At Cape Cod Life Publications we have a new web designer; Jenn Shurkus is her name. Jenn comes to us after working as a web designer at Providence College for five years. She had previously lived on the Cape for 10 years, working for a small business and is happy to be living near the ocean again. She enjoys being artistic every day, whether it’s with digital design or when she’s at her studio table getting paint under her nails. In her spare time Jenn is a creative instructor and teaches paper crafting classes around the country and hosts art retreats locally.

A few months ago—just as Jenn was joining us—we introduced the Cape Cod Life Publications Archives, a collection of every issue we have published since the company’s founding in 1979. Viewers are now able to download their favorite copies of Cape Cod LIFE, Cape Cod HOME, and Cape Cod ART, and this has proved to be very popular with our online visitors.

We also recently expanded our online Events Calendar, which features—in an easy-to-navigate calendar format—details of upcoming events published in all three of our titles, plus events posted by our readers and web viewers. You can scan the events by day, week, or month.

Of course, feature articles, especially history articles, continue to be a favorite with our website visitors. Especially now, viewers can re-visit and re-read their favorite issues and stories, whether recent or not so recent.

At Cape Cod LIFE we have built our reputation presenting gorgeous photos of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Our six-page Photo Portfolio has been the lynchpin of Cape Cod LIFE for 37 years now. These Photo Portfolios, as well as our annual Photography Contest, plus our online Photo Gallery which offers prints for sale, addresses our readers’ appreciation of excellent photography.

I can’t say enough about the popularity of our “Best of The Cape & Islands” Readers’ Choice Awards Issue. This report isn’t just popular on our website, but also on the Cape Cod Life “Best of” Mobile App. Our followers can carry this with them and view all of our “Best of” winners—and where they’re located on a responsive map.

Recipes are so popular that we have recently added a new “Best Recipes” feature. Judy, my wife, our associate publisher, and our “Recipe Specialist,” suggested we ask the chefs at restaurants voted “Best” by our readers, to share their recipes with our readers. The chefs have been very kind to do so, and our second installment is in the works.

Our Index to Businesses lists the finest businesses serving the Cape & Islands. There are 35 categories: Accomodations to architecture, restaurants to windows and doors!

Our e-commerce business is also doing well and growing. My son, Max, our special web projects manager, is home from school for the summer and has been busy at the office. Max organized the Cape Cod Life Gear and Photo Gallery sections of our website—no small task! This summer he has been helping us organize an expanded e-commerce section, which we plan to announce in the next issue of Cape Cod LIFE. Stay tuned!

My Best,

Brian