Christian McCarthy's Prose

South New Jersey Travel Guide Dining and Other Information For Southern New Jersey Plus Things To Do South Jersey Fun

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:37:00 +0000

A Travel Guide With All The Best Kept Secrets In the Garden State

Sponsored by A_Guide_To_South_Jersey.com

When traveling to South New Jersey it is good to investigate the many places to see before embarking on your travel voyage. There is so much to see and do in the Garden State. There are museums, historic places, wineries, restaurants/eateries, family attractions, arts & music events, spiritual attractions, sporting events, shops, businesses, environmental tours, state parks and forests and agri-tourism/farms. New Jersey especially South New Jersey has a great deal to offer any tourist or resident looking to explore the Southern Region. Everything in this article will be organized based primarily on the counties of Atlantic, Camden, Cape May and Cumberland Counties. The South Jersey Region is made up of seven counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem. We will also share some attractions from the Greater Philadelphia Area as it is close enough to travel to and there are a world of opportunities.
According to Wikipedia the South New Jersey Region is everything surrounding the Greater Philadelphia Area as opposed to Central and North Jersey which is adjacent to New York City. South Jersey is the area of New Jersey that is nestled between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, two Commercial Centers or Resort Areas for South Jersey Travel. While these two metropolitan areas have a lot to offer, there is a great deal to do while traveling between the two major cities. Beginning with Camden County and traveling south there are many attractions and events to attend.
Camden County, South Jersey has the Camden Adventure Aquarium, The New Jersey Battleship, Camden Waterfront, Camden Riversharks (NJ’s Minor League Baseball Team), and Susquehanna Bank Center (Year-round amphitheater offers major concerts, Broadway productions, family entertainment). The City of Collingswood and Haddonfield have a great deal to offer in Arts & Music Events for the Southern NJ region. Cherry Hill has the Garden State Discovery Museum, the Goodwin Holocaust Museum, the Cherry Hill Mall and the Flying Fish Brewing Company. In the city of Camden there is the Walt Whitman House, Campbell’s Field that hosts the Camden Riversharks, and the Camden Children’s Garden which offers a four acre interactive Garden featuring themed and educational exhibits. Camden’s Adventure Aquarium is home to nearly 200,000 square feet of sea life and wildlife. Visitors can explore the West African River Experience featuring hippopotamuses, crocodiles, porcupines and more than 20 species of African birds in a free-flight aviary, be surrounded by sharks in a suspended 40-foot walk-through tunnel, discover the wonders of the deep sea in the Jules Verne Gallery, visit the brand new 4D Theatre and have an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to 'Swim with the Sharks.' Open daily, 9:30 am - 5 pm including holidays; call for extended hour days. The Walt Whitman House features the home of American poet Walt Whitman that contains an extensive collection of writings, photographs and memorabilia. It is a National Historic Landmark 856-964-5383.
The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area encompasses nearly 70,000 acres of breathtaking scenery along 40 miles of the Delaware River, which winds through the Appalachian Mountains. Kittatinny Point Visitor Center, Exit 1, I-80 W, Columbia, 570-828-2253. The Pinelands National Reserve is truly a special place. It's classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and in 1978 was established by Congress as the country’s first National Reserve. It includes portions of seven southern New Jersey counties, and encompasses 1.1-million acres of farms, forests and wetlands. It contains 56 communities, from hamlets to suburbs, with more than 700,000 permanent resident. New Jersey Pinelands Commission 15 Springfield Rd. New Lisbon 609-894-7300. In the way of Family Attractions in Camden County there is Clementon Amusement Park & Splash World Waterpark. It features a Sky River Rapids slide with three sets of slides and three huge splash pools. There is also six lanes of competitive head first mat racing 856-783-0263.
Cumberland County just south of Camden County has three major cities: Bridgeton, Millville and Vineland. It is conveniently located between Philadelphia and Atlantic City almost halfway in between and in close proximity to the Jersey Shore. There are several attractions such as the Bayshore Discovery Project, the Cohanzick Zoo, Woodruff Museum of Indian Artifacts, the Bridgeton Southern All Sports Hall of Fame, the Glasstown Arts District, Millville Army Air Field Museum, Wheaton Arts & Cultural Center, Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, NJ Motorsports Park and the newly restored Landis Arts Theatre.
The Bayshore Discovery Project is located in Bivalve, 2800 High St. 856-785-2060, it is a restored schooner called AJ Meerwald NJ’s Tall Ship restored for sailing trips and museum tours. Environmental and history educational program as well. The schedule of trips usually begins mid April when the weather clears and runs until late August. The Cohanzick Zoo is NJ’s first zoo with over 1,100 acres within a city park. It is home to over 200 birds and mammals from around the world. The Woodruff Museum of Indian Artifacts is located 150 Commerce St., Bridgeton, NJ. There are more than 30,000 artifacts from the Leni Lenape Indians 856-451-2620. The Bridgeton Southern All Sports Hall of Fame is on Burt St & Babe Ruth Dr., 856-451-7300. This museum is dedicated to individuals and teams of all sports in the region of Southern NJ. Photos, equipment, scrapbooks and other memorabilia are housed.

The Glass Arts District is in downtown Millville 800-887-4957 It highlights the city’s heritage as a glass center. There are many exhibits, galleries featuring regional artists from NJ, Philadelphia and New York City. The Millville Army Airfield Museum is located at Millville’s Airport. 1 Leddon St.856-327-2347. The Museum preserves the airfield’s history as the first defense airport and the site where more than 10, 000 service personnel along with 1500 pilots received advanced fighter training during WWII. In fact, Millville Thunderbolts are named after the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter plane built in Millville during WWII. The Wheaton Arts & Cultural Center features an exhibit oriented glass museum in Millville, New Jersey. Spectators can watch as glass blowers construct paperweights and other wares made from blown glass. 1501 Glasstown Road, Millville,NJ 800-998-4552.

