Type community network Official website dcpages.com Availability United States of America | Country United States Launch date 1 January 1994 | |
Slogan "Washington DC's First Community";
"Free and Open to All"; "Surf our Nation's Capital" Key people Luke Wilbur, Douglas White, Rod Cordova, Matthew Toledo | ||
Washington DC City Pages, usually referred to as DCpages, is an online community network founded in 1994. DCpages introduced the concept of online community publications in the Washington DC metropolitan area, and celebrated its 10th anniversary on January 1, 2004.
DCPages.com has been recognized by Eric Hippeau, Chairman of Ziff Davis as a highly effective tool for promoting organizations. DCPages.com received a Community Award at the Annual Global Information Infrastructure Awards (previously known as the NII Awards).
As of 2011, DCpages sources of revenue are paid advertisements and directory listings.
DCpages.com's roots stretch back to 1994, when Jack Hurwitz, began connecting the community in his apartment by setting up a local Bulletin Board Service in Rockville, Maryland. In 94, Jack set up DCpages.com with the intention of linking up other services in the DC metropolitan area. The web site spread throughout the community as a local online resource.
Anthropologist and journalist Luke Wilbur began building a web club in his parents basement with the intention of understanding cyberculture. In 95, Luke and longtime friends, Clifford Bressler, Richard Lynch, Douglas White, established Infohall.com with the intention of promoting organizations around the Washington DC metropolitan area. Every Tuesday night dozens of Washington's local artists, writers, and programmers came together to learn about the Internet and build a community web site they named Infohall.
In 1996, Hurwitz met Luke Wilbur through a mutual friend, and while sitting in a booth at Dave & Buster's in Rockville, the two discussed the merits of community building and other philosophical topics.
"And then [Hurwitz] turned around to me and he sold DCpages to me for $1," said Wilbur, who still owns the Washington-area community site but says he prefers to think of himself as the Ringo Starr figure in a band of contributors.
In 1997, Axel Martinez was hired by DC Pages to contribute to what is now the DC Pages Directory. Martinez also worked with Mr. Wilbur on creating photo galleries of the various events in the DC metro area. He worked several years with the company.
In 2001, Craigslist attempted to acquire DCpages, but the deal was not completed.
In 2003, DCpages created a summer internship program offering undergraduate students the opportunity to gain work experience with their marketing and sales department by learning the latest techniques and strategies of marketing via the web.
In 2006, DCpages announced the free use of all its advertising services to nonprofits, musicians, artists and organizations.
In 2008, DCpages created the Washington DC Network to use all media types to promote clients’ messages. The Washington DC Network connects clients to as many as two million unique visitors a month. Matt Toledo become the principal programming administrator during this new phase of development.
In 2010, DCpages began integration with outside social networks.