This post is for all Oneonta businesses:

Welcome to April. Things are really picking up in Oneonta;  the weather is warm and downtown is  bustling even though the students are on break.  At www.OneontaOnTheMap.com we’re noticing more traffic on our website.  People are looking for coupons as well as information about lodging, restaurants, events and Oneonta children’s events.

Here’s a heads-up — try our free Create Coupon feature today. You will find the button on the white bar just below the OneontaOnTheMap header.  I’ll bet it will take you less than 5 minutes to create a coupon using our automated feature.

The beauty of our coupon feature is customers will click on your coupon link and the coupon can be sent to their cell phones (there is a print coupon alternative). Then they just show you the cell phone screen and voila, you will know that they found you here on www.OneontaOntheMap.com. Both you and OneontaOnTheMap will benefit — you’ll find new customers excited to check out your business and we’ll gain return web visitors looking for more coupons.

We don’t want to disappoint people who arrive at OneontaOnTheMap.com website because they searched using the keywords “coupons Oneonta.”   If your business doesn’t ordinarily use coupons, you may use our CREATE COUPON feature to leave info about a daily special or in store sale.

More coupon benefits for you: coupons mean VISIBILITY on our OneontaOnTheMap website. Your listing will appear in a special COUPON category (top of our business listing bar) and your business will automatically “float” to the top of all categories where it appears. That’s right, we break our alphabetic order code to make way for businesses leaving coupons.  We’re currently programming more features to call attention to Oneonta businesses leaving coupons; and should have them ready shortly.

Stay tuned for further Oneonta promotions,

Mary Robinson
www.OneontaOnTheMap.com

e-mail mr@OneontaOnTheMap.com with any comments or suggestions about  our CREATE COUPON feature.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Taking in the artwork

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!

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

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:

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

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.