The newly built NJ Motorsports Park lies in Dividing Creek just outside Millville at Buckshutem Rd. or Rt. 670 856-327-8000. The raceway features two separate world-class road courses, a first class karting track, ATV and Tri Oval courses in addition to a clubhouse, restaurants and lodging. The Landis Theater Performing Arts Center seats 750 patrons and includes an elevator to the luxurious mezzanine. An expanded stage and fly area can accommodate all types of performing arts productions. The back stage expansion provides support areas for the Theater including dressing rooms, bathrooms with showers, rehearsal space, theater support area, and a Green Room. Additionally, The Theater lobby can accommodate corporate and community events. It has now been restored to a modern day Arts Theater.

While there are many attractions and events to attend in Cumberland County, the area is also part of the NJ Coastal Heritage Trail Route. NJ’s coastal, natural and cultural areas begin in Perth Amboy and continue South to Cape May and West to the Delaware Memorial Bridge. There are five regions of the Coastal Heritage Trail Route beginning with the Sandy Hook Region, the Barnegat Bay, Absecon, Cape May and the Delsea Regions. It emcompasses the entire State along the Eastern Shore of the Jersey Shore Areas and West into Cumberland, Cape May and Salem Counties. The Delsea Region includes many small towns and cities in Cumberland and Salem Counties. Salem, Greenwich, Millville, Fortescue, Port Norris, Woodbine, etc. The city of Newport is part of this Trail Route and offers natural outdoors. Just outside Cumberland County in the county of Salem in Pennsville, NJ, lies Fort Mott which was part of a coastal defense system designed for the Delaware River in the late 1800s. The fortifications seen today at Fort Mott were erected in 1896 in anticipation of the Spanish-American War. Today, visitors can wander through the old batteries following interpretive signs with detailed descriptions of the fort. Just beyond the fortifications is the Delaware River. The shoreline offers good spots for walking and picnicking. The NJ Coastal Heritage Trail Welcome Center accommodates displays defining Fort Mott’s place in history and the environment. A historic site in Cumberland County along the Coastal Heritage Trail is in Greenwich where a monument was erected in 1908 in the old market place on Ye Greate Street to commemorate the burning of a cargo of British tea December 22, 1774.
If you are into outdoor sports and like canoeing and kayaking then the Maurice River and its tributaries offer a splendid trip throughout Cumberland County. Al & Sam’s Boat and Kayak Rental located at 2626 Weymouth Rd. just outside Vineland in Newfield offers everything you need to traverse the waterways. Millville has the largest man-made lake in the State and is usually the end to any canoe trip. Great for sailing Union Lake offers incredible natural winds providing you the speed to sail.

Atlantic and Cape May Counties and the Greater Atlantic City Area has much to offer in attractions, events, theaters, arts & music, environmental, shops, sports and more. The Winding River Campground, Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, the famous Steel Pier, the Walk Atlantic City Outlets, Atlantic City Cruises, Storybook Land, IMAX Theatre at Tropicana, Cape May Park & Zoo, Historic Towne of Smithville, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Lucy the Elephant, Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center, and the Cape May Lewes Ferry.
Just outside Cumberland County is the Buena Vista Camping Park, 775 Harding Hwy. (Rt. 40 & Rt. 54), 856-697-5555. They are a full service campground with a water slide. There is also Country Oaks Campground in the town of Dorothy, 13 S Jersey Ave, 609-476-2143

Beginning with Winding River Campground located off of Weymouth Rd. just outside Mayslanding NJ offers a wonderful array of outdoor activities including tubing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and volleyball. 6752 Weymouth Rd, 609-625-3191. It is a full service campground with a wonderful tributary stream for any small boating adventure. Estell Manor Park & Nature Center, 109 Rt. 50 also known as Veterans Park 609-645-5960 has hiking trails that wind past tidal wetlands and uplands. It contains environmental displays and has a wonderful nature center with all sorts of reptiles and snakes. Then there is the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge with over 43,000 acres of coastal habitats for migratory birds. Located in Oceanville just off of Great Creek Rd., 609-652-1665.

In Margate, the famous Lucy the Elephant, a National HIstoric Landmark approximately 65 foot high and located at 9200 Atlantic Ave, 609-823-6473. The Noyes Museum of Art, 733 Lily Lake Rd., 609-652-8848 in Oceanville displays a growing collection of American fine and folk art along with many exhibits. If you are into shopping then Atlantic County has the Towne of Historic Smithville & Village Green, 1 N New York Rd. (Rt. 9) & Moss Mill Rd. 609-652-7777. Historic Smithville has over 80 shops with an array of unique gifts. Hamilton Mall 4403 Black Horse Pike, 609-646-8326 has more than 140 stores including some restaurants as well as an international food court. Then there is The Walk in Atlantic City with over 50 outlet stores with name brands like Adidas Outlet Store, Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Banana Republic Factory Store, Bare Feet Shoes, Bass, Calvn Klein, Coach Factory Store, DKNY, Ecko Unlimited, Espirit, Fossil, Guess, Gap, Izod, J. Crew, Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, Liz Clairbourne, Nautica, Nike, Nine West, Old Navy, OshKosh, Pac Sun, Perry Ellis, Polo, Reebok, Rockport, Skeechers, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Under Armour, Van Heusen many more.

