Post this virtual field trip on your class web site and link to it from your assignments section. Due on Thursday.

Your readings for today looked at the virtual region mostly in economic terms. In this virtual field trip we look at our own region's virtual counterpart and think about the intersection of commerce and citizneship on the web. As you examine the web sites below think about what each web site is saying about our region and think about the reasons why they emphasize some aspects of the region over others. As you'll see much of what is placed on the web about places and regions by institutional actors (governments, chambers of commerce, etc.) is about image making and advertising in order to promote economic development. Whereas just a few years ago, a web site was seen as a luxury and a potential waste of taxpayer dollars, today city governments find that they can not get away with not having a web site. As you look at the following site think about why this might be the case and how this might limit or create opportunities for electronic democracy.

For the first part of this exercise try to forget everything you know about this region.

You're Relocating a Business

1. Pretend you are seeking to relocate your business to Northwest Indiana. Based on thier city and chamber of commerce web sites which of the following cities/places will you consider first? Why?

City of Valparaiso | ConnectValpo.com

City of East Chicago | Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce

Highland Indiana | Highland Downtown Association

You're a Tourist

2. Pretend you are a tourist. Will you visit Lake County or Porter County first? Why?

You're a Citizen

3. Pretend that you are a resident of each of the following cities. As a citizen which city serves you the best through their web site? Why?

City of Valparaiso

Highland Indiana

Whiting Indiana

A Neighborhood Site

Cities and regions are not the only places represented within the virtual region. Take a look at the Miller Beach pages. Miller is a neighborhood in Gary.

4. Who created this site? Why do you think the site was created?

5. How is this site different from the city, tourism, and chamber of commerce sites you looked at? Is its primary purpose to promote the neighborhood to outsiders?

6. What image or story about Miller Beach does this site convey? Does this image match the image that you have of Gary?

Analysis

7. To what extent do city government web sites promote their cities for economic development? How might this goal come into conflict with providing citizens with information about their cities?

8. To what extent do the city and chanber of commerce web sites that you looked at here attempt to "brand" their cities? Do you feel that branding a city is an appropriate thing to do? Why or why not?

9. What story or image does the Valparaiso Chamber of commerce site create for Valparaiso? How is it similar to or different from your own perception of Valparaiso?