Oneonta On The Map: Are we there yet? no. Are we having fun yet? YES!

July 21st, 2009

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Beautiful Day, Belly Dancers, Holistic Health at the Oneonta Farmers’ Market, Kim Muller Plaza, Main St. Oneonta

This past Saturday (July 18, 2009) was a fun day — Holistic Health Day at the Oneonta Farmers’ Market, then the Leatherstocking Buzzards Remote Control Aircraft Mini-Fest Hospice Fundraiser (they do some crazy flying!) and in the evening the new B. Sharp Gallery Art Exhibit Opening where we met some interesting artists in a close personal setting.  I usually have to coax Rick to attend art openings, but after this experience his interest in art is piqued.

It’s been a year since we launched* www.OneontaOnTheMap.com; each week as I reflect on developments: businesses adding listings and events, local Tweets from Twitter, photograph entries for July’s contest, and stats and feedback from people who’ve found our database of Oneonta happenings helpful … of course I see so much more that could be done. One of my favorite proverbs, “All beginnings are hard” aptly applies and most computer people will second that notion. I feel overwhelmed by the lofty goals of creating an online community in concert with the Oneonta NY business community, and trying to provide the elusive interactive Internet experience that will keep visitors returning. When I’m in an overwhelmed state, just reading about the numerous exciting events taking place in Oneonta stresses me out.

But Rick, being the pragmatic programmer, brings me back to reality and our original goals: to help people find business and event information and directions quickly, and support the  Oneonta business community by enhancing their web presence (free listings, exposure, social media marketing). I think we’re on the right path, so I’ll relax and enjoy — have fun with our website and around Oneonta.

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Rick enjoyed mingling with artists at the B. Sharp Gallery Exhibition Opening.

So yes, we are having fun with this, and hope you’ll hang in with us as we tend our database and watch it grow.  If you’ve found our website and information helpful, let businesses or event organizers know you found them here. Now it’s back to work as we have some new features we’ll be announcing soon.

Thanks for listening,

Mary Robinson

www.OneontaOnTheMap.com — Telling you what you want to know & where to go!

*OneontaOnTheMap.com has been up and running for over a year; however, we officially launched it in Dec. 2008.

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OneontaOnTheMap celebrates locally owned and operated Oneonta businesses

June 28th, 2009

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A bit of good news concerning our Oneonta business & event directory:  In May/June we had over 840 visitors to our website! Word is getting around and we’ve had a flurry of activity and hits on Oneonta events. Thanks to all the businesses taking time to submit events; your work is not in vain.

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July brings the Annual Oneonta Hometown 4th of July Celebration and fireworks in Neahwa Park.  Check our event calendar for MORE area 4th of July happenings.

July 6 is a special Oneonta Tigers Baseball game vs. Aberdeen, at 7:05 pm. It’s Sam Nader Bobblehead night: Honoring a Legend. First 1,000 fans with paid admission get a Sam Nader Bobblehead. Gates open at 5:45 pm.

OneontaOnTheMap.com would like to celebrate July Independence & Festivities by turning our attention this month to promoting locally owned and operated businesses. What can be more American?

Here’s a personal testimony about how one can live in a small town for 19 years and yet still discover a gem of a business. In June, Rick & I celebrated our 27th anniversary and Rick went to buy flowers at Wyckoff’s to surprise me. The florist noticed Rick’s hat with SUSE Linux embroidered on it, and they began talking about Linux, which led to Rick talking about OneontaOnTheMap. Flowers were paid for and later that evening Wyckoff’s added their business to our website database.

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Wyckoff's Florist, the oldest business in Oneonta, NY still in its original location

Here’s what they entered for their info:

Wyckoff’s Florist is the oldest business in Oneonta still in its original location. We have a 128 year tradition of supplying beautiful fresh cut, arranged and wedding flowers to the Oneonta area.

