Social Networking:Why we should still keep it local

Excerpt from upcoming edition of WLFS Feed for Thought
Fall Harvest Edition

by Ira Richards

Is it just me or does the technology gap seem to be widening once again? Just when the baby-boomers have finally warmed up to the idea of corresponding with grandchildren through email, the online community has been taken by storm with applications like Twitter, Facebook, and Town-Sync, among others.

And while marketing gurus may insist that any entrepreneurs not currently using Facebook should also consider having the 8-track players removed from their Ford Fairmonts, most users know that the primary function of these programs is to keep users in touch with family and friends. Simply put, they're community driven. However, as major advertisers continue to promulgate their marketing value, the sites are becoming more susceptible to spam overloads as impersonal mega-corporations launch by-the-minute Twitter campaigns informing us that men's tube socks are buy 1, get 1 free.

The Upper Valley offers a unique respite from the digital confusion that, I believe, results from our preservation of the community ideal. We cherish and support our small, local businesses; we get to know our neighbors, and we champion causes that are dear to our hearts. While we know that not everyone we meet may be worthy of our trust, there is an underlying sense of good-faith among the folks of the Upper Valley and we don't walk away from a random act of kindness wondering how we might have just been bamboozled.

Yes, West Lebanon Feed & Supply is currently on Facebook and Twitter. But I'd like to think that we look at it as more of a place for the community to gather and share ideas than as a marketing campaign. Traditionally speaking, the local feed store has long been the social hub for communities with strong agricultural functions; as contact with our neighbors becomes more virtual, it seems a logical next-step for WLFS to host a digital gathering place for folks to connect and discuss ag-related topics.

And, while we will be announcing opportunities and promoting upcoming events (ask about our recent e-Sale Flyer - August 19-29), we hope that our customers will recognize that we're using these tools to go beyond the simple, generic marketing ads you get from other stores. We encourage everyone to think of us as your "friends" down at the local feed store and to consider joining our WLFS online community so we can work together to solve our backyard living challenges and become partners in preserving the community ideal.


Follow us online. Visit http://www.westlebanonsupply.com/ for links.