By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com
KINGSVILLE — Call it a game of cat and mouse — computer mouse, that is.
The Ashtabula County Animal Protective League has launched a new website and is hoping to link up with some new friends on Myspace.com.
The shelter has launched the website www.acapl.wtfwebdesign.com, a fresh, new look in the shelter’s web design.
The site lists the dog of the month, information on adoptions and answers frequently asked questions. Donations to the shelter can be made through a PayPal link on the site.
The APL is hoping to give Google a run for its money in the search engine business with the inclusion in www.goodsearch.com.
GoodSearch is a Yahoo!-powered search engine that shares 50 percent on its profits with registered charities.
Users employ GoodSearch just as any other search engine. Each user registers for a charity and each search earns that charity money. The engine also includes GoodShop, an online shopping mall of national retail merchants. Each purchase made via the GoodShop mall nets a donation to the user’s designated charity or school.
“GoodSearch is a great way to raise money for your favorite charity by doing something you do every day anyway,” APL board member Irene Fiala said. “The kickbacks to charity are small, but they all add up. For example, the earnings would be significant if everyone in Ashtabula County registered the APL as their recipient for each eBay purchase they make.”
Locally, the APL, Ashtabula County Humane Society and HomeSafe of Ashtabula County are registered with GoodSearch.
The APL also has a Myspace account, where Myspace users can link up as “friends” of the shelter.
“I think this is a great idea,” APL board president Nancy Warner said. “It is a new way to approach a younger generation.”
The site, www.myspace.com/ashtabulaapl, includes APL donation needs, animals for adoption, news, and volunteer opportunities. Users can also post stories and pictures of pets adopted at the APL.
