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Oxford County’s COOL Site
By Merideth Maywood
Information Access Oxford
For The Oxford Review
July 23, 2001
Oxford County now has a COOL web site (http://cool.county.oxford.on.ca) to search for information on local businesses. The County of Oxford On-Line (COOL) web site is a directory providing information for over 2000 businesses and organizations located throughout Oxford County.
There are numerous benefits to using the COOL site. Unlike a phone book, the COOL directory provides detailed information about each business listed. Find the payment methods accepted, hours of operation, services or products provided and contact information. The site provides more detailed information about restaurants including their dress codes, entertainment, menu, pricing, smoking, non-smoking/smoking seating, outdoor patios, and the booking of reservations. Users of the site can sort the business listings they are viewing alphabetically by business name, street, community, or web site.
COOL provides a variety of options to search the directory for information. Type in part or all of a business name to search for a listing, search the “Green Pages” which are similar to the Yellow Pages ? in a telephone book, or search by Quick Picks which has the businesses broken down into various categories like banking or dining. COOL also has advanced search options that allow users to search for all businesses in a particular community, on a street, within a particular facility such as a shopping plaza, or for members of a business association (like a Chamber of Commerce).
This site was launched January 2001, and there are big plans for its future. Staff are currently putting the finishing touches on the mapping component that provides the physical location of businesses listed in the COOL directory. There are also future plans to expand the directory to include government listings and non-profit organizations.
While one does have to go on-line to search COOL, it provides a wealth of information that makes it worth the on-line journey. Use COOL to see if there is a restaurant in the same mall as the hair salon you will be visiting. Check the hours at the dry cleaners to make sure they will be open on your way home from work. If you have friends coming to visit Oxford County, tell them to visit the COOL web site for travel information. The opportunities to use COOL are endless.
Oxford County Businesses can list on COOL at any time. To get a listing one can email cool@county.oxford.on.ca, fill out an on-line form (http://cool.county.oxford.on.ca), or call the COOL coordinator at 539-0015 ext 323.
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