That evening I returned to Franklin Public Library to check my email and arrange for further visits around the area. The library is about 100 yards from the downtown location of the cybercafe, and my two computer mates were young teenage boys. The young fellows sitting around me were the exact market segment that the youth team hoped to attract to the restaurant, but would that cut the traffic of the adults who came only to eat? Probably. If a venue became known as a place for a certain age group: kids, adults, or seniors, other groups will stay away. It happens in parks, libraries, and dining establishments. Groups seemed to get together as a community on a periodic basis and for certain reasons (like MIRA, building a community park, a celebration, a high school sports event) and stay in their own age cohort the rest of the time. The other problem was the cost and the hours: the library was free and open evenings, but the cybercafe would have to charge in order to recoup costs of the machines, staff, support, and connectivity. The restaurant owner may even receive a cut of the gross income. These young people are facing decisions that may cost them lost time and money, but were it not for MIRA they might not even be willing to grapple with these issues faced by many small entrepreneurs.

One of the teams focused on the rich collection of Victorian architecture in the region. www.victorianregion.com is a well-designed site that lets the tourist or student of architecture explore by location or style. The site includes fourteen styles (Italianate, stick, empire, etc) and thirteen towns. In addtion they have held a successful Victorian conference that has drawn speakers and visitors from outside the state. Another is planned for October 2001. This is a good example of a simple design used to display a depth of local history and craftsmanship in a manner that fits the resources of the volunteers and the subject.