How did Jamaicans.com begin? This question is multi-layered like an onion and will have to be answered in parts. Today I will focus on how I was introduced to the web the content I used to start Jamaicans.com.
I have to go back a little. Before there was Jamaicans.com there was a print publication called “Nuff Respect”. It was a publication that I started while I was in college. It had interviews, recipes, a top 10 music chart and articles targeting mainly Jamaicans. The publication was a success but getting to print was a hassle. Last minute advertisements, haggling with sponsors, late articles and a very busy graphic designer (He was busting out to the Caribbean community)…all the issues you have with a print publication. We struggled to meet the monthly print deadline.
In 1993 I was very fortunate enough to work for a start-up, Electronic Marketing Company. The goal was to market travel packages for other big companies on Prodigy, AOL, CompuServe, Listservers and the “new” World Wide Web. We also had a large email database.
I remember the first time I mentioned the word internet and email to some friends in 1993 while trying to explain what I did. I received strange looks. I had to admit that they were probably well deserved as I did not think the internet would play such an important role in our daily lives in the future. Being at a start-up company I had to learn everything and that included how to create a website (I will get into tools in another blog). It was here that the idea for “De Website on Jamaica” (later changed to Jamaicans.com) was born.
My start-up content would come directly from Nuff Respect.
