The web can sometimes be like a big haystack with all of the information it offers, and it can be intimidating to the members of your alliance if they're trying to stand out from the crowd. Why not make their needle a little bigger by providing a centralized portal where you can direct both residents and visitors of your small town to find what it is they need when they need it?

HOLMES offers several powerful modules right out of the box:

• Organization Profile - Businesses and other organizations can log in and edit their own profile, so they can control how others see them.
• Web and Map Links - Linking an organization web site to a HOLMES site couldn't be easier -- just enter the site into the appropriate field and wherever that business appears, so does a link to its web site. Maps are even easier -- just click a checkbox and HOLMES automatically creates a MapQuest link to that business, so potential customers can find them -- fast.
• Category Selection - The alliance designates the categories that are selectable by the business and the business selects where they want to appear. It will take a business less than 10 seconds to display themselves under a new category.
• Coupon Creation and Management - New coupon you want available to your customers? The HOLMES architecture allows you to upload an image, or create a coupon on-the-fly using a text-based editor. Because sometimes you just can't wait for a graphic designer.
• Event and Job Management - Need more staff for the holiday season? How about the summer? Want to announce a weekly event at your business? HOLMES lets you do that. And it offers something more than a large job or event board can offer: a hometown audience.
• And there's so much more. Let us know what YOU need, and maybe we'll even incorporate it in our next version!

The WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor that we use throughout the system is the popular TinyMCE developed by Moxiecode. It gives you a little more control over how your text looks without having to worry about writing any HTML code.

We've also incorporated other javascript interface elements such as a tabbed interface and a calendar selection javascript for dates to help you better navigate the system. The best part? There's no added cost to using any of these elements: they're all distributed as open source under the General Public License (GPL).

The HOLMES content management system leverages the power of an open-source PHP architecture over a MySQL database, minimizing the implementation and licensing costs normally associated with a traditional database solution. For many business alliances, where budget is a factor, the cost saving is significant but the impact to their member organizations is priceless.