Clyde Andrews, president of the Oroville Chamber of Commerce, demonstrates the organization’s new website at the chamber’s general membership meeting held last Thursday, April 12 in the public library’s conference room. Photo by Gary DeVon

OROVILLE – The membership was introduced to the Oroville Chamber of Commerce’s new website at their meeting Thursday, April 12.

Clyde Andrews, interim president, designed the new site and demonstrated it to the membership in the Oroville Public Library’s conference room projecting it on a screen.

“We wanted the benefit of new site to be be threefold,” said Andrews. “First for information for people who are heading to Oroville or considering a trip to Okanogan country; second as a yellow pages and third, to a lesser extent, to provide information to perspective members.”

Andrews said although you don’t have to be a member to be listed on the website, all businesses in the city’s business directory are included, being a member has value-added benefits.

“Members can have their business websites linked to the chamber’s website and can be reached just by clicking on the link, Andrews said. “Businesses that don’t have websites will get a simple webpage for the member’s businesses and services.

“You don’t get both a link and the one page webpage, but for the same price of membership the larger guys that usually have their own website are linked, while the smaller guy who might not have a separate site gets a basic webpage for their business.”

Andrews is willing to construct this simple webpage, the member just needs to email him the information that the member wants to be included.

There is also a stripped down mobile version of the chamber’s new site which is easier to use for people who have smartphones, according to the chamber president.

“One thing about also having a mobile site is that it keeps us higher on the search engines,” said Robin Stice, who owns Eden Valley Guest Ranch.

Stice and David Alloway, owner of Computer Services, maintained the old website and Andrews gave “kudos” to them for the job they had done and said copying and pasting information from the old site helped save time in creating the new one.

Members can add photos to the site and can make changes to their profile pages. To change your profile a member goes to the sign-in box in the lower left hand corner. Puts in their company email in the User Name box and hit Forgot Password. A new password will be emailed to the member and this can be used to sign in. From their the user can change their profile and select a new password.

The site includes several other user friendly features, including an events calender that always shows the next three upcoming events on the front page. To ask to have your event included just send Andrew’s an email at orovillewashinton@gmail.com or use the contact link on the website.

“At this point our site has been published, but it is a work constantly in progress,” said Andrews.

To visit the new Oroville Chamber website go to www.orovillewashington.org or www.orovillewashington.com.

In addition to the new website, the organization has a new toll free telephone number. The new number, 1-888-699-5659, can be set to ring specified chamber members during the off-season when the Visitor Information Center is closed. This will also allow the organization to shut off the regular telephone service during the winter months saving on the telephone bill, according to Andrews. During the times the information center is open the regular number and the toll free number will ring and be answered there.