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Show Page 12 The Ogden Valley news Volume XVI Issue X May 15, 2009 Huntsville Resident Creates www.ShowMeOgden.com About one year ago, Huntsville resident, Chris Stevenson, found himself saying, “I wish there was one place on the internet where I could go and find everything I needed to know for Ogden. I need a ‘Google’ just for the Ogden area.” It seemed that one website was good for weather information, another for area jobs, a different site for local news and so on, but, not one specific website that had it all. With that in mind, Mr. Stevenson set out to create a website that would be the single, best, most comprehensive site for people that wanted to access local information about Ogden. The end result has become a virtual home run. www. ShowMeOgden.com has more local information regarding Ogden than any other site on the internet. Stevenson said, “Necessity, and sometimes frustration, is the mother of invention.” What started out as an annoying problem for Stevenson has now resulted in not only a valuable website for consumers, but also, is an interesting business opportunity that has potential application in hundreds of cities nationwide. There are several city websites that cater to outsiders – travellers looking for hotels, car rentals and restaurant information, but, not a site specifically designed with the local resident in mind. According to Stevenson, the local government sites are very limited in what they offer. ShowMeOgden.com has a certain breadth and flavor to it that municipality sites simply cannot offer. Because of the local nature of the site, ShowMeOgden.com becomes an obvious website for people to mark as a “favorite”. Navigating the site allows a person to find everything from jobs to school information to classified ads to weather to area photos to local maps to real estate listings. Stevenson estimates there are over 6,000 pages to the site. The site includes the Ogden City/Area calendar of events and activities. It provides zip code specific information on rental properties, homes for sale by owners, MLS listings, local box office information (buy your theater tickets online!), up-to-date local news stories and the ability for consumers to print off their own coupons for local grocery stores. ShowMeOgden.com will even track the lowest gas prices in town! If you want to know today’s horoscope or how a certain soccer team is doing or if a certain airline flight is on time, this is the site for you. There is even a “Miles per Gallon” calculator to tell you what type of gas mileage any year, make and model of car will get. ShowMeOgden.com also boasts the most complete business directory available to consumers. There are over 12,000 business listings in over 2,000 various categories. Not only can you find a telephone number, but, you can also access a map of the business location and cap- ture other important information regarding the business. “Find it! Map it! Call it!” has become a tag line to describe the site’s handy “Merchant Directory”. As useful as the site is to local residents, there is a “revenue” side to the business. With the obvious interests by local consumers in the site, area businesses can purchase a premier advertising position on the site. Stevenson is quick to add, “There is no better time to display your business products or services than when a prospective buyer is specifically looking for those precise things.” For example, when a consumer is looking in the business directory for “auto insurance”, a strategically placed advertisement for a specific auto insurance company is the perfect timing for which all marketers dream. Even though this site has been designed for the local consumer, there is tremendous application for outsiders looking to Ogden as a destination. As the site’s popularity grows on various search engines, out-of-the-area visitors will find the site very useful in acquiring information and planning for a business trip, family vacation or recreation adventure. ShowMeOgden.com has been in development for the last seven months. The official launch date for the site was April 15. A consumer awareness program is scheduled for the first year to include newspaper advertising, over 300,000 direct mail pieces through Money Mailer and Valpak, radio traffic and weather report sponsorships, search engine optimization and specific event marketing like parades, races and exhibitions . In an effort to build website traffic, ShowMeOgden.com is offering “Free Stuff.” When visitors go to the site there is a large tile at the top of the homepage where people can click and order a free personalized T-shirt, key chain, business cards, stationary and other merchandise. One of the unique aspects of the site is the ability for consumers to sign up for the “Free Stuff” newsletter. This is a bi-monthly e-newsletter that simply provides a list of advertisers and their website link that are giving away some type of “free” promotional offer. This could be anything from a free loaf of bread to a free road atlas with an insurance quote. This is a valuable tool for the consumer and a great way for businesses to maintain ongoing exposure to potential customers. So . . . when you need vital information about the Ogden area, don’t spend a lot of time poking around the Internet trying to locate bits and pieces of information. Go to, www. ShowMeOgden.com for your “one-stop” surfing for local information. Stevenson summed up the whole matter this way, “If it’s not on ShowMeOgden.com, you probably don’t need the information anyway.” Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Releases Forest-wide Spring Update Although temperatures are warmer, late winter storms have covered the mountains with several new feet of snow affecting recreation opportunities within the Forest. Based on current snow depth and snow levels, some campground openings may be delayed. Visitors should contact the individual ranger districts when planning their camping trips to make sure the campground is open. “As soon as the gates are open, visitors will be allowed to enjoy the campgrounds,” said Brian Ferebee, Forest Supervisor, Uinta-WasatchCache National Forest. In the spring, road surfaces become saturated with moisture and most often they will not sustain the weight of a motorized vehi- cle. “Driving on wet, muddy roads causes resource damage and it is essential that Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts minimize their impact on the land,” said Ferebee. Forest officials remind OHV users that they are responsible for knowing which roads and trails are open to motorized use. Travel Plans and Motor Vehicle Use Maps that show what roads and trail are open to motorized vehicles are available at all Uinta-WasatchCache National Forest offices. More information is available the UintaWasatch-Cache website at <www. fs.fed.us/r4/uwc/> Area District information can be obtained at: Ogden Ranger District 801-625-5306 Salt Lake Ranger District Public Lands Information Center 801-466-6411 Twelve Parenting Myths Every Mother Needs to Know By Dr. Adesman Although most mothers may recognize “old wives’ tales” as being false, there are too many misconceptions about children’s health and development that continue to fool parents and even some pediatricians. “Parents continue to subscribe to many different myths about children’s health and development, and some myths can seriously compromise the health or development of a young child,” says Dr. Andrew Adesman, Chief of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park, New York, author of a new book on parenting myths entitled “babyfacts.” There are many different reasons why parents believe these myths. In some cases, the misconception may be an exaggeration or distortion of a related fact. For example, many people believe that eating carrots is good for your vision, but the truth is that it will only help the vision of individuals who have vitamin A deficiency—a rare condition in this country. A more dangerous myth that reflects an exaggeration is “teething sometimes causes a high fever in infants.” According to Dr. Adesman, “Although teething may occasionally be associated with a low fever, it should never be considered the cause for a high fever. He cautions that other, more serious and potentially treatable causes should be considered.” Here are 10 other parenting myths that are still widely believed: • Wounds will heal quicker if exposed to fresh air at night. • Vitamin C supplements help ward off colds. • Ice baths can be used to bring down a high fever in young children. • Reading in the dark can cause later vision or eye problems. • Treat a burn with an application of ice or butter. • Ear infections need to be treated with antibiotics. • It is not safe for children to go swimming immediately after eating. • The best way to stop a bloody nose is to tilt the head back. • If a child sits too close to the television, it can damage his vision. • Fevers of 104˚F or 105˚F can cause brain damage. • Crackling your knuckles as a child will lead to arthritis later. • Eating a lot of chocolate can cause acne in teens. Those are just some of the 160 myths debunked in Dr. Adesman’s book. Parents and other childcare providers wishing to see how many myths they unknowingly believe to be true can take a fun and informative quiz at <www.babyfacts.com> Dr. Adesman is Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is Chief of Developmental & Behavior Pediatrics at Schneider Children’s Hospital of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in New Hyde Park. In addition to Board certification in Pediatrics, Dr. Adesman is Board certified in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and also Developmental & Behavior Pediatrics. For more information about child development, childcare, health, and safety; or Dr. Adesman and/or his book “babyfacts,” visit <www.babyfacts.com> The Ogden Valley Land Trust—Building Sustainable Communities Through Conservation. Holding conservation easements on nearly 6,000 acres in Ogden Valley, The Ogden Valley Land Trust is dedicated to the preservation and conservation of open space to enhance the quality of life in Ogden Valley. Please donate to The Ogden Valley Land Trust. For more information, contact Shanna Francis at 801-745-2688. The Ogden Valley Land Trust is a legal 501(c)(3) non-profit organization federally recognized to receive tax-deductible donations. |