Apart from shopping there is a great deal to see in the way of historical sites in Atlantic City, NJ. Beginning with the Civil Rights Garden on Pacific & Dr. Martin L King Blvd. A powerful tribute to the architects of the Civil Rights Movement. There is also the NJ Korean War Memorial, Brighton Park & Boardwalk, dedicated to ensuring that future generations remember veterans. There is the Absecon Lighthouse on 31 S Rhode Island Ave., 609-449-1360. Built in 1857, this 171 foot lighthouse is NJ’s tallest. The lighthouse hosts educational programs, weddings, guided tours, events and much more. Lastly, there is the Atlantic City Aquarium at Historic Gardner’s Basin, 800 N New Hampshire Ave. 609-348-2880. More than 18 aquarium exhibits including our 25, 000 gallon tank featuring fish of the mid-Atlantic. Live dive feeding daily.
Atlantic City Cruises takes voyages out along the Atlantic Ocean to see dolphins. There is also availability to book private parties. The Steel Pier offers family rides, games food and fun. Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum offers museums and attractions in multiple countries focusing on odd and amazing things. It provides videos, details about exhibits, and their history. The Imax Theater at Tropicanna provides your senses with the most powerful and involving movie experience yet created. Its Academy Award winning IMAX technology brings images to life like no other. Experience an arm chair adventure that will take your breath away...literally! The IMAX Theatre Atlantic City provides you with a larger-than-life escape putting you in the heart of the action! Storybook Land depicts themed park rides based on children’s stories; a wonderful sight during the Christmas Season. Morey’s Piers and Beechfront Waterparks in Wildwood NJ offers waterslides and water adventure rides along with amusements and even a Tiki bar for adults. Morey's Piers & Beachfront Waterparks
3501 Boardwalk Wildwood, NJ 08260 Phone: (609) 522-3900.
Then in Cape May County you have the Cape May-Lewes Ferry that provides transport with or without your vehicle to Lewes Delaware to enjoy tax free shopping in Rehoboth Beach. There is also the Cape May Park & Zoo with over 85 acres of beautifully maintained exhibits and 250 different species of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles and over 550 animals. Cape May County Park & Zoo, 4 Moore Rd. - DN 801, Cape May Court House NJ, 08210, Telephone: 609-465-5271. Cape May Whale Watcher offers whale watching and dolphin watching in Cape May, NJ. There is also horseback riding if that is of interest in Cape May at Hidden Valley Ranch 4070 Bayshore Rd. Cape May 609-884-8205.

New Jersey received its name as the Garden State for all the produce that is produced on NJ’s many farms. As mentioned earlier it is also home to the Pine Barrens, the heavily coastal plains with a variety of pine trees. Due to a great deal of natural environments, NJ has over 90 State Parks and Forests. About 9 are within Atlantic, Cumberland, Camden and Cape May Counties or within the surrounding area. The majority offer camping, swimming, boating, fishing, hiking and hunting.

Here is a list:

Bass River State Forest, 762 State Rd, New Gretna, 609-296-1114

Belleplain State Forest, County Rt. 550, Woodbine, 609-861-2404

Cape May Point State Park, Lighthouse Ave., Cape May Point, 609-884-2159

Fort Mott State Park, 454 Fort Mott Rd., Pennsville, 856-935-3218

Island Beach State Park, Rt. 35, Seaside Park, 732-793-0506

Lebanon State Forrest, Rt. 70, New Lisbon, 609-726-1191

Parvin State Park, 701 Almond Rd., Pittsgrove, 856-358-8616

Penn State Forest @ Bass River State Forest, Lake Oswego Rd., New Gretna, 609-296-1114

Rancocas State Park @ Lebanon State Forest, PO BOX 215, New Lisbon 609-726-1191

Wharton State Forest, Rt. 542, Hammonton, 609-561-0024

Fun Things To Do in South Jersey

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:04:00 +0000

I decided to change the format a little and review an article already written on this topic in New Jersey Monthly. The article is entitled "52 Things You Must Do This Year" 2012. For me what seemed relevant are the attractions that are featured in South Jersey. Here they are: 1. Run with the Crabs in Cape May; 2. Watch Salt Water Taffy being made at Shriver's Ocean City on the Boardwalk; 3. Go Victorian in Cape May by taking a trolley around historic Cape May, NJ 4. Accept No Sub-stitutes eat at Whitehouse Subs; 5. Be a Beacon Down The Shore by visiting the lighthouses from Cape May to Tinicum Island in Paulsboro 6. Saddle up at the Rodeo in Cowtown Pilesgrove NJ; 7. Get Hooked on the Blues and go angling for Bluefish; 8. Go Back in Time in the Delsea Drive Drive In Movie Theater in Vineland, NJ; 9. Watch the Whales out of Cape May, NJ; 10. Read a Jersey Classic "The Pine Barrens" by John McPhee; 11. Paddle the Pines by going kayaking and canoeing with dozens of creeks and rivers; 12. Peek into Golfer's Mecca by golfing at Pine Valley Golf Club in Clementon, NJ; 13. Watch History Repeat Itself crossing the Delaware like George Washington; 14. Go Down The Shore In The Winter at Island Beach Park and walk the vast dunes to glimpse Barnegat Light; 15. Visit Lucy the Elephant in Margate, NJ.
Now I can't say that I've done anything on the list except the whale watching, but there are an array of things to occupy your curiousities. I can say that New Jersey has some of the best lakes and waterways to try out your kayak or canoe. My favorite spot is Union Lake NJ and the many tributaries that empty into the largest man-made NJ lake. Union Lake is in Millville and oh, yes I am a little bias being that it is my hometown. I have lived here my entire life and have yet to explore the Delsea Drive In, but I have taken pictures of it.

