Aquarena Center, San Marcos, Texas

Some of the turtles seen along the Wetlands Boardwalk. Credit: Rennie Palmer

You’ll take a step back in time, but with a view to the future, when you visit the Aquarena Center in San Marcos, Texas, operated by Texas State University. Some archaeologists believe the area is North America’s oldest continually-inhabited site. The casual visitor, however, will first notice the relics of more recent history, including the remnants of the Alpine Swiss Sky Ride. The ride was part of a 90-acre complex that thrived on the Springlake property beginning in 1928.

Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University-San Marcos) purchased the property in 1994 and closed the amusement park in 1996. At present, the Aquarena Center functions as a protected habitat for five endangered species, and serves as an educational venue for environmental issues. Springlake is the site of more than 200 springs that form the headwaters of the San Marcos River.

The glass-bottom boats, first introduced in 1946, are a charming reminder of a slower, more genteel time. The wooden boats are relatively small, with seats clustered around a trough-like structure. Because the spring-fed water is so pure, the brilliant green light radiates unhindered from the lake through the glass at the bottom of the boats. Powered electrically, the shallow-bottomed boats glide through the water without noise or disturbance, making the 30-minute tour of the lake a peaceful excursion into another little world.

The springs themselves are fascinating, bursting from the rock and sediment below, clearly visible even at depths of as much as 30 feet. Visitors can easily see the direction of water flow for each spring by noting the pattern of sediments deposited and the pattern of plant growth surrounding each spring.

A boardwalk constructed of recycled plastic lumber provides guests the opportunity for a leisurely stroll across a protected wetland enviroment. Interested visitors can wander through the six zones of this Wetlands Boardwalk, guided by a pre-recorded podcast pointing out the wonders around them. Springlake boasts five varieties of turtles, many of which congregate on protruding logs or branches to sun themselves. The lake is also home to both aquatic and migratory birds.

Springlake is not merely of interest to tourists and school children on field trips. Texas State University conducts ongoing scientific research at the site, some of which occurs underwater. Researchers need trained volunteers for underwater, so the center offers a two-day scuba course for certified divers. The course covers applicable state and federal regulations as well as the ecological and archaeological concerns of Springlake.

The Aquarena Center also includes an Aquarium that boasts a 5,400-gallon tank with a smooth soft-shell turtle and three spotted gar. In addition, this tanks houses several varieties of catfish, large-mouth bass and sunfish.

Special resources, including worksheets, coloring pages and field guides are available for teachers. The center also offers tours for students.

There is no admission fee to the Aquarena Center itself, or for the aquarium or boardwalk. Glass-bottom boat rides are $9 for adults, $7.50 for seniors, and $6 for children 4 to 15. Children three and under are admitted free of charge. The Aquarena Center is at 921 Aquarena Springs Drive in San Marcos, Texas, 78666. Phone number (512) 245-7570.

Copyright © 2011 Little Frog Publishing. All rights reserved.

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Who Owns Your Time?

Ownership. It’s a core principle of our materialistic world, and yet most of us give it little thought. I want a new suit, so I shop the men’s stores until I find the perfect cut, texture, color and style, at the right price. I need a new car, so I do my research, and take a trip to the cluster of dealerships in my city. I want, so I buy.

But is ownership really that simple? Do I establish ownership by simply exchanging money for some product that has caught my eye? Think about what it means to own. Ownership means taking possession AND taking control. Possession may be relatively easy, but control never is.

Consider real estate to understand this distinction. The man or woman who buys a home finds that control is never absolute. If the homeowner has a mortgage, the lien-holder protects its interests by placing limits on the homeowner. Homeowners associations and zoning ordinances restrict property use. Real estate laws may regulate how a property may be passed on to one’s heirs, and even who may inherit.

In business, time is a precious commodity. We all possess 24 hours each day, but how much control do we exercise? Because my wife and I own a small business — Little Frog Publishing — we must determine who, or what, makes demands or places restrictions on what we do.

Once we determine the sources of demands and restrictions on our time, we can then examine those claims with an eye to eliminating any that are not legitimate and productive. It’s not my purpose to tell you how—that will vary from individual to individual. But it is my purpose to challenge you to look at who, or what, owns your time!

Copyright © 2011 Little Frog Publishing. All rights reserved.

Twitter, Trends, and Public Opinion

Understanding is crucial to success, and Twitter provides a wonderful tool for gaining and nurturing understanding. Would-be entrepreneurs often overlook, or ignore, the need to understand. To be successful, all business owners must strive to understand not only the industries in which they operate, but also the customers they serve as well as competing businesses.

Twitter’s advanced search function makes research easy. Yes, it’s true that Google has an advanced search function with many of the same options. In fact, I use Google often. Twitter, however, provides a unique element, that of immediacy. By searching tweets rather than websites, Twitter’s advanced search follows current conversations. In contrast, Google searches websites, which are more-or-less static. If you want a real-time opportunity to listen to conversations, Twitter is the answer.

