Quoted Text

CAPITAL REGION
Entrepreneurs’ Web sites are clearinghouses on area night life
BY AMEERAH CETAWAYO Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Ameerah Cetawayo at 395-3040 or acetawayo@dailygazette.net.


    A few twenty-somethings are behind new local Web sites that push food and entertainment events in the Capital Region.
    The burning desire to consolidate the places people could hang out led Fever Pitch Marketing President and CEO Anthony Di-Moro, 27, to begin putting together a directory of the area’s bars and restaurants last August, when he launched 518fever.com.
    “If I was going out to a place, I would Google it,” said DiMoro, a Mohonasen high school graduate of the class of 2000. “That just seemed long and drawn out.”
    DiMoro eventually left his fulltime job and began putting all of his effort into visiting local places, taking pictures and making notes of details like the cover charge, the type of music bands would play and what activities were offered, like karaoke or pool.
    Twenty-five bars turned into 50; now they have more than 120 bars listed. Then the site started listing restaurants, and quickly more than 75 locales were documented. In January, the site started promoting local events, beginning with Bayou Cafe and Bangkok Bistro.
    Now, 518fever.com has its own promotional models, partnering up with local places to offer special promotions like drink specials. They even help raise money for charity. On Saturday in Rotterdam, 518fever.com was to hold a fundraiser at Schenectady’s DeAngelo’s Play by Play for Doug Horton, a resident battling cancer.
    The site operates with advertising revenue and event promotions with local businesses, from momand-pop businesses to established entities like Jillian’s in Albany. The site offers Web site design and consulting services for startups as well. ................>>>>..................>>>>............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00900&AppName=1

Here's a new way of advertising that they're using at this site.  It's called "WORMIN' AROUND THE 518"  He's got 4 spots right downtown so far.  Proctors, State Street, Jay Street and Schenectady City Hall.  They're also looking for other ideas of places to go.

Interesting, in each of those 4 videos, albeit they're very short clips, there's NO pedestrians in ANY of them, except the banjo player.  Shots were (Proctors and City Hall) taken from across the street, there's no traffic interrupting the video.

Where's all the people? Where's all the "development" and buzz downtown?

For a minute, I gave him the benefit of the doubt - maybe EARLY Sunday morning - no work traffic, stores not open - but thinking about it, the banjo player wouldn't be there that early - he'd be there at the height of the day. There's an OPEN sign in the window behind him, and the sunlight gives the appearance of later in the afternoon.  There should be people there, but there aren't.

That's the way it always is. We were promised a 24 hour Downtown by Death Ray/Metrograft. HEHEHEHE

     We drove through State St on the last "Art Night" -another flop. A horrible band in front of Proctor's with 10 street people. If people go to Proctor's they park as close as they can and run home afterward. The creator of "Art Night" landed a paid position as head of the Union Street BID. Look for "Art Nights" on Union St soon. It's like curbs and sidewalks-I'm still waiting for the first customer to say I'm here because of the new curbs.