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by David Langton
DAVID LANGTON finds out about a new website which promotes Marlow to the world
TYPE in Marlow on a worldwide internet search and it comes up with all manner of things. There's the world's largest manufacturer of peristaltic pumps for example, whatever they might be. Or how about thermoelectric cooler designers, the makers of military uniforms and then the world's leading rope manufactures.
But shining bright at number five is www.marlowtown.co.uk, the first stop of the world in finding out about the town of Marlow.
The site is the brainchild of Marlow's resident internet wizards Sue and Iain Robertson who began the community site in their dining room in 1996 when most people associated surfing with waves and warm weather. The couple took four months to produce the site which has continued to grow and adapt to the changing face of Marlow.
Sue said: "For us it was a way of learning what it takes to put a site together but also a means of providing information about the town which was not available anywhere else at that stage."
Sue and Iain have a background in computing having created Rapidhost, which is a fast-growing website company which designs, creates, manages and hosts database-driven sites.
They moved the company from their Terrington Hill home to the old brewery site near the High Street last year and counts London city firms and multinationals like Wilkinson Sword among its clients.
Sue said of the Marlow website: "The information is all there and freely available to anyone who wants it. You type in Marlow in any search engine and the site comes up very high."
Today the site gets around 233 visitors each day but who is logging on? Sue said: "I think people who are looking to come to live or work in the town are looking at the site."
An interesting by-product of producing this website is links forged with other Marlows.
Sue said: "There are two in America. They have all visited our site and signed the guest book. "There's one in New Hampshire and one on Oklahoma. We have also had a few people whose last name is Marlow visit the site."
The site continues to grow and with talk of a possible live discussion forum the opportunities are limitless; the more people use it the bigger and better it will become.
Sue and Iain are keen to see the site expand and having lived in the town since 1989 they have a personal interest in this pet project.
Logging on, it is clear that a deal of hard work went into creating the site. It is straight forward and easy to navigate for even the most unseasoned surfer like myself.
Chris Smith, a web journalist for Newsquest, publishers of the Bucks Free Press and its online equivalent, reviewed the site.
He said: "It is a very straightforward site. Anyone can read it as they have tags for blind people so they can read it through special equipment. They don't give you too much at once which is good.
"If I was to criticise it I might say it was a bit bland and they could make the images a little better."
Those who know Marlow well will also spot some outdated information such as Marlow Regatta being one of the premier rowing events on the rowing calendar and a restaurant whichi s no longer there.
Log on and make your own mind up.
November 21, 2001 15:00
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