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It occurred to me today that there are some people that still don't quite "get" the Web. They don't understand that people use the Web for information. They don't understand that people feel more confident making a choice about something if they can type in "productname.com" or something and see pictures before they go.

Today, I'm speaking of golf courses in the Erie area. Very, very, very few have Websites: sites that would let me, on my own time, check greens fees, yardages (scorecards), get a map and driving directions, and so forth.

I played today (well, kinda) at Crab Apple Ridge, a site that screams "look, I exported a site from PowerPoint" or something. I spoke with the owner after I finished nine holes (had to meet mom for dinner) and offered a very simple deal. I would:

• Design a new web site
• Integrate media (take pictures, retouch them, etc.)
• Put an online tee-time and content-management system in place.
• Maintain the website, integrating changes as the owner saw fit.

I offered this to him in exchange for… wait for it… free greens fees for Carey and myself for, at most, four rounds/month during the normal golfing season here in PA. The course isn't one I'd want to play four times/month, but I figured that if I had the option to do so free, I might sneak over when I had time to play a few holes before dark or something.

Total cost to the owner (I wouldn't ask for any special treatment or anything): $0. Total benefit: who knows, but certainly greater than $0! Though the owner may not "get" the Web, I don't "get" people like him. I don't care if your brother or nephew or uncle did your site: how can you not realize it's horrid? How can you not realize the value in having a site and presenting it well? I'm good at selling myself and the utopia of a nice site, but this guy wouldn't have budged if I'd offered to pay him to do it. It's the cheapest freakin' advertising you can get! Ugh.

Oh, and one last thing: "Last modified: May 24, 2003." Great.

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