The Watford pages have been featured in:
"I was looking through the Internet and found there was hardly anything on Watford," says Martin, who works for a local computer software company, Emtex, in the heart of town.
It has taken him a year to rectify this omission, spending a few hours per week and even going round the locality taking 18 photographs to provide a pictorial taste of the town.
Martin, who was born in Watford and lives in Garston, has completed the bulk of web site information. Surfers of the net can find his site http://www.terrapin.co.uk/watford/ - and they will receive the following information:
Accommodation (hotels and guest houses), radio and TV frequencies in the area and a photographic gallery of various sites round the town (Watford Springs, Town Hall, Grove Mill...)
"I took the photographs one Sunday morning. There are 18 in all. There is also a clickable map, which provides further information about various places," says Martin.
The information also includes things to do, churches, clubs, cinemas, theatres, libraries, martial arts, museums, night clubs, venues, parks and gardens, pubs, sports and walks with descriptions on each.
"I get two or three messages a week, some ask me to add their own site to it," he says.
The information also includes a general history of the town, details on how to get to Watford, district pages (with description about each district), a company page (listing Watford firms with their own Internet sites), education (linked to all schools and colleges that have their own pages), Watford home pages (people who live in the town and have their own pages) useful phone numbers, other links, (nine other much smaller guides to the town, links to nearby towns.)
"At the moment I feel it is a pretty complete guide," says the former Parmiter's schoolboy.
Having taken a look, I think he is right.
Click here
for the soundtrack (1.2Mb) of the
London Tonight
broadcast, courtesy of
London News Network.
Screenshots and Quicktime clips will be appearing here soon, but in the meantime, here's the transcript:
[Alistair Stewart: In the studio]
Finally tonight: London's on it, so's New York, Paris, and Tokyo. They're all part of the global village on the super information highway, the Internet, and now they've been joined by another internationally renowned town. Vince Rogers explains.
[Vince Rogers: typing at his computer]
The global network of computers, the Internet, is packed full of information on every conceivable subject, all around the world apart from one... Watford.
[Cut to Martin sitting at his desk]
But not anymore. Step forward Watford resident Martin Walker who works for a software company. He was so aghast at the lack of information about the town, he hung up his anorak [picture of an anorak - Not mine!], rolled up his sleeves and set about constructing the Watford Web site, and this off his own back, with nothing to do with the council.
[Martin Walker: with monitor in the background]
I did it really because when we were first connected I had a look round the Internet doing a search on Watford and there was hardly anything on Watford at all. In fact I found more information on Jaipur in India, than I did on Watford.
[Vince Rogers: (while showing screen shots)]
A Web site is a kind of electronic magazine you can tap into on your computer if you're wired into the Internet, so now, thanks to Martin anybody in the world can find out all sorts of fascinating things about Watford. It's almost as exciting as being there in real life. You can visit one of the railway stations:
[Web Picture of Watford Junction, followed by Vince and Martin in front of it]
[Martin:]
This is Watford Junction, it's one of Watford's many stations.
[Martin walks off as Vince pulls a face to camera]
[Vince: (while showing a Web picture of the Town Hall)]
You can take a look at the local council.
[Martin: (Cut to Martin and Vince looking at the town hall)]
This is Watford Town Hall, centre of administration in the town.
[Vince pulls a face to camera]
[Vince: (while showing a Web picture of the Pond)]
Or how about a visit to one of Watford's beauty spots?
[Martin: (and Vince standing by the pond)]
This is the Watford pond.
[Vince:]
Not very exciting is it?
[Martin:]
It's a pond.
[Vince:] So now Watford is buzzing about it's new site on the Internet.
[Vince: (talking to a woman in the High Street)]
Do you realise Watford has now got it's own Web site?
[Woman:]
It's got what?
[Vince:]
Or perhaps not. At http://www.terrapin.co.uk/watford/ this is Vince Rogers for London Tonight.
Alistair Stewart: [In the studio]
And for everybody who lives in Watford, it's Vince Rogers slash colon home address x, y, and z slash colon.
[Liz Wickham:]
Did you say 'colon'?
By John Rainer
|
|
Martin Walker, of Garston, was stunned to find there was more information on Jaipur in India than on his home town as he surfed the Internet's pages almost a year ago.
But now the 26-year old has compiled a comprehensive 18 page guide to Watford, covering everything from the town's history to hotels, colleges to clubs, and he's put it together all in his own free time.
"When I first got connected I was searching for something on Watford and there was hardly anything," explained Martin.
"There were a few mentions of the town here and there but nothing substantial so I decided to set up my own web site on Watford."
"I've lived in the town all my life so it didn't take a great deal of research apart from looking up the local history and taking some photographs."
The web site begins with an introduction page and is followed by a map highlighting all the places of interest Martin has included on the pages.
There is also a potted history, a list of all the hotels and estate agents in town, a "things to do" list which includes pubs, clubs, cinemas, theatres, museums, and walks, useful phone numbers, a guide to education in Watford and details on how to get there - and that's just for starters.
"I'm constantly updating it as and when it's necessary and it's proving to be quite popular," added Martin, who works for Watford software company Emtex.
"Around 25 people a day access the information and quite often they come from abroad"
Martin's labour of love was featured on Carlton's news round-up 'London Tonight' last week, after which more than 100 people accessed the web site in just two hours.
But the TV feature's mocking tone did not go down too well with Martin.
"I was a bit annoyed they decided to take that angle but I had a feeling they might," he said.
Anyone wanting to access the Watford web site should use the following address: http://www.terrapin.co.uk/watford/