My girlfriend and I decided to spend a year in Boston. Niether of us had ever lived in a city that size before, and we were a bit overwhelmed by the complexity of the venture, but we soon discovered a wonderful tool to help smooth things along...the web.

We used the web to familiarize ourselves with the city, find an apartment, and find jobs. The Internet saved us tons of time and money in phone calls, newspapers, and wasted trips.

Once we got there we needed even more information, such as train schedules, maps, places to eat, movie listings, grocery store locations, the closest (and cheapest) place to get a VCR, and on and on and on… We found everything we needed on the web. My girlfriend was a student at the time, and she used the web constantly to get class descriptions, grades, homework assignments, syllabi...not to mention research.

In short, the Internet helped turn a difficult and tedious transition into a relatively painless experience.

Returning to Lewiston-Auburn I found that the Internet resources for this area weren't very substantial, and the resources that did exist were scattered and difficult to locate. Out of 4000 businesses in Androscoggin County, only a couple hundred are listed in Yahoo!, the largest and most complete Internet database in the world.

My associates and I agreed that the area needed a thorough portal to the resources and information that exist for Androscoggin County. A place where businesses could list for free, whether or not they have a web site, a place where organizations could publish events and fundraisers, and a place where community members could share their thoughts and ideas.

MarketLA is our attempt to create such a place. We're working hard to build an unbiased directory of businesses, a community forum, a calendar of events, and much, much more. Our hope is that MarketLA will not only prove to be a valuable resource, but will also help to educate the community about the benefits of the Internet for citizens and business alike.

Finally, the most important thing I want to say is that MarketLA belongs to you, the people of Androscoggin County. We are open to any suggestions that you have, and we will work overtime to bring you new features and services as the site, and the community, develop.

Randall D. Runnels
Vice-President,
T.H. Creations Inc.