Here is the URL: http://search.twitter.com/advanced

For example, a pet store owner might search for tweets about controlling barking dogs. A photographer might search tweets about wedding photos. Twitter’s advanced search allows the user to narrow the search by tweet date and by location. Twitter also provides a list of “search operators” that can modify searches within the standard search box. An example is “happy hour” near:”san francisco” to locate the exact phrase “happy hour” tweeted by someone in San Francisco.

It’s easy to see how this tool can help business owners keep up with emerging trends in any given industry, as well as coming to a greater understanding of the needs and desires of their customers, and monitoring conversations about the competition. What may surprise some readers, however, is that you can tune in to conversations between competitors and their customers.

Here’s how. The owner of a French Quarter restaurant in New Orleans might want to know what people are saying to Antoine’s, or what the restaurant is saying to its customers. To eavesdrop on these conversations, a business owner first needs to determine the username of his competitor by typing the restaurant name into the search box. Scrolling down through the tweets, the owner would soon run across the username AntoinesNOLA. The owner could then type from:antoinesnola to monitor tweets from his competitor, or to:antoinesnola to read what customers are writing to the competition.

Of course, many businesses, even large ones, are not yet using Twitter. Some business owners may be surprised to discover that their competitors have not yet entered the open bazaar. So much the better!

Copyright © 2010 Little Frog Publishing. All rights reserved.

Connecting With Customers Through Twitter

If you read my last post, you may be wondering how Twitter can help your business build relationships with potential customers. Here are a few tips.

First, you must understand what to avoid. Using Twitter as a megaphone from which you can blast out free advertising messages is almost always ineffective. In fact, this practice may also be counter-productive. The inhabitants of Twitter’s growing marketplace are generally saavy, and you might just alienate them with overzealous tweeting. Treat these virtual neighbors and friends exactly how you would treat friends and family in person.

That means you should not be filling their digital inboxes with junk tweets, just so you can meet your daily quota. We’re all overwhelmed by the sheer volume of messages we receive daily. Sifting through dozens of clearly self-serving promotional messages is more likely to drive potential customers away from you than lure them into your arms.

Second, use your Twitter platform to provide value to the Twitter community. Rather than directly plugging your awesome, miraculous, fat-melting, calorie-burning, easy-to-use exercise equipment, share your vast knowledge of exercise physiology. Sharing might mean writing a blog about how exercise burns calories, and sending tweets that lead potential customers to your blog. On the other hand, sharing might mean posting links to other blogs and websites with information of value to this community. Above all, ALWAYS provide value!

Third, look for people to help. Twitter’s search function makes this possible. For example, a real estate agent in Austin, Texas can establish herself as the go-to person for help finding a variety of home services. By entering “plumber near:austin” in Twitter’s search box, that agent can pull up all the recent tweets in the Austin area in which the word “plumber” appears. Scrolling through the tweets, she can locate people with plumbing issues, some of whom still need to find a plumber. She can then tweet the individual, suggesting two or three plumbers she knows who do great work at reasonable prices. As a result, that agent becomes a hero for a minute’s work!

Twitter gives you the chance to enter into conversations with people you might never meet in any other way. And what’s most important to remember is that you need to LISTEN as well as speak. Only then will you connect with potential customers. Only then will you be viewed as a friend rather than as another intrusive sales person. And only then will you build business relationships of lasting value.

Copyright © 2010 Little Frog Publishing. All rights reserved.

The Frenzied Marketplace of Twitter

“You’re on Twitter—why? Isn’t that just a bunch of kids discussing who’s cool, or what movie they want to see?” If you’re like me, the preceding sentence sums up your initial reaction to the whole Twitter phenomenon. When my wife first suggested a Twitter account for Little Frog Publishing, I did not see the potential. In fact, I did not see the true value of Twitter for months.

You cannot understand until you tap into your imagination. You must view Twitter as a gateway into the world’s virtual marketplace. This marketplace is not the main street, or the indoor mall, of the modern world. It’s the vibrant—even frenzied and chaotic—market of earlier civilizations. It’s an open-air bazaar with vendors excitedly inviting you to stop at their stall. It’s the 19th Century public square where you see a politician “stumping” to passersby, and farmers with their chickens and pigs and produce, and slick salesmen hawking their tonics and elixirs. And it is regular folks merely enjoying the excitement.

You’ll find all of that, or its virtual equivalent, when you enter the world of Twitter. What’s important, though, is that you’ll be able to mix with the crowd in a way that hasn’t been possible until now. That is the value of this medium, and anyone in business cannot afford to underestimate this value!

Here are some of the ways you can benefit from using Twitter:

1. Build relationships with potential customers.
2. Keep up with industry trends as they emerge.
3. Check on the competition.
4. Learn the opinions of the public about your product.
5. Locate and target a specific audience.
6. Research almost any topic.
7. Make announcements to your customer base.

I cannot possibly address all of these subjects in one blog entry, so I will not try. Instead, I’ll write on each of these benefits in my upcoming blogs. In two weeks, I’ll discuss using Twitter to build relationships.

Copyright © 2010 Little Frog Publishing. All rights reserved.

