Launch of Roscreaonline   You are in · RoscreaOnline · Community · Features

14th May 2002 at 9.00pm in Roscrea Credit Union Offices

It is over twelve months now since Roscrea Credit Union announced their intentions to develop a website for Roscrea and its surrounding areas. The website is about Roscrea Credit Union taking the brave initiative to develop and implement a web portal that will give every business, school, club, charity, special interest group and voluntary organisation in the area a web presence, no matter how big or small they may be. Still in its infancy, the website is equipped with all the latest web enabled technologies and state of the art navigation systems.

Some of the staff members of Roscrea Credit Union
enjoy a glass of wine at the launch of roscreaonline.com

Once the initial design was agreed upon with Integrity Software, much of our energies were then devoted to researching the websites of other towns in Ireland, Britain and America. Advice was sought on what pitfalls to avoid etc. and equipped with this knowledge, the data collection process began. Our first protocol was the business community. Letters were sent to over 400 business people in the area, asking for company profiles, photos, logos, advertising material etc. Responses came from over 270; well over the 50% mark and much better than the 20% response rate initially envisaged.

We feel it is important and we encourage that the local business community realise the importance of developing their own individual websites that can now be easily linked in with the Roscrea Portal. To help businesses build their own websites and develop their own e-based strategies, Roscrea Credit Union have reached an agreement with Integrity Software whereby any business, organisation etc, within approximately ten miles of this credit union, who want their own professionally designed website, can now have one at a very cheap affordable price. These discounts have been negotiated as part of Integrity Software's committment to Roscrea Credit Union and now Roscrea itself.

We have said on numerous occasions that roscreaonline.com is not just
about the area becoming part of the Internet Revolution, it is about us, as a community, taking our first brave steps towards embracing technology and joining the information superhighway.

Picture right: Minister Michael Smith says a few words at the launch of roscreaonline.com

Another one of the Credit Union's goals is to create one of the most Internet Literate communities in the country. To do this will mean increasing PC penetration in the area and encouraging individuals to avail of any training incentives available. In Roscrea Credit Union's efforts to increase PC penetration in the local area, a decision has been taken to slash the interest rate for computer loans to just 5.9%. That is less than quarter the APR some of the country's biggest computer sales and distribution companies charge their customers. The Credit Union is also currently in negotiations with Roscrea 2000, whereby they expect to fund and provide basic Internet and computer courses, in the not too distant future, for people in the area who are not familiar with or just lack some necessary confidence with computers and the Internet in general.

Roscrea Credit Union has also formed an exclusive alliance with the Tipperary Star to become the official news correspondents for the Roscrea area. In return for Roscrea Credit Union helping to gather news articles as in the Roscrea Notes for the newspaper, the website has the authority to display the local news also. From now on, notes subscribed to the Tipperary Star or roscreaonline.com will enjoy both print and web coverage, giving you the very best of both worlds. As part of this unique package, the Tipperary Star will make a significant monetary contribution to roscreaonline.com, which can be used to further enhance the development of the website.

The Three Musketeers - (L-R) Brendan Wright, Pattsie Treacy
and Matty Talbot, three of the directors of Roscrea
Credit Union, pictured at the launch of roscreaonline.com

The Internet has and will become part of everyone's lives. This project is a massive undertaking by the credit union. Tribute must be paid to the credit union, for seeking out and funding this innovative and exciting project. It is, yet again, Roscrea Credit Union's unique way of helping bring further growth and prosperity to a town and an area, that has a lot to offer, not just to its visitors, but its actual inhabitants aswell.

At the moment, roscreaonline.com would like to hear from anyone who would like to contribute to the website. In particular at the moment, they would like to hear from sport & recreational clubs as well as special interest groups etc. Roscreaonline.com would also like to hear from any business, organisation etc. who would like to know more about the fantastic deal our web designers, Integrity Software, are offering the local community.

If you can help, please call Brian King at (0505) 23601
or
email him at bking@roscreacu.ie

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