How To Travel South Jersey With Little Money

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:39:00 +0000

I thought it would be good to discuss traveling and touring the Southern part of New Jersey on a limited budget. There are a great deal of free attractions in South Jersey. To name a few Lucy the Elephant, Korean War Memorial, Civil Rights Memorial, Noyes Museum of Art, Wheaton Arts & Cultural Center, Absecon Lighthouse, Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, Wetlands Institute, Marine Mammal Stranding Center, the Bridgeton (Cohanzick) Zoo, Cape May Zoo and Bike Rides on boardwalk from 6:30 - 10 am. The majority of the skate and bike parks in Cumberland, Cape May and Atlantic Counties are free. A great deal of the parks are free including Estell Manor Park which has a nature center with free admission.

With a little creativity one can navigate and see a great deal of South Jersey while on a very limited budget. It is only $ 2.00 to take the Cape May Zoo Train around the park and free to ride the bike paths in Millville NJ. In Millville The Army - Airfield Museum is free as well as the Historic Potters Tavern in Bridgeton, NJ. The African American Museum in Buena Vista Twp. is a must see for free admission.

Then if you stay at the Buena Vista Campground for a small fee, they have a movie center, minature golf, water slides, Kayaks and Hydro Bikes, baseball, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, 2 arcades, a swimming pool, a kiddie pool, two arcades and more for a small fee.

Before traveling it is good to plan your trip. The best way to plan is use the internet to read up on the attractions. I have saved you time as I have all the South Jersey Attractions on one website. It has all their contact information including a video if there was one available. Check my website before you travel to South New Jersey http://www.aguidetosouthjersey.com.

Internet Marketing & Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 19:53:00 +0000

Social Media Marketing involves internet development on social media platforms. It is a cost efficient way to connect your business to prospective customers. While it doesn't cost any money, a great deal of time is involved, so its important to market effectively to save time. Currently, I use a host of social media platforms to market my business. The majority of my leads result from social media marketing. The top social media platforms that I use are Linkedin, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Yelp. I spend around 10 hours per week interacting with my prospective clients or connections.
It is extremely effective if done properly. It entails syndicating your social media profiles with each other to manage your time. Syndication means if you publish on one platform your message gets published automatically on the other platforms. Take some time and see to it that all your social media accounts are syndicated. This way your message only needs to be inputted once. For example, when I post a tweet on twitter, it is then posted on my facebook, my myspace, my plaxo and all the accounts I have linked together.
Next, decide who you're target market is and connect with these people. For me, my target market are connections interested in web development, travel and tourism in South Jersey. I try to connect with people who are interested in these subjects but also live in South New Jersey. For example, there is a feature in facebook where you can locate your friends. I connect with friends whose hometown is Millville, Bridgeton, Vineland, Mays Landing New Jersey. It is also important when you connect with them you do not spam them in any way. To avoid spam the best practice is to interact with them on a personal level, provide them with valuable information and have minimum contact with them. Let them initiate contact with you and don't ask them to do things for you such as join your farmville city or other applications. Personally, I offer valuable information like Rita's Waterice is offering free water ice on March 17th. Unfortunately, it is just an example they really aren't offering free water ice in March.
You can ask yourself these questions to help focus on your target audience:
1. Who is your target audience and competitors?
2. How does your competition use social networks?
3. Where can your target audience be found?
4. How do they interact with other members?
5. What are the best ways to engage your target audience?
For me, my target audience are consumers in South Jersey or tourists. I engage them by connecting with them on social networks and offering them free valuable information on South Jersey businesses. I am not overly aggressive but I subtly suggest information I discover to them. For instance, If I know a new business is opening up in South Jersey, I convey it and share it with my facebook friends. I also share it on Twitter, Yelp, Linkedin, etc.
Your blog can assist you in many ways. By offering your readers valuable information just like I'm doing here, your blog can be used to promote your business. There are five objectives in writing a post about business.
1. Post valuble useful content based on your expertise.
2. Encourage conversions or ways to engage readers and motivate them to take action.
3. Do not attempt to sell your audience. Just post useful information that motivates them to take an action related to your business.
4. Brand awareness. Market your brand and explain its usefulness in business.
5. Give a taste of how you interact with customers. Be geniune and real.
There are many objectives in building a client base from social media marketing. It is important to build relationships and make offers to get prospective customers to connect and return. You may want to offer them free information or free ebooks, video, coupons etc. This gives clients something of value just for connecting with you.
While it is important to be yourself you do have to think of ways to convert traffic into leads. It just has to be done in a subtle yet effective manner. A call to action does this if done correctly. Most of my clients or prospective customers approach me after I have interacted with them geniunely. If you plan on traveling into South Jersey, check my website for free information about the South Jersey Region as well as coupons, video and South Jersey information.
http://www.aguidetosouthjersey.com

South Jersey on the Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:26:00 +0000

Wondering what to do in South Jersey when its the weekend. Wow! Take some time and really plan a trip. There is so much to do it is overwhelming. With all the shows down the Casinos and all the events inland it is really hard to decide. For me it is not as difficult because I like the outdoors. So if you are interested in hiking, canoeing, kayaking then there are plenty of places all over. My favorite is the Winding River Campground in Weymouth. Winding River Campground 6752 Weymouth Road Mays Landing, NJ 08330 (609) 625-3191 GPS Coordinates: 39.51626, -74.78147
Travel like you are going to Mays Landing and then take Weymouth Road.

It is a great place to take the kids because the streams are just big enough and fun-filled for them as many other kids are there as well. There is a rest area middle of the way where the outfitter has a concession stand, volleyball, horse shoes and plenty of picnic tables. Then at the end of the trip, you put your canoe on the truck and then hike back. It is really close so no worries there; the drive is in the beginning, so at the end you are close to the entrance.