Wyckoff’s Florist is committed to more that just beautiful flowers. First we must state that money is not everything “For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” [Matthew 16;26]. Taking a lead from Paul Newman, we have decided to give all of our 2009 profits to charities & schools. Yes, that’s right, 100%, … we hold nothing back. ” Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belt, take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or staff; for the worker is worth his keep.” Mat 10;9

Now, in these days, you can go to a grocery or department store and get flowers at cost. You will pay less, true, but by also sacrificing quality and care that goes into every arrangement. As well, it begs the question as to what we have done to the “mom & pop shop”, “family” or “neighborhood business” in America? For the sake of paying a few cents or a few dollars less, we have sent nearly all of our production & manufacturing overseas and we go to a single “mega store” to get everything. The products are cheap, of poor quality (even dangerous at times) and need to be replaced in a year. Spending in this way sends all the proceeds to a corporation that cares nothing about the community, personal relationships & customer care that the mom & pop shop focuses on. When buying your flowers here at Wyckoff’s, you can rest assured that the few dollars extra you might have paid will go to good causes and people in need, not an executive’s pocket or an overseas dictatorship.

Wyckoff’s Florist is also trying to make a change for our country & economy. We’re working hard to ensure all products sold from Wyckoff’s are made in the USA. We are not there yet, but we’re making choices toward this goal. We’ll update this post when we’re 100% in this area too.

Wow, talk about local and green:) and giving to our community (it is almost too good to be true); Wyckoff’s Florist says it all. I think this is part of a new business model of which we are seeing more and more; I am reminded of Go Wireless Community Appreciation Day, The Daily Star Ice Cream Social and Oneonta World of Learning events.

At OneontaOnTheMap, our coupon feature is nearing completion, and we are looking to highlight locally owned/operated businesses by marking them with a star icon, or flag if the product is made here in Oneonta. We’re getting excited about business here and hope you are too. Holler!

Finally, don’t forget the 2009 Oneonta City Summer Music Series Thursday concerts in Neahwa Park, a great way to unwind from hot humid days. Concerts are free; thank you City of Oneonta.

See you around town,
Rick & Mary Robinson
www.OneontaOnTheMap.com
YOUR HOMETOWN HOMEPAGE / MADE IN ONEONTA

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Oneonta on the Map: Photography contest & celebration of farm community roots

May 14th, 2009
George Joseph of Mountain Farm Organics in Westford, NY

My good friend and CSA farmer, George Joseph of Mountain Farm Organics in Westford, NY

Just finished adding all the wonderful events scheduled at the Oneonta Farmers’ Market this summer. The Oneonta Farmers’ Market is opening this Saturday, May 23rd for the season. Check our event calendar each week to keep up with things!

To celebrate the Oneonta Farmers’ Market, area farms and our farm roots, www.OneontaOnTheMap.com will be holding a photography contest where the first prize is a $100 Gift Certificate to FABLE at Stone & Thistle Farm in East Meredith.

Here’s all you need to do:

  1. e-mail Info@OneontaOnTheMap.com  one photo which relates to life in Oneonta or the surrounding communities.
  2. Please include a blurb describing the photo or occasion if it adds to the significance.  Don’t forget to include your name and contact information. We will not post names on the Internet unless you would like us to, otherwise we will use first names and last initials.
  3. Allow us to post your photo on the website for the duration of the contest (end of June) or longer:)
  4. Farm photos are preferred, but we are open to any subject which relates to Oneonta.  I will admit that I have a soft spot for goats, as I was once called “the goat lady of East Meredith!”

Rick & I will fight it out and pick our favorite photo (unless we come up with a better plan and real judges), and the photographer will win a $100 Gift Certificate to FABLE at Stone & Thistle Farm. We will award the gift certificate by the end of June.

Sounds like a lot of fun to me:) If you have any questions, please contact us through the Contact button on our web page.

Happy shutterbugging,

Mary Robinson

www.OneontaOnTheMap.com

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Attn: Farmers– From The Daily Star–More than $800,000 available for organic farmers. http://bit.ly/1aeUmc bottom of story.


