Helping businesses and nonprofits in small VT towns use online tools to spur economic development and improve disaster resilience.

Bethel-business-newsletter

Digital Economy Services Come to Life

As we discussed in an earlier post, the Vermont Digital Economy Project has been getting its feet wet and meeting with towns to understand their needs and perspectives. However, as we continue to meet with flood-impacted towns (including Woodstock, Killington and Rochester), we are also beginning to dig into the projects and services that each…

Microsoft Digital Literacy

Our partners at Microsoft have developed a Digital Literacy program that helps to bridge the digital divide. We’re working with them to integrate their curriculum with efforts already in place in the Vermont State Libraries. What comes out of this project should be fruitful and beneficial to all of those trying bridge the gap between…

Making Digital Workshops Relevant for the Agricultural Sector and Nonprofits

An important service offered by our project is the Vermont Small Business Development Center’s digital workshops. They’re designed to teach small businesses how to leverage such hot digital tools as Cloud Computing, Mobile Marketing, Social Media, and Using Google Tools. Based on the Vermont Digital Economy Project Team’s recent discussions with business leaders and nonprofits…

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Keeping The Youth in Vermont

I’ve been struck by census data on rural communities that shows that some rural towns across the country are rapidly urbanizing and others are losing population, especially young people. Vermont is ranked as one of the two oldest states in the nation and one of the two most rural states in the country. The two…

Sharon-and-Rose-in-Royalton

Vermont Digital Economy Project Begins Assisting Flood-Impacted Communities

April 8, 2013 (MONTPELIER, VT) – The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) announced today the first round of communities to receive intensive services from its Digital Economy Project this year. The Vermont Digital Economy Project is designed to increase resilience and foster economic development in flood-impacted Vermont communities. In the past week, project staff…

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The Benefits of Public Internet Access

One of the most requested items in our application was the “downtown Wi-Fi Zones and Hotspots”. As a member of the Millennial Generation, the benefits of having a free and public wireless zone are intrinsic to my mode of operating. A public internet connection means that there is one more place where I can connect…