We typically go swimming in the pool. Then we venture to our site. While camping here it has all the amenities of camping areas and the stream for all the fun. Then next day we take tubes down and I usually take a kayak to ensure the safety of everyone. What a weekend, South Jersey is beautiful. The scenery is really tranquil and beautiful. http://www.aguidetosouthjersey.com

Trip To Philadelphia and South Jersey

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:48:00 +0000

48 Hours and No Kids

There is a great deal to see with your significant other while in South Jersey. For the first day plan an educational day in Philadelphia. Go to Franklin Science Institute, Art Museum and the National Liberty Museum. Then spend the night at the Loew's Hotel after grabbing a bite to eat at Maggianos Little Italy on 12th and Filbert.

The second 24 hours spend in Millville on Third Friday. Be sure to take the tour by Dave Scherer and a view of the Maurice River, then hit the Wheaton Arts & Cultural Center, the Army Airfield Museum and head for Atlantic City and the Taj Mahal.

Once in AC hit the AC cruise ship or the Spirit of Philadelphia and enjoy a cruise. Once completed on the weekend hit the NJ Motorsports Park for a day of excitement watching the race. If you want more activity then you try the Go Karts as they are as fun for adults as well.

For a night of romance spend the night at a bed and breakfast in Cape May. Then hit the Cape May - Lewes Ferry and shop in Rehobuth.

South Jersey-- The Perfect Destination

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:04:00 +0000

How To Travel South Jersey

in Three Days

I wanted to share with you my experience with South New Jersey and its activities for kids and family. If you are planning a trip to this Region there is so much to do. Having had experience planning summer trips for kids at day camp, here are some suggestions. Sea Isle City has a beach walk early in the morning; its run through the city, so you need to find out the street and all the information. Its about an hour long, but you learn a great deal about the things you discover on a beach. I will update my post with better information once I investigate it. I know they still have it as I just read it in one of those free circulars. Then head on over to Wildwood and go to Morey's Pier on the Waterslides. Another great time for the kids and adults too since they have live music and a beach bar pouring all your favorites.

Day two involves some activity. Travel up the turnpike and hit Jackson for Great Adventure and the Wild Safari. Be sure to drive a hard top vehicle because the animals roam around your vehicle. There are wonderful shows so be sure to plan your time accordingly. I always remember the Dive Show and a waterski show if they still have it. Just minutes from Great Adventure on some shops, so save some money and have a great time. There is also a water park, but you will have your fill in Wildwood.

Day Three starts off at the NJ Motorsports Park with the go karts. They are better than Wildwood as you race around a track at high speeds. Then grab a quick bite to eat in Millville at Custard Corral just off of Broad Street their cheesesteaks are out of this world. Then head over to Bridgeton Zoo or Cape May Zoo and spend the rest of your day. I could plan about a week long excursion, but for now this is a quick getaway. At night you can travel on RT 40 / 322 towards Atlantic City and spend some time at Borders Bookstore and then Chucky Cheese for the kids. There is a wonderful Japanese Restaurant right there for dinner. I hope your enjoyed your stay. If you have really young kids then Story Book Land is just minutes away from Chucky Cheese. South New Jersey is fun for all ages.

Social Poster - Automatic Social Submitter: digg.com reddit.com netscape.com propeller.com Del.icio.us Stumbleupon.com etc.

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 14:02:00 +0000

Social Poster - Automatic Social Submitter: digg.com reddit.com netscape.com propeller.com Del.icio.us Stumbleupon.com etc.

Twitter For Business Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:52:00 +0000

Twitter For Business

Twitter is a great tool to market your business in today's tough marketplace.

1. Do your research before engaging customers

Know how your customers use Twitter. It takes only a minute to go to Twitter Search () and find out if there are any conversations happening about your brand, product, service or industry. Know what your customers are saying about you.

If your search yields zero results, don’t worry: there may still be an opportunity for you and your brand to establish a presence and start a conversation on the service. However, Twitter may or may not be the right tool for you to engage your consumers.

2. Determine organizational goals

Not all brands utilize Twitter in the same way. Some, like @ComcastCares, use Twitter to provide customers with support. Other branded Twitter accounts, such as @DellOutlet, have utilized the service to sell products.

It’s important to think about what you are trying to achieve using Twitter before devoting your time and resources to it. You’re likely to get more out of it that way.

3. Utilize either a branded or personal profile

You have two options: you can either use a branded profile with your company’s logo, or you can opt to create a more personal profile that unites your own personal brand with that of the company.

If employees are using Twitter to primarily engage with people on behalf of the company, they should have a branded profile. A branded profile is one that clearly identifies the user as an employee of the company; usually through a username (i.e. @Intel_Eric, @synopsys_roy, @MelfromSymantec, @AMDOpteronPhil, @RichardatDELL to name a few) or has a branded background picture and bio.

4. Build your Twitter equity and credibility

To be a successful brand on Twitter, you have to build credibility and equity. That doesn’t necessarily refer to the number of followers, tweets, or retweets you may have, although these are important factors. Rather, it’s more about developing a reputation as a trusted source of information or being seen as an expert in a particular subject.

You won’t succeed in building your Twitter equity by pushing out one way marketing messages about your product. Instead ask questions, be personal, and engage people naturally within the Twitter community. Otherwise, customers won’t listen to what you have to say.

I usually follow the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of my tweets are conversational and personal, 20 percent are about the company I work for. I’ve found that this has really helped build customer engagement and link click-through rates.

