Jay Gaulard Blog

Thanks to FeedBurner and StumbleUpon

This post may seem a little fragmented towards the beginning, but keep reading. It will all come together…trust me.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone about the internet and about half way through, you noticed them mentioning websites and services they just assumed you knew about? I have. It’s a real personality trait for these people. I am not talking about industry people talking about industry things to other industry people. Obviously those people know what they are talking about, even if we don’t. I am talking about those types who blow the smallest little service out of proportion and think the world should know what the heck is going on. I remember I was talking to someone (artist) once about art. He needed some help with designing a website. He says, “There is a HUGE buzz about me on the internet!” I’m like, “Who are you again?” I think he was insinuating that we all hang out in art chat rooms or something.

Now, if you are talking to someone and they mention that they just purchased the best little treasure on EBay and you don’t know what that means, you really need to see a specialist. Well, maybe they do…they really should do their shopping on WebClassifieds.US. I wonder how the execs over at EBay feel knowing that WebClassifieds.US is creeping up on them. (hehe)

Let me break in here for a second - I want to mention one of my favorite things about the internet…and that is creativity. What if the internet was never created? Can you imagine some of the world’s most creative people sitting at cubicles selling buttons instead of devising and creating fascinating solutions to problems and wonderful websites that you never even thought you needed. I mean it. There are things today that just boggle my mind. They do things that I never thought could be done or ever thought should be done. It’s like this amazing extra slice of the world was born and finally gave habitat to all those people who never truly had a home. Now that is deep folks. In just a few years, (relatively speaking) the internet has woven its way into so many people’s lives…and many people don’t even know it. I for one, make a living off it. Ten years ago, I would’ve laughed at that idea. Me, at a computer? Pleeeeaase…I was too busy taking engines out of cars.

Ok, here it is. The point of this chatter is all about two up-and-comers that you may hear about in conversation. After reading this post, you will know a little about them. I really get excited when a team gets together to bring us another nifty tool.

The first website is StumbleUpon.com. I literally stumbled upon this one. I was in Paul’s office yesterday and he was checking his blog’s stats. He was like, “Whoa, 65 visitor from StumbleUpon since this morning!” My ears perked up. I thought that if he got 65 new visitors, I could get at least 32.5. I went back to my desk to investigate.

Apparently, StumbleUpon.com works like this: Someone visits their website and signs up for an account. Then, they download their toolbar (which works with other toolbars, not instead of). When set up, they can push the “Stumble!” button on their new toolbar and their browser shows a random website. Not all that new of an idea. What is pretty cool is that you can rate any site out there and give it a review with the toolbar. Also, there is a networking element to it as well. You can recruit “friends” and join “networks.” Kind of like MySpace. The big benefit of the whole thing is that, once a site is reviewed by someone and StumbleUpon discovers the site, StumbleUpon drives traffic to that site like mad. People everywhere are now pushing that “Stumble!” button visiting random websites. This isn’t targeted traffic, but traffic nonetheless. You figure out what to do with it.

The second website is FeedBurner.com. If you have a website that has a RSS or any other type of data feed, you can sign up to push your feed to FeedBurner. Once they have it, you use their feed service instead of your own. They make it really easy for people (who are looking for site content) to grab your content and use it on their own websites. Take a look at the right column of this blog. This is good for you because again, this drives traffic to your website. Once again, it is up to you to find something to do with this traffic. If you have no model, you might not want all of these visitors because it may just increase your web hosting bill. The cool feature of FeedBurner is that they offer stats on who is using your feed.

Having the personality I was born with, I get excited, yet frustrated when I come across these types of great sites running with awesome ideas. I wonder why I’m not on their team…but then I get sucked back down to earth and am reminded that I have my hands full with my own boiling cluster of websites.

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Posted in Internet, Websites | 3 Comments »

The Great Swamp in Patterson, NY

As I sat down tonight and began to write, I came very close to making my first sentence, “One of my favorite things to do is…” when I realized that I want to make that my first sentence for all my posts. I guess I have a lot of favorite things. Well, you should understand why what I describe in this little story is one of my favorite things.

Like many other nature lovers out there, I enjoy taking walks in the woods on some of the first warm days of Spring. Well, last Spring, Craig and I met at the Putnam Diner in Patterson, NY to go for a little walk in the woods. We parked our cars in the diner’s parking lot and walked about a half mile north on Rt. 22. It is always shocking to see how fast cars really drive when you are walking about four feet away from them. We came across a small dirt road on the right hand side of the road that leads into a little bridge that spans part of, none other than, the Great Swamp in Patterson.

Now, there is a reason why they call this swamp “Great.” The thing is huge. For decades, people have been using the area for fishing and recreational use, such as boating and kayaking. Here is an encompassing description I found on the web:

“The Great Swamp — covering over 6,000 acres — is one of the largest freshwater wetlands in New York State.

Situated in New York’s eastern Putnam and Dutchess Counties, the Great Swamp and its 63,000-acre watershed stretch 20 miles through the towns of Southeast, Patterson, Pawling and Dover. Located less than 70 miles from New York City, this vast and fragile wetland provides numerous benefits to residents of the Harlem Valley, including drinking water, flood control, recreation, open space and wildlife habitat.

The Great Swamp spans two watersheds, divided at Pawling into a north and south flow. To the north, water travels through the Swamp River and into the Ten Mile River, the Housantonic River, and eventually the Long Island Sound. Meandering south it is the East Branch Croton River flowing into the East Branch to the East Branch Reservoir of New York City’s Croton Reservoir System, making the Great Swamp the important headwaters of New York City’s drinking water supply.

The Great Swamp is listed in the New York State Open Space Plan as a priority project in the 2001 Plan that includes 132 projects statewide. Governor Pataki’s recent designation of the Croton Watershed as Critical Resource Waters includes the Great Swamp and provides greater protection. The Army Corps of Engineers is required to conduct a more far-reaching and public review of all projects, rather than their weaker Nationwide Permit Program. Of The Swamp, Governor Pataki has said: I had the opportunity to canoe portions of the Great Swamp and witness first hand what a marvelous resource the Great Swamp presents for the people and communities of this region.”

Now, that pretty much says it all. Here is a satellite photo of just part of it:

The reason that this particular area is of such importance to me is because my Uncle Richard brought me here when I was a very young little man for my first time fishing…ever. I can remember casting out my line and watching it float under the bridge. Through the years, I always wondered where that spot was and when I finally discovered it, I invited Craig to go for a little walk.

There is something special about hiking in early Spring, before there is any foliage. You can see through the woods much more and there is something different in the air. The Great Swamp is particularly inviting…and I recommend a visit when you have some time to spare.

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Posted in Hiking | 3 Comments »