What's up with DWPL Web site?

[fuzzyscorpio]

Looks like the DWPL's online information pages may need some updating? In particular, I’m wondering what’s up with the members list ( www.doowopusa.org/pop-memberscont.html ).

Included on the members list are:

--24th St. Motel, with a link to a generic host site
--Casa Bahama Motel
--Kona Kai Resort Motel (with link to site that’s still up)
--Maureen Restaurant, with link to (apparently) Maureen’s site for her real estate business based in Sarasota, Florida
--Rio Motel, with a link to Rio Resorts (what’s left of the Rio Motel owners’ Wildwood holdings, I guess—but the Rio Motel is gone forever, and it bugs me to see them listed under its name…)
--Satellite Motel (! How long has THAT been gone?) with a link to a picture of the motel--and a headline that says, “The Satellite Motel has been razed and is now the site of 12 condominium units. Thank you for your past patronage!” Yuck.

Also wondering why the Silver Beach isn’t listed on the ’05-’06 demolitions pop-up, not to mention all the recently wrecked motels in North Wildwood. It shows only four--Hi Lili, Kona Kai, New Carousel (Hialeah) and Cavalier. Could the others have been omitted because they fell short of official doo-wop criteria?

www.doowopusa.org/pop-demolitionnews.html

And I hope they didn’t print too many copies of this map… look at all the doo-wop landmarks that have been wiped out since it was designed.

www.doowopusa.org/photos/tourmap.gif

[writhinganacondo]

fuzzyscorpio said:

Looks like the DWPL's online information pages may need some updating? In particular, I’m wondering what’s up with the members list ( www.doowopusa.org/pop-memberscont.html ).

Included on the members list are:

--24th St. Motel, with a link to a generic host site
--Casa Bahama Motel
--Kona Kai Resort Motel (with link to site that’s still up)
--Maureen Restaurant, with link to (apparently) Maureen’s site for her real estate business based in Sarasota, Florida
--Rio Motel, with a link to Rio Resorts (what’s left of the Rio Motel owners’ Wildwood holdings, I guess—but the Rio Motel is gone forever, and it bugs me to see them listed under its name…)
--Satellite Motel (! How long has THAT been gone?) with a link to a picture of the motel--and a headline that says, “The Satellite Motel has been razed and is now the site of 12 condominium units. Thank you for your past patronage!” Yuck.

Also wondering why the Silver Beach isn’t listed on the ’05-’06 demolitions pop-up, not to mention all the recently wrecked motels in North Wildwood. It shows only four--Hi Lili, Kona Kai, New Carousel (Hialeah) and Cavalier. Could the others have been omitted because they fell short of official doo-wop criteria?

www.doowopusa.org/pop-demolitionnews.html

And I hope they didn’t print too many copies of this map… look at all the doo-wop landmarks that have been wiped out since it was designed.

www.doowopusa.org/photos/tourmap.gif

There is a lot more on that list that is long gone or have sold to owners who couldn't care less about preservation. $$$$ talks.

[hulk007]

I agree that this web site needs major updating. Things were staying up to date last year but since the winter they have not been doing a good of keeping on the up and up.

[thelastresort]

I said that a few months ago as well. And I understand it is perhaps painful to see all the "Lost Treasures", but it would be a great resource to see what's coming and going.

[wildre]

While I do agree things could be updated more often. We have to realize that the DWPL is run entirely by a handful of very dedicated volunteers. I'm sure they are doing the best they can given their responsibilities with their "real" jobs.

re

[hulk007]

It just seems like things have slowed down is all. Maintaining a web page is difficult but they did a better job last summer.

[fuzzyscorpio]

hulk007 said:

Maintaining a web page is difficult

It sure is, and I know that from personal experience--site updates are one of my secondary responsibilities on the job and I’m always falling behind on them. And believe me, management does not like it when that happens. Basic principle of publishing: inaccuracy hurts credibility. And out-of-date equals inaccurate. What’s more, the Internet is the leading edge of the information age and people expect Web sites to be up-to-the-minute. When they’re not, it leads the viewer to question the competence, integrity, authenticity and even the continued existence of the person or organization behind the site.

That Web site is probably the most important interface the DWPL has with the public. Wildre, did you mean to say that the site is run by volunteers or the entire DWPL is run by volunteers? (i.e., was that bad news or really bad news I just read?) No disrespect to the generosity of those volunteers, but I wonder if Mr. Morey and the various commercial DWPL members should consider putting aside some funds to pay a webmaster.

[fuzzyscorpio]

Hmm, I just went and looked at the "about us" bits on the DWPL site and realized that, of course, Mike D is the godfather of that site as well as this message board. Hope I haven't offended you, Mike ... for sure, doowopusa.org is a fine looking site, a terrific piece of design work and I'm not just sucking up so you don't boot me ;D But I do think it might be a good thing if they were to hire you a slave...

In returning to this site, after lurking briefly last summer, I've been motivated partly by a desire to drill down to the fundamental reasons why so many sweet old motels and other landmarks have to continue to die and be replaced by developments of a very diffferent character... whether it's because the forces involved are unstoppable, or because there's no one truly committed to stopping them, or something in between... and this drilling process, done in scraps of time stolen from obligatory activities, is a frustrating, maddening, heartbreaking thing, as most of you surely know. So I hope Mike and everyone else will forgive me for being a little impatient with anything that appears to weaken the pro-doo-wop, pro-preservation forces.

[choochoochuck]

i agree..the site could be updated more...but at least we have something.

[hulk007]

I just wish the lost treasures section will get going, it would be cool to see all the demoed buildings in their glory days.

[fuzzyscorpio]

hulk007 said:

I just wish the lost treasures section will get going, it would be cool to see all the demoed buildings in their glory days.

A good start on that process would be to take all the demolished properties out of the "Doo Wop Motels" pages in that same "Gallery" section and move them into "Lost Treasures." There are about 15 of them, at least one on almost every page, and the Ebb Tide is the only one with a caption that identifies it as having been wrecked. The comment about the 24th St. is typical: "You can't miss this motel's star-shaped sign (a 1953 original) as you're driving down Surf Avenue in North Wildwood..." Well, you sure can miss it now.

It's hard to tell from looking at the home page of the Doo Wop Preservation League that there is any need for preservation.

[thelastresort]

I realize it is a volunteer effort, but it seems like the only active section of the website is the message board. Anyone new who finds it might just be inclined to click away after perusing it for a few minutes since it has not been updated in so long. One might think the organization is not in business anymore, and that the website is one of those that is just lingering.

Maybe just take off the old info for now, and put something like "coming soon" with some new dates, so that it looks more active?

[hulk007]

I agree, at least then it looks more like a "work in progress"

[Rob Ascough]

Being part of the "executive committee" for a small roller coaster enthusiast organization, I understand both sides. Being unpaid volunteers, it is obvious that real jobs, family and other personal obligations come before the demands of the organization- that's just the way it goes. But I also know that being up-to-date and accurate with the information you supply to people gives the organization a lot more respect and credibility.

I guess what I'm saying is that I learned time isn't necessarily available for passions such as this but time has to be found regardless of the cost. Not always the most pleasant problem to have to deal with but that's what separates the people that want to do something and the people that actually do (like the people that run the Preservation League).

[Robert]

If more and more original doo-wop buildings get destroyed in the name of "progress" as the developers and anyone else would call it, it would appear that the DWPL has failed in their mission. Hopefully the slowing real estate market will convince surviving motel and restaurant owners to "stay put" instead of selling out and retiring since the high dollar "bribe" from the developers won't be there.