MMSA On The Web

by Mary Fogle Douglass

Think we're in an old-fashioned, tradition-laden industry? Think Again! While all the wonderful history and rich traditions remain important foundations of sugar making, rest assured we are also part of the modern world. When we first considered putting up a web site for the MMSA, some of us questioned its usefulness. How many people would even find the site? And how would it benefit our members? Though it is difficult to quantify its success (or lack thereof) in dollars, you can be sure we are getting the message of "Maple" to the world. I recently researched the usage of our site and was frankly surprised by what I found. I had always known that there was some interest in the site, based on the e-mails we have been getting, but I never looked at the actual numbers. Would you believe that over the past 18 months 72,760 users have visited out site? And over half those visits have been in the past three months. While we have averaged 300 to 800 visits (or "hits") a month over the first year, we had 7,000 on January; over 15,000 hits in February; and over 25,000 hits in March. Moreover, the hits are coming from all over the world!

These numbers show the immense growth on the web over the past year. Due to the money and volunteer time and constraints, we have made no significant changes in our site, yet traffic has exploded. It shows that people are interested in our industry and our products and want more information. What an opportunity! Which brings me to my next point. We are now ready to accept member listings on the site in three areas: maple syrup retail, maple syrup wholesale, and maple equipment. This is a great way to get your name in front of a large number of interested people at very little cost. Each listing will cost $15, which will offset the annual maintenance fee for our web site. Members wanting listings in more than one category will pay $15 for each category. The listing will include up to seven lines for name, address, phone, fax and e-mail address and will be good for one year. An additional descriptive paragraph of up to 50 words can be added for an additional $10 per listing. Listing forms are available from Mary Fogle Douglass or Brian Vissers (see the MMSA Board Listing in the Newsletter). Phone, write or e-mail for your form today.

Finally, I'd like to thank Roger VandeBunte, a member from Hudsonville, for volunteering to answer all the e-mail inquiries from our web site. In the last two months, Roger has responded to 62 e-mails on behalf of our Association, ranging from inquiries about MMSA to questions about maple syrup grades.

This is a huge task and we are very appreciative of Roger taking it on. Many requests are for local sources of maple syrup or syrup making equipment. Hint! Hint! Your listings on the web would save Roger time AND answer questions for prospective buyers. We know people want the information--72,000 of them came looking for it. Let's get the word out there--you can't beat pure maple!