Hillsboro Lions Club - Trivia Night

Get ready for the Hillsboro Lions Club's Twenty First Annual Trivia Night coming Saturday, March 1st 2014.

The event this year will be held at the Hillsboro Community Civic Club with doors opening at 6:00 pm.  Trivia questions will start promptly at 7:00 pm, so be early and visit their cash bar.  You're welcome to bring your own snacks for your table.

The Advance Registration is through February, 15th and is $100 for a table of 8 people.  Thereafter, it's $120 per table or $15 per person at the door.  Call 636 789-3780 for reservations.

We all know the great job this organization does in support of better eye health and recycling of eye-ware for those in need.  I personally have used their drop off box at the Intermediate School, so let's get out of the house and show our support on Saturday, March 1st at 6:00 pm.

Blogging and Social Media Articles For Your Business

If you have a business in Jefferson County and want to expand your advertising presence onto Social Media, we can help.

At Blue Marlin Computer Services we do social media. Today's small business needs to do everything possible to compete; and that means social media.  Many businesses don't have the time or the resources to develop and implement a social media strategy.  Yes, it's somewhat different from what you're use to, but the principles are still the same; get their interest and close the sale.  

Social Media, with its visual Content Marketing approach, captures the perspective customer's interest in a product or service and delivers them to your sales team. We do this with Blog Articles, Facebook Google+ and Twitter posts, and the new form of visual presentation - Pinterest (excellent platform for retail stores & restaurants).

Give Blue Marlin a call at 636 208-4683 and let us show you all the possibilities we can deliver for your business.

Why Aren't Jefferson Co. Realtor's Using Twitter?

The real estate market is on its way back.  Homes are selling and more new homes are being built.  So why aren't the real estate professionals using these new social media technologies to gain more of the market share from their competitors?

If you want to be the best in your industry, don't settle for what everyone else is doing.  You have to take it to the next level.  That's why I can't figure out why the top Realtors in Jefferson County aren't using Twitter in their sales arsenal. This social media network is perfect for the real estate professional as well as other marketing businesses.  Here are my 5 reasons why your real estate business should be using Twitter.  I've included a bonus 6th reason to help drive home my point.

1. It's instantaneous - You can advertise within seconds of signing the home seller.  As the market heats up, home buyers will be looking for great homes to view before the signs go up.  Twitter allows your Followers to know when a special home is coming available before anyone else.

2. #Hashtags - Anyone that follows me knows how I love #Hashtags to delineate (#HillsboroMO).  This allows you to tell your Followers where the homes are (#Festus) and Followers can search their favorite #areas for homes.  #Hashtags can also be used for searchable special features like #pool #acreage #3bed3bath; you get the picture.

3. Photos & Links - A picture is worth more than 144 characters.  With Twitter, you can include a photo with the description in your Tweet.  You can also include a Link to your personal website or blog for your Bio and contact information.

4. Re-Tweets - You Tweet about a home new on the market to your Followers, everyone in your office Re-Tweets to their Followers, everyone in your company Re-Tweets to their Followers, folks that view your Tweets Re-Tweet to family & friends that might like this home.  The Law of Compound Advertising is working for you.

5. Twitter Drives Traffic to Your Blog or Website - Twitter is a great opportunity to bring more Followers to your sites allowing them to view additional listing as well as other information about you and your business.

Bonus Reason: Two-Way Communications - Twitter lets you have a conversation with a prospective buyer that may have questions or want to make an appointment to see the home.

Interested in leading your competition not following; give Blue Marlin Computer Services a call at 636 208-4683 and I'll show you how for very little money, social media can drive more business your way.

The Hillsboro Hawks Beat the DeSoto Dragons 48 to 13

The Hillsboro Hawks beat the DeSoto Dragons in Hillsboro last night with a final score of 48 to 13. The Hawks showed why they have a three game winning streak with great offensive and defensive play.  There was a scary moment when Hillsboro Junior Joe Melton suffered serious injury and left the field in an ambulance.

The Hillsboro Special Teams were responsible for two of the Hawks touchdowns; one from a kickoff and the other from a Dragons punt.  With a 30 to 7 lead at halftime, Hillsboro played solid defense while the offense added an additional 18 points to their second half tally.  The Hawks take their 5 and 2 record to Lutheran South Friday night at 7:00 pm in a non-conference game. The DeSoto Dragons dropped to 1 and 6 overall and will play Ste. Genevieve.

