Defend your city with words

By Staff
Kim West, Franklin County Times
When people consider moving to a new place, the Internet is a convenient way to research an area. You can check out sites that feature local attractions, school systems and even read local reviews. But the Internet also allows anyone to write just about anything they want. A person who posts on these sites doesn't have to be factual to write a review about a restaurant, hotel or city. Most sites monitor reviews for obscenities, but not for content since reviews are opinion-based.
I was researching Franklin County this week and came across a site called ePodunk that contained a bevy of useful information.
As I was browsing the site, I noticed one user review for Russellville. I was curious to find out if the review was positive or negative, and it certainly wasn't a thumbs-up kind of piece.
The review format allows users to describe the pluses or minuses of a location, and this review listed just one plus-"some of the 4-lanes with 65 mph speeds are on the outer limits of Russellville."
The rest of the review criticized everything from a local fast-food restaurant to the lack of alcohol sales. To be honest, the review humored me at first, at least until I reached the really insulting parts. By the time I reached the closing paragraph, which advised, "this place is pretty worthless," I was ticked off, and I've only worked in this city for the past six weeks.
There are lot of good things about Russellville that the review didn't mention anything about-the chicken nachos at the Frosty Inn, double features at King's Drive-In, the outstanding school systems in this county and the community support for local sports and events such as the Watermelon Festival and Friday night football.
I'm not saying people don't have a right to criticize, especially in reviews. But it bothers me that this review might be the only firsthand opinion a potential resident might receive about this county. If you are proud to live in this area, I think it would be beneficial to visit epodunk.com and write your own review of life in Franklin County.