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Oneonta on the Map around the town

May 11th, 2009

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Hope everyone had a happy Mother’s Day weekend.

On Sat., thanks to a Twitter Tweet from Harmony Hill Retreat Center, I was reminded that May 9 was the Annual East Meredith Fire Dept. Frank Briggs Pancake Day. Off we drove to our old neighborhood hamlet (we lived in E. Meredith for ten years), and had the most delicious pancake lunch. E. Meredith Fire Dept. is known for their home made sausage, which did not disappoint us.

As we were driving down Main Street Oneonta, we noticed a car wash sponsored by the Oneonta Stallions, a semi-professional football team. Who are these Oneonta Stallions? I gave them a donation and a card and said I’d like to know more; hope they check in and add their listing and also future events. Talk to me! Here’s a pic.

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Although we missed the opening night (May 9) reception for the B. Sharp Gallery art exhibition, we stopped by Sunday to view the artwork and talk with gallery owner Bobby Sharp. This exhibition of local artists will be at the B. Sharp Gallery until the end of this month. Check OneontaOnTheMap event calendar for days and times.  Here’s a few pics.

Bobby Sharp and Joe LaBruzzo talking about the art and future show plans.

Bobby Sharp and Joe LaBruzzo talking about the art and future show plans.

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Taking in the artwork

Photography: a Catskills sunset took my breath away.

Photography: a Catskills sunset took my breath away.

And it wasn’t all food and play this weekend (although we did stop in at the Latte Lounge for a gelato treat) — I finished painting our sign and Rick put it up!

Rick hangs our website sign!

Rick hangs our website sign!

Thanks for listening,
Mary Robinson
www.OneontaOnTheMap.com
The business directory with the personal note

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Oneonta On The Map announces April 15 contest winners

April 27th, 2009

webwwhatsup1Winning the $50 gift certificate to Elena’s Pastry/Bakery, we have Valerie K., pictured below. I asked Valerie how she heard about our Oneonta On The Map website and she said,

“Also I found out about the website from you. I work at ______ and one day you returned something and asked my coworker if she twittered and I said that I did. You gave me your card and told me about your site. I’m really glad that you did!”

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Word of mouth advertising does produce results:) However, Craig B., winner of the $50 gift certificate to Green Toad Bookstore, found out about our site when we placed a couple of ads in the Pennysaver. Craig is a programmer/web developer for the Pennysaver and started following us on Twitter.

At the OH Fest this past Saturday, we raffled off a $30 gift certificate to Kid’s Stuff toy store (on Main Street Oneonta), a $30 gift certificate to the Undercover Eggplant (Oneonta’s West End), and 2 tickets to the Joseph L. Popp, Jr., Butterfly Conservatory. Congratulations to the winners, and special thanks to the Joseph L. Popp, Jr. Butterfly Conservatory for the donation of the two tickets. And of course a HUGE Thank You to SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College for creating OH Fest IV for our community. We hope you will continue to work together on many OH Fests in the future!

Thanks for listening,
Mary Robinson
www.OneontaOnTheMap.com
Your Hometown Home Page … supporting the Oneonta business community … and having fun doing it!

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New business directory listings at Oneonta On the Map

March 27th, 2009

News, notes & quotes Oneonta Business Directory

We at Oneonta On The Map are especially happy when new businesses are added to our directory. You see, we’ve compiled basic listings, but we appreciate it when owners are proactive and add their own details which tell us what brands or products they specialize in. We can then create new categories, grow our database and evolve.

