Bring on the new year with thegreenpages.ca network

2010 is promising to be an exciting year. Unfortunately COP15 didn’t pan out as we had hoped it would but it does not mean we should despair. Fraser has summarised it well here… 

Introducing Ms. Verty Green

Yes, we have an official mascot and you’ll be seeing a lot of her around. Ms. Verty Green was graciously designed by Cynthia Frenette of Green Couch Designs (she also revamped the looks of thegreensearch.ca front page). Speaking of which….

thegreensearch.ca is revamped and available for you!

Along with our flashy, splashy, new splash page, we have also integrated our “Green Google” search engine onto thegreenpages.ca web site (before, the search box only searched within our network web sites and not our entire green web site index on thegreensearch.ca site, a little confusing I know but moving on…). Soon, we’ll be giving out this code for free (more to come later).

Login to comment with any ID using Disqus

How many times have you been asked to sign-up for "another" account on "another" social networking site, service, community, etc.?

The best part about using Disqus is (and unfortunately you will have to sign-up for a Disqus account) is that you potentially have the ability to manage all your posted comments that you have ever made and will make in the future (you can also log-in with almost every imaginable popular social network service AND even import your existing comments that are connected to it). Stay tuned for more updates on this one.

The Best of Twitter and our Tweeps

We took a wait and see approach with Twitter (http://twitter.com/thegreenpages), and to be honest, we never really utilised the service (perhaps it is because most of us here still have mobile phones older than 5 years). However, when Twitter came up with Lists and a bunch of other goodies to help share the Twitters we were following, we jumped right back on the Twitter-train and are lovin it (also, in less than a week we more than doubled our following and Twitter traffic). Check out and follow our Lists on Twitter organized by province/territory. In the next few weeks, you will see out Tweeps List embedded throughout out portals, brining you the latest green chatter in the Tweetosphere.

We’re Surphac’ing

We recently got a sneak peek at Surphace – S4 and installed it right away. Along with related posts from our network, this service also claims to pull in relevant and related links, blogs and videos from other web sites, blogs and media outlets (example post). So far it’s doing a great job. What do you think?

Outbrained…

…by our will to share, connect, and cross-reference related information. Similar to S4, this service also allows you to rate our posts and articles. Powered by Outbrain.

New Feet

Well, it not exactly, just one. This may sound a bit techno-boring but we do have a new footer that gives you better access to key areas of our web site and network.

Marketwire-ed

We are now an official Media Relations Partner with Marketwire Canada.

Getting Satisfied

Content flows throughout our network but there is a different but most important type of content that also needs special attention- your feedback. Contact email addresses and submission forms are not enough and we felt we needed a system that can effectively manage our incoming mail but also re-utilize our responses to facilitate more discussion and added-value. Check out our new community feedback form powered by Get Satisfaction and let us know what you think.

Granted, everything that is shared and discussed is public and can be searched on the web which definitely helps reduce the unsolicited submissions and ensure more credibility. Think of it as our virtual booth on the web. Just like at tradeshows or conventions, when people stop by exhibitor booths to ask questions or to chat, you can’t help but listen in or join in the conversation.

Onward towards 2010…

The next Earth Hour 2010 and Earth Day celebrations seem promising as well as other works in projects (hints: better Community Events, Our Gear, Book Reviews, Green Collar Jobs, and more!)