How GoWoodruff works & how it’s funded
Who runs this, what it costs to keep it honest, and who pays for that time. We’re putting it in plain words, up front, not in fine print.
Who runs it
GoWoodruff is an independent project. It’s built and maintained by an independent web developer based in the Upstate of South Carolina. It is not a Town of Woodruff government site, and it isn’t affiliated with the town or any business listed here.
The aim is simple: one trustworthy place for the attractions, businesses, news, events and neighbors of Woodruff, built so it could one day serve other small towns too.
The rules we hold ourselves to
- Every listing shows its proof. Each business and attraction links to a source you can check yourself: an official website, a town or county page, or a public listing. If we can’t source it, we don’t show it.
- Nothing invented. No made-up businesses, events or news, and no fake neighbors. The community board stays empty until real people post on it.
- News is linked, not faked. When we cover a story, we credit and link the original reporting.
- Moderated by people, not algorithms. Signed-in neighbors can report a post or reply. Reports are private. When three different neighbors report the same thing, it’s held out of view until a person reviews it. Nothing is deleted automatically, and there are no public report counts.
- Your data isn’t for sale. We don’t sell or rent resident information. Joining asks only for a name, an email and a password, nothing else.
- No ads, no trackers. Right now the site runs no advertising and no analytics or ad-tracking scripts.
How the time is funded
Keeping a local site accurate is real work: finding and checking sources, updating listings when things change, and moderating so the community board stays kind. That time has to come from somewhere, and you deserve to know where.
Nobody pays GoWoodruff anything right now. There are no sponsors, no paid listings and no ads. The work is paid for out of pocket by the person building it.
How we plan to fund it as it grows:
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Planned
Local business memberships
Local businesses that want more than a basic listing, such as updating their own info, posting specials or adding photos, would support the platform that sends neighbors their way.
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Planned
Clearly labeled sponsorships
Any local sponsor would be marked Sponsored, right on the item. Paid placement will never be dressed up as a recommendation.
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Planned
Community commerce
Down the road, local businesses may be able to take orders and reservations through GoWoodruff. The goal is a town-run alternative to big platforms, where more of each dollar stays in Woodruff and a small share keeps the site running. This isn’t switched on anywhere yet.
No prices, fees or terms have been set. Before any of these goes live, we’ll publish exactly how it works and what it costs on this page.
What the labels mean
- Editor’s pick
- Chosen by us because it’s a good place to start. Nobody paid for it. (2 listings today.)
- Source ↗
- Where we verified the listing. Tap it to check it yourself.
- Sponsored
- Paid placement. Not in use yet. If it ever is, it will always carry this label.