I’d like to bring to your attention some of the new Oneonta (and surrounding area) businesses in our database:

  • Welcome Christopher’s Coins on Chestnut St.; we’ve put you in the Shopping:Antiques/Collectables category and hope that works for you.
  • Springers, Inc is a dealer for Kubota tractors, utility vehicles, excavation equipment as well as Bobcat skidsteer loaders. They are having their Richfield Springs Open House on April 2, 3, and 4. Stop in and take advantage of special discounts.
  • I’ve enjoyed perusing the website portfolios for Jamey Novick Photography & Design, CMS Internet Solutions, and Julie Pecenco Photography, as well as hearing about Julie’s bike rides and exploits via Twitter.
  • My friend and mentor, Karen Miller, added her dog training / boarding business, Town & Country Canine; she has given my dog such great care that I only will go away if her kennel is available. I call her place the “dog spa”; the only drawback for me is that she really is out in the country (Jefferson). The peace of mind I have knowing my dog is with Karen is well worth the drive. By the way, Karen only uses positive training methods.
  • Rick stopped by the newly opened Capresso Coffee Bar, spoke with the friendly staff and added their listing. We will be working on having links to restaurant menus in the future.

    • I’d also like to welcome new followers on Twitter and am excited about following businesses such as Tsuga Golf Course & Restaurant. Can’t wait to take that drive in the country … and check out the restaurant. The tees will remain silent for me.

    If I have missed anyone, don’t hesitate to give me a holler. And please pass the word about our free listings to friends and businesses.

    Thanks for listening,
    Mary Robinson
    www.OneontaOnTheMap.com
    your hometown homepage … MADE IN ONEONTA NY

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    Oneonta On the Map says “Here’s to you, newly accepted SUNY Oneonta students!”

    March 10th, 2009

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    Last year, my husband’s coworker from NYC said his daughter was considering attending the State University College at Oneonta (SUNY Oneonta), and asked what we could tell him about it. Probably a bit more than he expected; you see, I graduated from SUNY Oneonta in 2006. Although I was an older (my daughter graduated from college in 2004), non-traditional student, I felt eminently qualified to talk about SUCO, especially if someone were planning to major in Human Ecology, Education, or Computer Art. My three years of full time college at SUNY Oneonta were a great experience; I would honestly forget that I was everyone’s mom’s age. Ahhh, those were the days.

    So our friend’s daughter did choose to attend SUCO and when he was picking her up for winter break he took us out to lunch. Turns out she loves being a student here, has chosen communications as her field; she’s even become involved with the student newspaper.

    I realize now is the time that new students and parents are adjusting to the idea of coming to SUNY Oneonta this fall. I’ve designated myself as the unofficial Oneonta blogosphere welcoming committee, and I’d like to direct both new SUNY Oneonta students and their parents to our hometown online directory www.OneontaOnTheMap.com . Please check it out and follow us on Twitter to get the most out of your years in Oneonta.

    O town has many treasures to discover, places to go and things to do. Many people I talk to don’t even realize that Oneonta is home of the National Soccer Hall of Fame! We’ll change this. The next time we visited my husband’s coworker we gave him tickets to visit the National Soccer Hall of Fame & Museum (we had discovered during our lunch that his 12 year old son loves soccer). We really are an unofficial Oneonta NY PR committee (and we’re having fun doing it).

    One last bit of advice to parents & new SUNY Oneonta students: check out our website soon for details of our Gift Certificate Give Aways ending April 15. $50 to spend at Elena’s or Green Toad Bookstore would make your next trip here even sweeter!

    Thanks for listening,
    Mary Robinson
    SUNY Oneonta Class of 2006

    www.OneontaOnTheMap.com

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    Looking ahead: Oneonta NY & the 2009 General Clinton Canoe Regatta this Memorial Weekend

    March 9th, 2009

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    For those of you thinking about entering the General Clinton Canoe Regatta this Memorial Day Weekend, May 22-25, 2009— entry forms will be available soon. As for me, I have enjoyed this annual event from the sidelines, sitting at a picnic table near a grill in Wells Bridge or driving past the Southside Dam. Still, I’ll jump start a little General Clinton Canoe Regatta virtual excitement by seeing what’s up at www.canoeregatta.org .

    Perhaps you are new to the Oneonta area, or planning to visit here on Memorial Weekend and would like to know what to expect? I usually notice the canoes on cars arriving in Oneonta a few weeks before the regatta. The 70 mile race on the Susquehanna River is from Cooperstown, NY to Bainbridge NY. Jeff Shultis has provided a detailed “walk through” of the course .

