Q - Why would you create a website for such a small place as Honey Harbour? There are only a couple of hundred residents.
A - Well, everything has to start somewhere, and I can't think of a better or more beautiful area than Honey Harbour and Beausoleil Island.
Q - It sounds like there's more to this story. Can you elaborate?
A - Yes, there is. Starting in the '50s, my family were first campers, then boaters who spent our summers on Beausoleil Island. We continued that tradition up until the mid-'80s. Personally, my time spent on the island is filled with my fondest memories. My best childhood friend lived on Beausoleil as a child and still lives in Honey Harbour to this day. He and I spent all of our time exploring and hiking every inch of the island from first light until dusk.
Last winter, I started thinking about going back to explore Honey Harbour and Beausoleil again. I decided to take the adventurous route and did it on a motorcycle. First, I waited until camp bookings opened in February, then I began looking online for services for my trip. Frankly, it was an underwhelming experience. Thus, this website was born. I hope to make it a place where visitors can find answers to all their questions in one location, and provide residents with a central hub to advertise their goods and services.
Q - I've looked at your ad rates and wonder how do you think you can succeed when you're giving the first year free?
A - As for the rates. I believe in proof of concept. I'm not asking for advertisers to take a chance with their hard earned money. I'm asking them to use the service and upon renewal they will be happy to continue. We have a couple other area's that will earn some income but that will take some time.
Like anything in life, you can succeed or fail. I'd prefer to succeed and, with that success, give back. I'm currently in conversation about donating a portion of the site's revenue to a local organization. Details will be published at a later date.
Q - So what I see is an event calendar, a classified section, and a community section. Can you tell me about these?
A - The calendar is setup so any person that opens a free account can post events (no limits). This is great for skating parties, garage sales, and on and on.
The classified section is limited to three consecutive free classifies ads per account (same account as the calendar).
Business can use the same three free classified ads or if they wish can contact me and I'll setup a deluxe account that allows a ton of extra features like images and video which will be free for the first year. They can choose to renew or not. BTW there are no limits to editing of ad details.
The community section contains a message board that anyone with an account can use. We also have a regional news section. That we hope to expand and develop further. We're also looking at a blog section for local authors to post their musings.
Q - When do you expect to be open?
A - We hope to be fully functional by the end of January 2025.
Our mandate is to provide a common "Hub" for businesses, non-profits, and community members in the region. To promote businesses, services, and activities within the region in a safe, free, or low cost platform.