A New Play on Words

Yet another username and password to remember! Aargh! I admit to the preceding frustration. My most recent acquaintance with this sentiment came yesterday, when I was busy creating a user profile on Meetup.com for a new creative writing group in Austin. To gain more exposure for Writes of Passage, the creative writing game we’ve produced through Little Frog Publishing, my wife Rennie and I formed Play on Words.

If you google Meetup, you’ll see this description of the site: “Helps groups of people with shared interests plan meetings and form offline clubs in local communities around the world.” Through Meetup, anyone can form a group to share just about any legal interest. I had already been a member of one of Austin’s creative writing groups listed on Meetup (more than a dozen) when I decided to form Play on Words. I needed a group interested in exercises and games for writers. Unfortunately, each of those existing groups focuses on a different aspect of the creative writing experience.

We are opening Play on Words to aspiring writers as well as experienced professionals. We plan to meet in small groups of six to eight people so we can effectively share our passion for writing. Rather than simply listen to one another read our works, we’ll share the actual experience of writing. For some meetings, we’ll individually tackle the same creative writing exercises. For other meetings, we’ll play Writes of Passage, which allows six to eight players to work together to craft six to eight stories.

These meetings will be more than a marketing forum for Writes of Passage. Interacting with other Austin writers in a workshop format will permit Rennie and me to peer into the minds of other creative types. As a result, we should gain insight into a greater variety of challenges facing writers. That information may help us in future marketing strategies, or inspire additional products for Little Frog Publishing.

So I guess I’ll have to remember yet another username and password!

Copyright © 2010 Little Frog Publishing. All rights reserved.

Taking Time Off From Your Business

Two weeks have elapsed since my last blog post because my wife and I took time off from our new business to travel to Anchorage, Alaska. Business was not the purpose of this trip. “Was that a good decision,” you might ask, “considering the demands of a new business?” I believe our decision was right for several reasons. Here are my thoughts about one of those reasons.

Rennie and I take time off each fall for spiritual renewal. Although Little Frog Publishing is important to us, and we recognize the need for dedicated effort to achieve success, we also understand that material goals take a back seat to spiritual goals. Unfortunately, this concept seems alien within the context of modern Western culture. Too often, we measure success in dollars.

During our eight days in Alaska, Rennie and I attended the biblical Feast of Tabernacles with other members of the United Church of God. We generally met for worship services during the mornings, and spent afternoons on day trips around Anchorage. Hiking on a glacier, taking a scenic train trip, and visiting the kennels of an Iditarod champion were some of the adventures we shared in Alaska.

Rennie and I returned from the 49th state with a fresh vigor and a new eagerness for our business. Entrepreneurs who indenture themselves to their businesses gradually lose their fire and their passion, not only for their work, but for their lives. Work becomes a burden to them rather than an expression of their creativity.

Even more important, though, is perspective. To appreciate a photograph, or a painting, we must step back just a little to gain perspective. We study the various elements as they relate to one another. The same is true in life. We begin to appreciate our work and our roles in life when we step back, studying the way we interact with others.

So Rennie and I have returned from Alaska, refreshed and with a renewed sense of perspective. And we are once again ready to pursue our dreams!

Copyright © 2010 Little Frog Publishing. All rights reserved.

Social Media and Search Engine Optimization

I’m a latecomer to e-commerce. Until recently, I have lived my life as a technophobe attempting to remain blissfully ignorant of the details of the technological revolution. However, like many other individuals in business, I am adapting to this strange new world so Little Frog Publishing will succeed.

Before the last few years, social media and search engine optimization were terms I had begun to hear, but did not understand. What’s more, I did not see any connection between the two until my wife and I began researching the field. Now I am beginning to understand the critical links.

For those who are just starting out, here are some definitions that may be of help. First, according to ask.com, “Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words and pictures.” Facebook and MySpace, for example, allow users to create profiles, through which they can establish online friendships and share written information, pictures and videos. Linkedin is similar to Facebook, but generally used more as a means to stay connected with business contacts. Twitter provides users a platform through which they can broadcast pithy statements (no more than 140 characters, not words). Twitter users can also search by keywords, and soon be connected with individuals who share common interests.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is more difficult. According to Dictionary.com, it is “the process of adjusting the content, structure, etc., of a website so that it will be displayed prominently by a search engine.” In other words, when you google a term, those websites that appear on the first page of your search have achieved search engine optimization. The problem lies in how to achieve those results for your website.

Competition to be on the first page of search results is relentless. What has worked in the past may not work today in this fluid landscape. At the moment, though, most experts agree that social media are a critical ingredient to success. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and other outlets provide businesses the opportunities to interact with their customers, and potential customers. The various social media allow businesses to reach out and draw customers to their websites. As more people visit the site, a synergy emerges, pushing the website higher in the search results.

There is a huge difference between social media and advertising. Through social media, businesses first establish relationships with people. Unlike advertising, the conversation is not one-way. Through social media, businesses can listen to their current customers, and learn from potential customers what it will take to win them over. It is not just the technology that has changed. The way business will be conducted, and the way it is already being conducted, is radically different.

Copyright © 2010 Little Frog Publishing. All rights reserved.