    If you are a first timer considering the race, under the tips for canoeists and spectators section, there are some recommendations about where and how to safely “take the plunge.” Don’t skip this important section.

    At the General Clinton Canoe Regatta website you will find the history of the regatta; the first race was July 4, 1963 and had 45 entries. A good 5 hours has been shaved off the finishing race time since then, and the first place prize has increased from $200 in 1963 to a first place prize of $3,000! I truly enjoyed some of the vintage black & white photos of the early races and the amusement rides too.

    I hope in future years that we at www.OneontaOnTheMap.com may be able to participate in the General Clinton Canoe Regatta, but it will probably be as sponsors rather than paddlers. However, I would like to welcome participants and spectators planning to attend the 2009 General Clinton Canoe Regatta, and encourage you to check our site frequently for information about places, events and developments in Oneonta, NY—which you won’t want to miss.

    Happy paddling,
    Mary Robinson
    www.OneontaOnTheMap.com

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    My quest for Oneonta NY March events did not go unanswered …

    March 2nd, 2009

    Here’s a heads up that we have added some events to OneontaOnTheMap calendar .  This week Hesse Galleries is having a two day unreserved auction of the Robert Johnson artifacts collection as well as archaeology library.  Orpheus Theatre is having a Reader’s Festival Playwright Project: a reading of three new works from which one winner will be chosen to receive a staged performance in summer 2009. And Cooperstown Concert Series is showing Gamelan Galak Tika, over 25 musicians and dancers.

    However, what caught my eye is the free winter dining series at Brewery Ommegang, called Great Beer Deserves Great Food. They are having the finest local chefs work with their finest ales. On March 7 the chef is from Stella Luna Ristorante.

    Let’s banish the winter blues and enjoy these events. Don’t forget to tell the sponsors that you heard about them from Oneonta On The Map!

    More events to follow,

    Mary Robinson

    www.OneontaOnTheMap.com

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    This one’s for you, Oneonta NY businesses

    March 2nd, 2009

    News, notes & quotes Oneonta Business Directory

    Business Model, Part I

    As we’re traversing Oneonta and stopping in at businesses to introduce ourselves and promote our directory website, we’re frequently asked, “Why are you doing this?” or “How are you going to make money from www.OneontaOnTheMap.com?”  Two very good questions, I would say!

    Rick has been working on this website for so long that he’s probably forgotten why he started it:)  I think it had something to do with Google Maps making their software available and also his happening upon the business model presented in a book, The Four Hour Work Week.  (Ha, we’ve spent countless hours, not four hours, every week on this site.) But I’ll save the details of the synchronicity that lead to the creation of our site, and instead blog about how we plan to serve businesses, visitors and residents in our area and beyond.

    I’ll begin with the three C’s: Community, Coupons and Contests.  Oneonta on the Map is community focused, being for LOCALS, published by LOCALS, and we want the business community to play a starring role by adding and editing their own listings, publicizing events, giving coupons or announcing sales —we want customers to say they  “heard it first at Oneonta On The Map.”

    To keep everything in real time — we’ve made business listings DYNAMIC — they can be easily changed, and the changes announced as soon as a restaurant changes a menu or store announces specials or sales. We’re more than just a website, we’re a web presence for your business; if you provide a web page link, we send customers to your page.  If your business does not have a web page,  your listing on Oneonta On The Map can contain your photo, hours of operation and what makes you unique and exciting — your web presence is here. People will find you through Oneonta On The Map. We’ll be talking more about coupons in the near future.

    The contest part is about fun and reasons for our audience to return to Oneonta On The Map.  Our first contest — The Gift Certificate Give Aways (to Elena’s and Green Toad Books) ends on April 15.  We’ve got more ideas brewing, so keep following this blog for updates. By the way, if you haven’t entered the contest yet, the odds right now of winning are phenomenal. Tell your friends and customers about Oneonta On The Map and send them our way.

    Thanks for listening.

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