Weelunk.com launched Nov. 1 2014, and 650,000 pageviews later, her first baby sister is born: Elkinite.com… in BEAUTIFUL Elkins, W.Va.
Why Elkins?
In May, recognizing the progress that’s been made in revitalizing their downtowns, as well as work that still remains to be done, the West Virginia Development Office designated Wheeling and Elkins as “Main Street West Virginia” communities. Weelunk has partnered with West Virginia Executive Magazine and Catchpoint Digital, to help Elkins with the “work that still remains to be done,” and bring a weelunk-style website to Elkins, and thus Elkinite.com is now born.
The Elkinite crew said it best in their ramp-up to launch day:
“We believe that stories are powerful. We believe they can create positive change for our community. Join us. “
“Elkinite is more than a website. It is a platform that uses story to build a stronger and more positive Elkins and Randolph County. We want to use the Internet to think locally. In thinking locally, we are filling a void in what we see, hear and read about our community online. We want to fill the void with enthusiasm for our community. We want to create a sense of pride in place. We want to create a sense of unity within our communities. We want to buck the stereotypes that plague us. We want to break the dominant narrative of negativity found in local and national news sources. Elkinite is a dose of optimism coupled with chance to discover adventure, history, and all things that make Randolph County great.”
Major props to Generation West Virginia, Generation Randolph, the Randolph County Chamber of Commerce, and all of the great people involved in Elkins working on this project.
Please check out elkinite.com — like it on Facebook and spread the word. Indeed, Wheeling is growing, but Wheeling can only be as good as her state. This is now a statewide movement. One can only dare to imagine what West Virginia might look like when its people have the chance to tell its story from the ground up, from the country roads to the mountain tops. If you are interested in bringing something like this to your own West Virginia community, please contact: weelunk@weelunk.com.