5. Track metrics and conversation trends

Any enterprise or medium sized business should invest in a paid tracking service like Radian6 () or Nielsen to better track Twitter conversations, identify trends, measure sentiment, and to get a quantifiable picture of what is going on in the social web.

One metric you absolutely must track: how much money Twitter has saved your brand. How many issues did you solve, leads did you create, and dollars did you save through Twitter engagement versus traditional resources?

If your goal is to handle customer support issues via Twitter, it’s wise to check if there is any decrease in the call volume to your support center. And if you are selling products via Twitter (as Dell is doing), you should of course measure your sales via that channel.

6. Don’t go overboard; less structure is better

Your Twitter use can appear disingenuous and inhuman if you’re too structured with your approach, to the point where your community may be turned off. Treat your Twitter relationships the same way you would any other relationship. Honestly, how much planning or structure is needed before spending the evening out with friends?

Your Twitter experience will change and evolve over time, because the community that follows you will help shape what you say and how you respond. Remember to always use the 80/20 rule, but be flexible with your approach.

I’m not saying that you should let your employees run wild on Twitter, though. Planning, training, coordination and integration with social tools is imperative — just don’t go overboard and create a social media policy that is too restrictive.

7. Listen and observe before engaging

Don’t just start tweeting assuming that the Twitter community is going to accept you with open arms. It’s important that you spend some time just listening and observing the behavior of those who are talking about you or your company. Understand how your customers behave and adjust accordingly.

You don’t have to follow everyone that mentions your company to listen in on the conversation. In fact, this may irritate some people. Instead, when you’re ready to start answering questions, @reply them. In my experience, nine times out of ten, they’ll end up following you. Let the relationship grow from there.

8. Be authentic & believable

Authenticity is the golden rule in social media. We’ve known this for years, but there is another, related rule that is just as important: you and your brand need to be believable. This means spending time listening to your community, observing it, and learning about the dynamics of that community.

Your will become believable only after you have established trust among those in your community. Because I am trusted by my followers, if I tweet that my new netbook is amazing and fits my mobile lifestyle, people will believe me and perhaps even buy one (it is amazing, by the way).

9. Track, measure, and iterate

If there’s one thing that bugs me about working in the corporate environment, it’s the amount of time needed to execute. Sometimes it’s better just to launch a product or initiative, track it, measure the results and then iterate.

I learned this concept working at Yahoo for Mike Speiser, who was the VP of Community Products (and founded ePinions and Bix). This was his philosophy at Yahoo, and it worked, especially in the competitive landscape of social networks.

The great thing about the social web is that it’s not difficult to track the results of Twitter engagement, assuming you have determined what your organization’s goals are. It’s even easier to change course if you find that your efforts aren’t working according to plan.

10. Don’t just strategize: execute!

Multiple daily conference calls are the norm in corporate America. Strategy sessions and meetings to plan strategy sessions are also constants. While this may be fine when planning a new product launch or corporate initiative, it is the wrong approach to using Twitter.

We spend too much time strategizing with little to no execution. When you have too many ideas and not enough people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get stuff done, you are going to find yourself late to the game. Or, in the case of Twitter, late to the conversation.

By spending too much time trying to think of the best strategy, you are going to miss priceless opportunities to fix problems, answer questions, turn sour situations around, and create brand affinity with customers. With Twitter your mantra should be: just get out there and try it.

Facebook | Christian McCarthy

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:33:00 +0000

Facebook | Christian McCarthy

Using Social Media a quick guide

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 02:31:00 +0000

I thought I'd share with you a few tips on using social media for your business. The first step is to create a fan page for your business. How do you do that? Good Question Here it is.

Step 1: Create a page for business or band. http://www.facebook.com/pages
Step 2: Complete the information about the business, product or band.
Step 3: Then add images, information and post a few statements about your business.
Step 4: Goto Account and manage pages. Once every week and add information to it.

Some words of advice talk about everything except business. Good Luck.

TWITTER FOR BUSINESS Part II Hash Tags

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:47:00 +0000

As I said earlier the proper use of hash tags are important. I have to be honest up until recently after I read some information on Twitter I too did not know what a hash tag is or its proper use. It is really simple once you think about it. A hash tag is something any user can add to tweets that would categorize a tweet according to a particular subject. This way anyone who writes on that particular subject would then use your category or hash tag. If one was writing a tweet about autos then # autos would be an appropriate hash tag. This all allows the Twitter search to find all tweets that relate to the category.
Now how can this help marketing for your business. Well, when you search you can explore Twitters who write about the product you sell. You can use Twitter search to discover a particular category and the Twitter user who used it. My business is to provide internet marketing services for businesses. Therefore, I am looking for small business owners who need help with marketing online. I could look for # B2B, # small business owners, # start ups, etc. For knowledge it would be good to also connect with my competitors such as # internet marketing, # marketers, # online marketers. You get the idea.

TWITTER FOR BUSINESS

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:02:00 +0000

Twitter For Business

There are several ways to use Twitter for business development especially if you have decided to twitter on behalf of your company, then you really should learn some of these helpful tips. You can follow people who have common interests and live in the same local area. They become your target market. You can take measures to ensure a return visit. This would include being interesting. You can use a hashtag efficiently, use appropriate tweets, retweet interesting content, keep your account with appropriate followers, use a Tweet UP to promote a business to business event and use your twitter account in moderation to achieve positive results.

There are many ways to use Twitter to achieve positive results. When we discuss these results we are talking about driving more traffic to a business website thus increasing the likelihood of conversion. A conversion is where a user agrees to be part of a mailing list. Another way to achieve positive results is to keep current on trends, to search for a target market & competitors, use tools to be notified if someone is talking about your company, follow smart people who use twitter correctly, tweet about relevant topics, post pics, audio, use Hash Tags, twitter widgets, boost personal connections with advice, jokes, observations, quotes, etc.