KJFF streamed the game Live on MyMOInfo.com, so it should be available to view in a day or two.


 http://www.mymoinfo.com/myMOinfo-WebTV---Sports/13145241

Deer with Basketball Stuck in His Rack

This deer was spotted in Bethel Park, Pittsburgh.  Poor guy has a basketball stuck in his antlers.

I'm not sure if this is funny or scary

It's called WildCat!

If you Tweet - Think about Twubs

Do you Tweet in Hillsboro? - Start using #HillsboroMO in your Tweets!



Several of us in Jefferson County and the Hillsboro area have started using the Hashtag #HillsboroMO in our Tweets to specify events or things regarding Hillsboro.  This allows several things in the Twitter-sphere to take place automatically:

#1 Tweets with #HillsboroMO can be culled from the millions of other Tweets and displayed as a group or conversation using certain programs.  This could be useful at a High School football game, Live event at the Fairgrounds or even a Chamber of Commerce delimiter.

#2 Your Tweets will appear on the Hillsboro Today Tweeter Feed in the column on the right.  Great for a quick shout-out.

#3 Using a website like www.Twubs.com - You can tune out the other Twitter noise and only display Twitter conversations you want to see regarding Hillsboro (#HillsboroMO).

#HillsboroMO on Twubs site

Twubs (www.Twubs.com) allows its members to Follow #Hashtags used in Tweets.  You can Sign Up with Twubs using your Twitter account, and Follow the #HillsboroMO Hashtag we registered or register your own #Hashtag.  Give it a try.

Hillsboro Hawks beat Festus Tigers 50 to 36 (Updated with Video of game)

Hillsboro's 536 rushing yards propels the Hawks pass Festus.

Chris Walsh (22) ran for 216 of the 536 total rushing yards and along with Jacob Kelam, showed the Tigers they could run when they needed to.  Quarterback Jarrett Johnson supported by timely blocking from the offensive line (Jacob Krausz, Shawn Armstrong, Brennan Jennewein, Kameron Ganger and Pete Mock) put together seven touchdowns and showed Festus they came to play. Coach Brian Robbins's Hawks are now 3-2 overall and 1-1 in I-55 conference play.

Photos from STLhighschoolsports.com article

Here's a Link to My MO Info WebTV Sports.  They did a Webcast of the game and usually put it up in a day or two.

My MO Info WebTV (Hillsboro vs Festus)

A Little Friday Humor.

You know I like my humor on Friday's; it gets me ready for the weekend.  I just love it when rescued animals are returned to the sea.  I also like the movie Jaws.  Here's a blend of both genres. Happy Friday!

New Twitter Feature on Hillsboro Today

Major Update for Hillsboro Today Blog.  We now have a Twitter Feed on the blog specifically searching for the #HillsboroMO in your Twitter - Tweets.

So what does this mean for you?  Well, if you have an event in Hillsboro; simply add #HillsboroMO in your Tweet and we'll pick it up on the blog's Twitter Feed.  If you're a small business with something to say; add #HillsboroMO to your Tweets.  HCCC and Hillsboro Chamber, #HillsboroMO gets the word out.  You get the idea.

Garage Sale at Greenstreet Insurance Agency

Jerry Greenstreet asked me to pass this along:  The Hillsboro Lions Club is hosting a Huge Garage Sale at the Greenstreet Insurance Agency: 101 Peachtree Drive here in Hillsboro.  They're having it on Saturday, October 5th from 8 AM to 3 PM.  Proceeds will enable us to help more people with vision exams, eye glasses, college scholarships, provide Christmas for Jefferson County's young and old who otherwise would not have a Christmas.

We all know the wonderful work the Lions Club does with vision care.  So if you can, let's clean out the garage or basement while the weather's still good and make a little extra holiday cash; or maybe you're a collector needing one last peruse before winter.  Give Jerry Greenstreet a call at 636 789-2652 for all the details.

Has your dog eaten any pumpkin lately?

Here's a Tip from Angela at Canine Life Skills.  I found this very interesting, and it goes with our Fall theme.

Autumn Starts Today!

Autumn has always been my favorite time of year; the crisp air, the colorful leaves, the smells of wood burning in the neighbors fireplace, it truly is a mixture of the summer and the winter seasons. As the nearby farmers bring in their harvest and the bounty is shared with us all, you can't help but love the smells coming from nearby kitchens.  The smells become so enticing you want to visit just to see what's cooking and hopefully, it's pumpkin or apple pie!

