In the spring of 2006 I launched BusyRochester.com — “the first website in our town devoted to promoting local businesses” according to a letter published by “Blue Stone Press” on November 17, 2006 signed by Carl J. Chipman of Accord.
The website’s main feature is the free listing of all businesses in our town, alphabetically and by category, all spiced with some light news, photos, and a quite substantial “About Rochester” section. Non-political, free listings, free classifieds, free announcements of community events. If interested, anyone can place an advertisment, the most expensive costing $150 a year.
As of five minutes ago, the website is #1 on Google (out of 212,000 returns) for the keywords “Kerhonkson Business,” #2 (out of 13,700,000 returns) for the keywords “Accord Business,” and #1 (out of 264,000 returns) for the keywords “Town of Rochester Business.”
On Yahoo! the website is #3 (out of 863,000,000 returns) for the keywords “Accord Business,” #3 (out of 258,000 returns) for the keywords “Kerhonkson Business,” #2 (out of 15,500,000 returns) for the keywords “Town of Rochester Business.”
As you may know, companies spend big bucks to achieve this ranking. The Town of Rochester got it my courtesy, and you would think that BusyRochester.com would be an appropriate, useful link on the Town’s website. Don’t hold your breath! You see, as a privately owned, for-profit enterprise, BusyRochester.com does not qualify. Which is fine with me...
Meanwhile, the Town’s official website displays links to The Daily Freeman, The Times Herald Record, Mid-Hudson News Network, Ulster County Press, Ulster Publishing, Ellenville Journal. And here comes my humble question: are not all of these privately owned, for-profit enterprises?
2 comments:
blah, blah, blah
~ alysse ~
I have been to the Busy Rochester web site quite a few times. It is an amazing collection of information and beats the heck out of those pesky phone books that keep showing up in my mail box and in my driveway (also free of charge.)
Obviously there is a difference of opinion (political I'm sure) considering the listing of this site on the Town web site. If you were on the other side of the political arena I doubt there would be a problem. Since that will NEVER happen, I guess we will just have to suck it up and let people know about this wealth of information by other means.
We can also take comfort in the fact that the "Democratic trash" has been taken out from the Town web site and unsuspecting people don't have to be subjected to that crap anymore.
Post a Comment