Theron Laumeister, a San Jose, CA-based freelance Web designer, yesterday introduced blackoutinfo.com to draw attention to his services as Californians brace themselves for electrical outages.
The site offers free registration for an e-mail service that forwards emergency power alerts from California's “Emergency Digital Information Service.” Because of a deal with San Diego Gas and Electric, Laumeister promises subscribers in the area that they will be notified of blackouts no later than two minutes after the power company releases the information.
The service has drawn more than 100 e-mail subscribers since it debuted last week. Laumeister concocted the idea for the site as he saw his job contracts dwindle during the past year with the dot-com shakeout. Laumeister said he has generated two prospect leads since the site went up.
“So far, so good,” he said. “Jobs in the Bay area have really dropped in the last year, and I thought the site would be a good way of showing my work.”
