|
Newsletter, April 14, 2008
Hello there,
Welcome to the first Newsletter of the Australian Regional Food Guide website.
We can’t think of a better way of celebrating the launching of our totally rebuilt website than by sharing this bulletin with the thousands of hardworking and passionate people who have made it possible. Without the ‘regional foodies’ of Australia there would be no reason for this site to exist.
Please make sure you visit the new site. It is the result of two solid months of work. It has been designed on the KISS principle. We scrutinised scores of directory sites and by looking at what worked and what didn’t work, we have settled on a design that is logical and intuitive. Two clicks can get you to any page.
It also has a whiz-bang search function that has every word on the site indexed.
Like any new website it still needs fine tuning, so feel free to give us feedback and constructive comment.
Now, about the newsletter. It is the ideal forum for sharing information that is not included on the website. Topics such as:
-
Industry information – grants/courses etc.
-
Tips for staff management, customer care.
-
Recipes (see below)
-
Honour Board: Congrats to people winning awards
-
Specials: what’s on the special board at your restaurant this week?
-
Contests and Giveaways
-
Regular features of various regions
-
People profiles
-
Food info – nutrition, history, folklore etc
-
Cartoon/funnies/motivational quotes.
-
Opportunity for feedback
The Newsletter will be more informal and personal than the website. The agenda will be like the weather. Always changing, but always providing something to talk about.
Oh! It will be headline driven. You only need to follow the links to the topics that personally interest you. For example:
Chef Justin Harris, Source Restaurant, Moorilla Estate shares his mouth-watering REGIONAL RECIPE for Venison Carpaccio With Chocolate Oil & Hazelnut Crunch.
 Today’s Giveaway!
To receive a free copy of Sally’s Australian Regional Food, The Best Chefs' Recipes, just tell us who on the site grows araca. First person to
us with the correct answer wins.
But wait there’s more!
The first person who subscribes to a GOLD PREMIER LISTING will also receive a complimentary copy of the Regional Cookbook.
Kind regards,
Sally and Gordon Hammond
|
What’s different about the site:
-
Navigate anywhere with maps
-
Two clicks to any page.
-
Economical use of popup windows
-
A quick and comprehensive up-to-date search function.
-
Listings are now within regions
-
PREMIER LISTINGS seamlessly integrate into the regional pages.
-
Regional weather reports.
-
Provision for advertising
-
Simple and intuitive to use.
-
Plus many more features which make it a great ‘new’ site.
Fast Facts:
-
The books, and now the website, represent the most comprehensive Australia-wide directory for regional food, markets, and events.
-
The information is firsthand – the Hammonds have travelled to every region in Australia and have personally contacted most of the operators listed on the site.
-
Already approximately 2500 businesses are listed on a data base that is expanding rapidly.
-
The site is selective. Only businesses that produce, promote or showcase regional food are included.
-
Australia has 52 official regional tourism regions.
-
The site is well optimized in the web search engines, and currently around 80 percent of visitors to the site are from overseas.
-
The site is self-funded – no government grants or corporate sponsorship has been received.
-
Behind the scenes are Sally Hammond –well-known food and travel writer with an encyclopaedic knowledge of food – and husband, Gordon, photographer and general tech-head.
 We are inviting regional food businesses to subscribe to either a Gold or a Silver Premier Listing. The site is like a new office block built in a prime position. The first tenants have settled in but we are looking to fill the vacant spaces. This is the best time to take advantage of our hugely discounted opening offer.
|