Twitter for business is specialized. What you do for prospective customers or current customers is different from interactions with friends. While interacting with prospective customers you should always maintain a level of professionalism. You want to connect with your audience, but you also want to investigate product concerns as well as customer service. The more you discover about how well your business is doing the better able you are to handle it and make the necessary changes to improve brand reputation. Using Twitter to facilitate conversation with customers is extremely helpful as you can really discover what it is your customer expects from your Brand. You are also creating that positive relationship which encourages brand awareness. To get a list of companies on Twitter check out Tracking Twitter dot com. There is even an intranet organization that allows for internal message among workers called Present.ly. (http://presentlyapp.com)

It is really important to be a good listener. Pay special attention to your customer's concerns. Discover your strengths and weaknesses and find out what improvements need to take place. Make sure you make clear objectives and you stick with your plan. The following is a sample list of goals you may have: serve customers better, increase number of customers, and connect with potential partners. It is also helpful to integrate with your other channels and have twitter accounts that engage with customers. Tweet Stats helps you identify with what is working well and what is not. Many executives or high level CEOs who are extremely busy are also the designated twitterers. It is no secret that these people are the ones behind the veil. They are personable and talk not just about the company, but they connect on that personal level and this is what works. Twitter as the medium allows for the CEO or the twitterers to demonstrate his/her personality and humanness behind the organization.

Like SEO for websites Twitter can be optimized for twitter search or Google searches. It is known as Social Media Optimization which allows one's twitter account to be discovered easily for search on Google or a Twitter Search in (Real Time). Twitter Search helps you filter all the real-time information coursing through our service.

Reconnect with Friends

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:52:00 +0000

I have reconnected with a great deal of friends. I am truly thankful for all the important people in my life. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication. At the present I experience terrential down pours with hail. That is living in the present. I am scheduled to go karting at the track tomorrow. It will feel great to accelerate on a kart. The NJ Motorsports Track has the karts available and they go over 70 mph. I will let you know how it turns out.

I have vowed to work on one aspect of my life a day. Most bothersome is all the neglected paperwork that I have deposited in the round file. My 7th grade Math teacher who reminded me of that little old lady that would ask Wendy's the main question "Wheres the beef". I was feeling at little nostalgic. Well perseverance and persistence pays off so far. I now know that in order to feel good you have to feel bad. This comes from the laws of probability, so my hopes are realistic.

I have not exercised in a week other than the bike, and my reading has slacked off. However, I have been taking an online course and writing this almost daily. Well lets see where the next week takes me. It should be interesting. As of now, no job and no money. But the pain I'm told is only temporary. I am still out of work for 6 months then we'll see what I will do next. I have gotten the CDL book and now I want to study for the test. Wish me luck.

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:50:00 +0000

Knowledge and Experience

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Fri, 14 May 2010 00:42:00 +0000

I am learning a great deal of information about Web Design and Blog building. For now it is a great hobby. I'm even thinking of taking a few courses here at Cumberland County College offered this summer. The best part about it is that for $100 you too can sign up. The courses are called Creating Web Pages and Introduction to Microsoft FrontPage. So for just under $200 you can further your knowledge of HTML and FrontPage.
This Saturday I'm also going to an AA/NA meeting the first at this location. I will be more involved in the meetings as I am going to help get it going. Of course, I'm still writing and reading everyday. It is nice to get to do it without someone telling you that you have to do it. For once, I'm taking control of the ship and steering along the path that I chose.
We talked about Forgiveness and I wrote a long reflection paper on the topic. It is real good to begin my new life, with my new structure or routine. One that consists of many healthy pursuits. I spend a great deal of my time in solitude, but it works out. Personal growth and new goals finally give me the motivation to continue along the right road. I am clean and sober over a year now and extremely happy for that. I could have been a millionaire for all the money I spent, but while I am poor I am much happier. I leave you with this one quote about success.
"Health, happiness and success depend upon the fighting spirit of each person. The big thing is not what happens to us in life - but what we do about what happens to us."

Forgiveness

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Mon, 10 May 2010 22:42:00 +0000

I worked in earnest to get a great deal accomplished. The topic of forgiveness came up and it seemed important to discuss. As I worked on my projects to regain my life, I thought it necessary to reflect on where I had been and where I am now. Forgiveness is the ability to let go of resentments and continue a new life of acceptance. Over the course of the past year I have discovered that I wronged some important people. Being self-centered I used defenses such as rationalization and isolation to cope with my existing problems.
However, monumental they seemed at the time, through persistence and some help from my support system, I was able to begin the process of having my life rid of these negative behaviors in a new . What a relief they were out of my head. It almost felt as though a huge weight was off my shoulders. I grew from my self-centered ways into showing more humility. I no longer harbored the feelings of guilt, shame, or embarrasment. Now I had a greater appreciation for those, who despite adversity, succeeded to construct a nice long lasting life. This means a comfortable existence for themselves.
It is a slow process to mend old scars, but not impossible. Confidence now demonstrated its willingness to face the fears and tribulations and never give up attitude. Spirituality now became a part of my life and satisfaction of a more humble existence.
During recent events I exhibited the attitudes of: dishonesty, deceitfulness and self-centeredness. This is where forgiveness comes to play. I truly and genuinely ask for forgivenss as I forgave others for their wayward trespasses. I now release the old character flaws of rationalization, justification, embarassment, isolation, impulsive and loss of control. It is over a year of sobriety for me and now I long to have the existence I had and lost. I will not stop to regain it, for I know now that I am doing all this myself for self. However, it is beneficial for everyone. I humbly ask God for help to remove all my defects in character and reach out to anyone close to hopefully touch their lives with positiveness and improvement.
The concept of forgiveness is to release all past convictions and be a well-rounded altruistic individual.

