It’s been 6 weeks since this idea was born, but it’s the direction I had always wanted to go with the website. I started during the beginning of BVS -  just over two years ago now – to add articles of interest to the website. But with the growth of a new business and doing events, it was more than I could take on myself. So…here we are, a couple years later, and I am able to share my vision with you once again.

There are a few things you should know as we make this introductory launch.

1. We are not at full speed yet. I am a woman of action and I tend to learn from my mistakes. So we’re jumping in quickly and developing along the way. A few links may not work, we may be missing a little content, but we’ll get there. Be patient with us and we’ll deliver, I promise! We’re adding some wonderful features to the website on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Our hope is to be up and running at full tilt by the end of the summer, so if you can bear with us for a couple of months, help us grow by sharing your comments and thoughts, we’d most appreciate it.

2. So what’s it all about, Alfie? Bon Vivant Savant means, “Live well, live wisely.” With this in mind, we have created an online lifestyle magazine (e-Mag) that ties in great living through Food, Community and Connection. We want to share stories, tips and experiences in an inspired and inspiring way. We hope to become a part of your daily routine and a place where you can connect with others in your community. While we’re starting strong in Louisville, we hope to have articles and events going in the Lexington and Cincinnati areas by September. We’ll also be adding a Forum where you can connect outside of the public comments and chat with those you may have met at one of our events in a more private manner. We’ll also have special deals, offers and tips within the forums as well. Look for the forum to be up and running within a month.

3. No worries. We’re not giving up the great events that you’ve come to know, love and trust. We’ll still be holding 2-3 events monthly and even expanding our scope of what we do. You’ll still have the monthly Supper Speakeasies, as well as Wine & Wisdoms, Nibble & Sips, Singles Mingles and other great annual events. We’re even beginning to do more private parties, so if you’re looking for a more unique shindig for home or the office, we can help.

4. How you can participate and help us grow:

• Help us grow our happy hour list. Do you know a great happy hour or deal going on? Let us know about it. Share it on our Facebook Fan Page or send us an email with HH as the subject. We want to hear from restaurants and citizens alike.
• Help us grow our “What We Like” section: Musicians, Artists, Shopping, Food, Non-Profits. Listing your business or yourself is free, but we also offer a special feature listing for a $50 one time fee, $10 annual renewal. See your specific section for what that includes and what to send us.
• Write for us. We want to hear your stories. If you have something wonderful to share, we want to know about it. You can find everything you need to know about writing for us on the Submissions page. If you handle PR for an event, we want to know about it. But here’s the catch, we don’t want to just list a press release, we’d like a little personal touch to it. We want to support all that is happening in our fair cities to make us a great place to live – and a little heart in the story goes a long way.
• Leave comments and participate in the forums (once they’re launched). We want to hear from you!
• Tell your friends. Let them know what we’re doing and help us spread the word!

Thank you so much for stopping by! We look forward to growing and sharing with you! You’ll see my musings here from time to time. And if you care to ask any direct questions of me, just submit them using our Contact Form, and we’ll get back to you – we may even answer you online! No worries, we won’t ever share any personal information or names if we use your question online.

and while this is far from be “last, but not least,” I would not have had this amazing site without the talents of John Paul Rawlins and Shad Finley of Studio Interactive. They have rallied under an amazingly tight time schedule to have this beautiful site ready in a ridiculously tight window.

Until the next time…

…live well, live wisely!
Your Average Jo

Share This Article:

Tags: Cincinnati, Dinner Club, Events, Food, Inspiration, Lexington, Lifestyle, Louisville, People

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 at 12:35 pm and is filed under Average Jo, Featured Article, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.