When DigitalTown Inc., a Burnsville, Minnesota-based company, announced it was creating a website called www.durangodemons.com, red flags went up at Durango School District 9-R.
“We immediately began to inquire about the legitimacy of the website within the district and our athletics department, and they were all unaware of the site,” said Julie Popp, director of communications and marketing for the district. “The school district also started to work with local authorities and contacted the website owner to take it down.”
Rob Monster, CEO of DigitalTown said the website was taken down within 30 minutes of his company’s being contacted by 9-R.
The website would have generated profit through selling ads on the website and “Durango Demon” gear, although everything on the website when it was up Friday was generic and did not use any Durango High School logos.
“Technically, the site is in the public domain, and it belongs to the community, not the school district. But rather than create a ruckus, we cooperated with the school district.” Monster said.
DigitalTown presents itself as a partner with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association in its news releases and on its website, but the NIAAA does not list the company as either a partner or sponsor on its website.
“My communications coordinator talked with NIAAA (Monday), and they said this is an ongoing problem all over the country, so it’s widespread, it’s not just us,” Popp said.
The district was particularly concerned about confusion in the community, Popp said.
“We don’t want third parties to impersonate us,” she said. “It’s against our policies, and it’s also against the law. But representing themselves as an official source of information around our athletics is a concern. Also, the fact that the site was promoting donations and sponsorships directed for our athletics, our schools and our school district is misleading, when people should just give it to us directly.”
District 9-R has been considering a website for its athletics department, she said, and now a local Web developer has offered to create one gratis.
That might be a surprise to DigitalTown. Monster believes the district is reviewing the www.durangodemons.com site and his company through its administrative process.
“We would need access and control over content and messaging to the community of any website,” Popp said, “especially as we’re embarking on an endeavor to raise funds for the stadium at Durango High School.”
abutler@durangoherald.com