Tranquility

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Sun, 09 May 2010 14:25:00 +0000

Imagine you are in a special place. Think about running water falls, a cool breeze whistling by and the sun's rays touching you skin. Listen to the water as it is weaves in and around the rocks. It is serene and surreal. Now relax and breath in and out slowly. Continue this with your favorite melody playing in the background softly. You try it and relax or chillax and then go about your day.

Knowledge Enrichment

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Thu, 06 May 2010 00:03:00 +0000

Another day using my mind and it seems as though there is so much to learn. That's what makes everything interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed everything. The weather was remarkable and all in all I learned quite a bit. The majority of the day was spent reading technical jargon, so I could use a break. I learned a great deal that if I shared with you, let's just say you would need a blanket and pillow.

Life is looking good and putting back the pieces is a great thing. As things get accomplished I am happy and stress free. I owe all to the circle of trust. While trust is something I struggle with, it gets better with communication. Keep striving and remember most of all....it's not how you start a race and finish, but you must get up when you fall one more time.

Perseverance and Persistence

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Mon, 03 May 2010 20:36:00 +0000

Have you ever felt that your responsibilities are so overwhelming? How about complete unorganization? Many people experience these challenges where they have too much on their plate. If a problem or a group of problems become too unbearable then break it down into smaller bits and work on one third of the problem without considering the remainder. Eventually, what you discover is that you were able to reduce the group of problems and even able to tackle the entire mountain.

Personally, this has been an endeavor I procrastinated and finally achieved almost complete relief. Now I say almost because are you really ever down. Most likely your not unless incoming issues ceased. The key to success when it comes to paperwork or other issues like financial, legal, moral, health, etc. perseverance must motivate you to tackle the problems head on. In the complex society we live in to be responsible one needs to examine the problems everyday.

When neglected they feel as though the world is going end. Prioritize and persist and most of all release all that stress when you accomplish your paperwork goals.

Describe the World in 2050

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:41:00 +0000

The world as I see it will be similar to the present but with some changes. I expect that we will find a way to occupy the world beyond the Planet Earth. I see us living on the moon or a planet like Mars. Originating from what is termed "primordial oose" or as the World in God's eyes and the Book of Genesis. The overall feeling of how the world will evolve in 2050 will be a great deal different from now.
The World will change in the sense that populations will be a great deal higher; however, we will probably limit the amount of children each family can have or maybe not. Additionally, there will be people inhabiting planets different from ours or it could just be the moon or a moon since the planets have their own. There will be new transportation like you see in the Jetsons where mini-planes will provide for quick movement around the Earth especially in North and South America and Europe.
People will be driving energy efficient cars that run on different fuel other than gasoline.

Ten Pleasures in Life

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:32:00 +0000

Simple Pleasures are what motivates one to work hard. The ten simple pleasures in life are:

1) Good Food
2) Good Company
3) Good Friends
4) Music
5) An ardent Lover
6) Wine
7) Appropriate Weather
8) An interesting movie or book
9) Great Dessert & good coffee
10) Total Solar Eclipse

Good food goes hand and hand with good company, good friends and of course good music. It requires one to take a break and enjoy the moment. Some people go through
life and don't take time to smell the flowers. There are remarkable aspects of LIFE
that one my not even recoginize. According to Wikipedia July 11 2010 a Total Solar Eclipse will occur. Put it on your calendar and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
Good food does not take long to prepare, so enjoy the evening with good friends or your significant other and reward yourself.

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:01:00 +0000

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium. ~Norbet Platt

Be Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:20:00 +0000

“Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.”
John Jakes 21st Century Writer

Individuality is part and parcel of self-esteem. If you love yourself then you are able to love others; hence your self esteem will be solid. Identify what parts of character are important to your own self-worth and if you are true to yourself then you can achieve great things. A term by Abraham Maslow a psychologist is known as self-actualization. Individuality is crucial to understanding what your full - potential is. It enables one to see what their long term goals are and what steps are necessary leading up to them. No matter who you are being true to yourself will shine through and you can achieve greatness.

Remember those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. Be yourself and achieve all you can. Eventually everyone who come around, but who cares anyway. Your biggest fan is the person you have to please. and that's YOU.

Life in the Fast Lane Changing Gears

noreply@blogger.com (MillvilleNJ) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:08:00 +0000

One of my old favorite bands the Eagles sang a song called "Life in the Fast Lane". Through time one realizes it is better to pace yourself this way you don't get burned out. I live my life gathering as much wisdom as I can process. At times it seems like suggestions are omnipresent. And if you really think about it they are, but you have to know which to choose and then only look back briefly. Confindence is important for everyone, so is assertiveness. That squeeky wheel gets the grease much more often as long as you exercise humility.
Today was a blah day. Rainy all throughout the day and I spent the majority in the house reading, writing and just thanking the Lord for just one more. Gratitude and Acceptance goes a long way, but necessarily in that order. I am grateful for life itself and thankful for a family who strives daily to be more. Setting goals is my next endeavor. MY short term are legal means of transportation, developmenting an income source, marching to the beat of the drummer this time, and being insync with my aspiration. Mens sana in corpore sano is my life pursuit and now at forty it is much more challenging. But that's what makes it fun. For now the short term are enough. Last but not least is health. I am getting in shape and keeping it off this time. It would be great to be ripped again; however, let's just say I'm not holding my breath. Prayer works. No but really the day is a struggle, but one that can be overcome.