The Parsons Advocate mobile app is part of a mobile initiative with the West Virginia University P.I. Reed School of Journalism that has grown out of a partnership with the school’s West Virginia Uncovered Project, and the Parsons Advocate newspaper.

This pilot project,led by Assistant Professor Dana Coester and graduate student/professional technologist George Cicci, is an experiment in rural mobile media in an effort to facilitate mobile adoption for small businesses and community members in rural West Virginia.

At the heart of this project is the recognition that mobile offers a significant leap-frog opportunity for overcoming the digital divide. Since WV is ranked 48th in the nation in its access to the Internet, we hope that working within a rural community can potentially put new economic resources in the hands of small business owners, rural media, and community members.