Philip Hardin, Director of the McDowell County Department of Social Services, asked us to fulfill his vision of a website that served his clients and took some of the communication load off his staff by providing an easy to navigate, well organized body of information about the extensive services that they provide. His previous web presence was just a link to the North Carolina DSS website which provided a raft of brochures but no real lifeline to the local service providers and therefore no personal connection to the community. The new site starts with a flash header of local landscapes that establishes a sense of place and the tabs below it give quick links to the Staff Directory, Frequently Asked Questions and Resources/Links. The inside pages are information rich and load quickly even for rural clients on dialup connections.