the things you can now do:

• View more information
  Before, all calendar items linked to another post or another website. Now if you click on the event additional details, if they’re provided, will be available right there.
• See a map and/or get directions
  Not sure where a particular location is? Click on “more details” and a new page will open with an option to ‘map’ the location. Do so and yet another window will open — this one shows you the location on a U.S. map, plus it allows you to get turn-by-turn directions from your own location, search for other places nearby, or add it to your Google Maps account (if you have one — I’ve just started playing around with this option myself).
• View past events
  Maybe you saw a band at Blue Mountain last month but you can’t remember their name. Now you can go back and get that information. I should note you can only go back to January 8, 2008, since that’s the first day I started entering events in the new calendar.
• Add to your own calendar
  If you have a Google account, you can add any event on the Weaverville calendar to your own, or you can even add the entire calendar to your own so you can always see what’s going on. A Google account will also give you the option of easily emailing and inviting others to a specific event.
  [Please note I’m not advocating that you have to set up an account, and I do not get anything in return if you do — these are simply options available if you already have an account or want to create one. If you are going to create a personal account on Google, please remember to keep them private. ]

If you have any trouble accessing or working with the new calendar, or if you really hate or really like it, please let me know about it. To submit events, the process is still the same: e-mail myweaverville@gmail.com with the the date, location, a short description, and who to contact for additional information.

Here’s some Weaverville websites I’ve recently added to the Links Directory.  All websites listed are for businesses or non-profits based out of, located in, or doing business in Weaverville:

Accomodations

• Ox Creek Retreat - A new vacation rental in the Ox Creek Community.

Automotive

• eCars Auto and Scooter Sales: A new business focused on providing economic, environmentally friendly and affordable pre-owned automobiles and scooters.

Developments - Commercial or Residential

• The Village at Monticello - New commercial and residential development going up next to the Post Office.  It’s also been called Monticello Commons.
• Reems Creek Village - New residential development just off Hamburg Mountain Road.

Health & Wellness

• Innovative Health - Alternative Health site of Dr. Mary Elam, ND.
• Pilates Movement in Balance - Site of Pilates instructor Carmen Cure.

Non-Profits

• Little Pearls - Non-profit organization which helps produce and share tiny films to open hearts and minds.

Pet Sitters

• Harmony Pet Central - Longtime Asheville Pet Sitter who recently moved to Weaverville.

Have a website you would like to have added to our Links Directory?  If you’re located in or doing business in Weaverville, I’ll list your website for free (you must also meet the regular posting rules - see the Contact page for those details).  Send an e-mail to myweaverville@gmail.com with your website information.  Reciprocal links are not necessary, but are always appreciated.

There’s lots of “2007 year in review” stories going around now, so I’m not going to add to them.  Instead, I just want to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year’s!  See you in 2008.

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas!

If you’re here because you read the article in the Weaverville Tribune, I want to thank you for visiting.  I’m writing this on the assumption that an article was indeed in this week’s edition, and that I didn’t come across sounding like a complete idiot.  I haven’t seen it yet, and I don’t think I’ve been interviewed by a newspaper reporter since high school.

Anyway, this is MyWeaverville.com, a website devoted entirely to Weaverville:  those of us who live here, work here, and own businesses here, and even those of you who are just visiting.  My goal is to create a comprehensive online guide which covers all that’s happening here in our town.  It runs the gamut from a store sale to new businesses to Candlelight Christmas Stroll details to updates about development, plus a little of everything in between.  It is not political, a diary, or an online space for my personal rants, thoughts or opinions.  It is also not a newspaper.  I’m not covering or investigation stories. Instead, I’m compiling all the information that’s out there so it’s in one place.  I find information in the newspapers, radio, online, on local bulletin boards, at the library, and of course from you.

Here’s a quick guide to get you around the site:

• You’re on the Home page now, a space I generally refer to as the Announcements Blog section.  It’s where I post the detailed information about Weaverville happenings.  Underneath each post is a link to a Comments section where you can post your own remarks.  You do have to register first, because when I tried it the other way I got spammed like you wouldn’t believe.  I don’t think anyone could possibly need the amount of viagra I was offered. 
• The second main section of the site is the Calendar.  This is a chronological listing of the events happening in Weaverville.  If you want to know what’s happening on a Friday night, the calendar is the place to start.
• The third main section is the Links Directory.  This is a list of those businesses and organizations in Weaverville which have websites. 
• Finally, there’s the About and Contact sections.  In the About section you can learn a little more about me and the site, and the Contact section lets you know how to contact me, whether it’s with a question, comment, suggestion, or if you have information you’d like to submit for publication.

So thanks again for visiting and please feel free to contact me with your questions, comments and suggestions.  I’m always happy to hear them, because this is our Weaverville, not just mine.

I hope everyone is enjoying a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.  I took a few days away from the computer to spend time with family, eat turkey, and watch football. 

I wanted to take this time to thank all of you who visit the site, and especially to those of you who have sent me comments and suggestions for it.  I appreciate your thoughts and input, and have a page-long wish list of things I’ll be adding and updating in the coming months.  Comments are ALWAYS welcome.

Thanks also to those businesses over in the right-hand sidebar.  They help cover my expenses and allow me the time to keep up with what’s going on in Weaverville.  Please support them and all our local businesses this holiday season.

Thanks again for your support,
Anne-Marie

Welcome to myweaverville.com,  your online source for what’s happening in Weaverville.  Whether it’s a sale at your favorite store, an event on Main Street, or the latest on development in our town, we’re here to let you know about it. 

If you have a business that serves the Weaverville area and you would like your news and events posted on myweaverville.com, please contact us at myweaverville@gmail.com.