If you're visiting Squamish, are new to town or are just plain tired of missing out on events, there's an ever-expanding local cyberspace presence that's ensuring your finger can remain firmly on the town's pulse.
Locally run sites like the Tourism Squamish, the Squamish Events Guide, Squamish Music Live and My Squamish are keeping track of the latest information on local festivals, attractions, concerts and live entertainment so you don't have to.
Music lover Paul Hudson is the creator of the most recent online music directory called Squamish Music Live, which he established after getting fed up with missing out on local entertainment.
"The reason I wanted to create it was because I kept missing live gigs in Squamish. Even though I feel like I'm in the loop, there'd always be something going on and you'd hear about it the next day," he said.
Hudson said he just wanted to create one easy to use website to advertise all local music events.
"Everybody's advertising is very inconsistent - some people advertise on the web, some people put posters up, some people don't do any advertising, some people puts ads in the paper - which is expensive - so I thought I would just create this resource where all music gigs would be advertised."
With regular updates every 48 hours, including Facebook alerts, the website allows visitors to easily sort through live music events by venue or date, and since launching in early February, Hudson said the response has been great.
"Probably the most consistent response I've got is that it's long over due for Squamish. It's been all positive."
Over the last five years, the Squamish Events Calendar - What's On Squamish, has become the go-to source for locals looking for a wide variety of things to do on a Saturday afternoon.
"I think it's a great service for all different walks of life, for the club goer or the parents," said website operator Jude Goodwin.
Website users can sort through posted events by search through sub-categories, which include family friendly events, sporting events or venues.
Thanks to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, Goodwin said the website had daily updates providing locals with a lot of information about a wide variety of events, but she'd still like to see more on the site.
According to Goodwin, an iPhone Squamish and Whistler Events Guide application is currently being designed and will be available for purchase from ITunes in the coming months.
"It's kind of scary because now... I can't let it go. I have to keep doing it forever. So, when I retire I'll have a motor home with a satellite dish on it so I can continue to update the Squamish Events Guide."
Since OnTrackMedia launched MySquamish.com more than a decade ago the site has a long history of providing a comprehensive guide for locals and visitors, alike.
"We were running years before the district had tourism on their radar so I felt we were the unofficial tourism site," said owner Dean Richards.
"I think after 12 years we have become kind of like the 'old friend' of local websites."
The site includes a business directory as well as an extensive list of recreational activities available in the area.
A brief guide on local eateries and organizations can also be found on the site as can short video clips highlighting community events.
Richards said he plans to revamp the site in the spring of 2010.
"We are excited about our total redesign with new community features that will help connect us to each other."
For anyone entirely new to town, the ultimate online stop for any visitor to Squamish is the Tourism Squamish website, which features lists of attractions to see and do with everything from information on festivals to hotels just a few clicks away.
"We're trying to really be able to link into everything that's happening in the community," said Tourism Squamish manager Lesley Weeks.
"We like to call it a one stop shop for everything you need to know about Squamish. It gives you an opportunity to take a look at Squamish before you come."
With a special section on Olympic Games transportation and accommodations, the website is best suited to visitors, or locals who have friends and family visiting town for the first time.
Weeks said some locals don't even know what's in their own backyard until they research interesting activities for someone else.
"Quite often people don't tap into that until they have people that are coming to visit and then they're pleasantly surprised at what is actually available in Squamish."
