OCEAN CITY – The Town of Ocean City’s new website went live on Monday.
For those who had not already noticed, Council Secretary Mary Knight announced the news at the conclusion of Monday evening’s Mayor and City Council meeting.
“Today we launched the Town of Ocean City’s new webpage in a new format,” Knight said. “The beauty of this new webpage is our former mobile website would fit on your smart phone but you would lose some of the functionality of the main website. With the new website, it knows what kind of device you’re on, whether it is an iPad, laptop or a smart phone so you don’t lose any of the functionality of the webpage. It is a very fresh new look, absolutely beautiful.”
According to Communications Manager Jessica Waters, the planning stage for the new website began last winter, as the town recognized it had been several years since the website had been redesigned and it was certainly time for a “facelift.” In addition, technology had changed drastically since the website was last updated providing the town more options with easier features.
“We spent last spring meeting with various departments and trying to determine what information was outdated and needed to be changed or removed. He [Webmaster Bill Funkhouser] took the former website, which was approximately 800 pages, and created our new website which hosts approximately 400 pages. Not all of those pages were removed, some were consolidated but in the end we have created a website that is much cleaner and much more user friendly,” Waters said.
Another great feature of the new site is that it is responsive, which means that no matter what device is being operated, such as a iPad, laptop, desktop or smart phone, the user will have access to the full site.
“There is no mobile site, because it isn’t needed,” Waters said. “It might look a little different depending on what tool you are using but the information is all there and that is what we wanted.”
Not only is the website user friendly, Water furthered, but it highlights what the town has to offer better.
“It’s vibrant and gives users a better visual idea of the type of town we are, and what we have to offer,” she said.
The town has noticed an uptick in inquiries on various topics the past few days because the new website allows for easier interaction between town departments and the resident, visitor and businesses.
“That is very exciting because we want people to know we are here to help,” Waters said. “Perhaps the most exciting part is that the new website gives us more ability to expand the pages, evolve and customize the information that is provided to better serve the user, as well as our various departments.”
While it is a great accomplishment to have launched the website, there is still some work to be done, Waters stated. Funkhouser will continue to tailor various sections of the website to make sure they are the most effective, aesthetically pleasing and user friendly.
“We know it is a big change and hope people will take some time to get used to the site and also provide us with feedback,” Waters said. “I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the hard work of our webmaster, Bill Funkhouser. With only one staff member assigned to the website, it was quite the task to redesign a brand new site, while continuing to perform his normal duties and be assigned to multiple other projects. He took on this project with an optimistic attitude and he was able to achieve a new site that I believe will be beneficial to our residents and visitors.”
Funkhouser has enjoyed redesigning the town’s new website.
“We’re always thinking of ways to improve our visitor’s web experience and to engage with them more. I think we’re heading in a great direction and I look forward to our future improvements,” he said.
Visit the new website at oceancitymd.gov.