It's wonderful to watch all the creatures of the outdoors dig and store and hide their stash for the long winter to come, and the birds migrating to their wintering grounds.  Why, just this morning I heard a couple of Canadian Geese flying from the old Hall place - Bridle Ridge Acres. Soon the sounds of chainsaws will emanate from the woods as the wood pile is stacked high in anticipation of a long cold winter, and the inevitable target practice begins for the upcoming hunting season. The small game birds are first; the Dove and Quail.  Squirrels and Rabbits quickly follow allowing the hunters to hone in their skills and tracking ability.  Next, the season leads us to the larger game birds; Ducks, Turkeys and Geese and finally to the Big Daddy of the hunting season: the Deer.

Usually by deer season, there has been a significant frost or in some areas a little snow signalling the last days of Fall.  And after a great big meal to give thanks, we await the onslaught of winter. The days so short, the weather cold and damp, the first few weeks of December pretty much put an end to my outdoor adventures til spring.

A Little Friday Humor

Yes, we're going there.  I think they call this toilet humor.  By The Way - this is an actual product, in case your interested.

This Week in Hillsboro Event Board

At Hillsboro Today we are always striving to provide good informative content.  In that light, we added a "What's Happening!" box for events this coming week.  If you would like your event displayed, simply fill-out the Contact Hillsboro Today section further down the column and we'll be happy to add the event.

Remember space is limited, so first come - first serve; and thanks everyone for following Hillsboro Today.

Venerable Law Firm Enjoys Their New Digs

I had the opportunity to speak with Elizabeth Miller (Liz) over at Kramer and Hand, LLC. recently. We had a nice long chat about the move from Maple Street to their new location at 428 Vreeland.

Something I did not know was; one of the firm's matriarchs Alice Kramer was the first women to start and maintain a law practice in Jefferson County.  Alice Kramer partnered with Julianne Hand in 2000 to establish Kramer & Hand LLC.  Now, they've grown to four partners and two associates with Kourtney Lamb, Sarah Burton Partney, Lauren Drummond and Erik Papke rounding out the legal team.  Add three more support staff and one might think that building may get pretty crowded, but Liz assures me they love it and have plenty of room for a glass-walled conference room, large kitchen and beautiful reception area.

Liz is the Office Manager for the firm and despite a few glitches after the move; managed to switch the firm to new HD VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) phones, a new internet carrier and implement an environmentally safe paper products purchasing plan (say that 3 times, quickly).  The fact that Hillsboro does recycling is not lost on a firm that helps people and the environment.  And I love what they have done with the building.  It's so, Hillsboro chic.

One thing I'm learning more of, as I dig around Hillsboro for new posts for the Hillsboro Today blog, the folks that live here, love it here.  I could tell from speaking with Liz that she is very happy living on her acreage just outside town, and the folks at Kramer and Hand are very happy with their new digs.  It's like I told Liz, it's a great location.  The attorneys can hit Cool Beans on the way to the courthouse and if things go well (or not) the Mexican restaurant for Margaritas on the way back.  You gotta love Hillsboro.

The Frog, The Rocket and The Big Boom

This frog is lucky it wasn't a little closer to liftoff.  Ten feet closer and there would have been frog legs for dinner.  NASA confirmed this photo has not been altered.

Jefferson County Dress Swap

September 15th 1:00 - 3:00 pm at the Hillsboro High School Commons

In these difficult financial times, this is a great way to trade the young lady in your family's recently worn dress for something different.  No young lady wants to be seen in the same dress she wore to the last big event. So, trade up!  These dresses come from all over the Jefferson County area so there's a good chance your selection is making its debut in your school.  No dress to trade, no problem; buy your first dress here too.  Then next year you can trade it in for another great find. Give the folks at the Chamber a call 636 789-4920 for info or to be a vendor, and while your at it visit the Dress Swap's Facebook Page for photos and more:

Jefferson County Dress Swap Facebook Page:

Google's Hangouts On Air will get your business noticed!

Blue Marlin Computer Services now offering Google's Hangouts On Air production help for Hillsboro and Jefferson County businesses.

I try not to do too much self promotion here on Hillsboro Today, but I'm a big fan of promoting business in the community and when a business has something that is good for the community to offer, I'm behind it. This time it happens to be my business.  One of the things we do at Blue Marlin Computer Services is new technology, and the IT industry is exploding with new technology.  Some of it is good for your business, some of it is a waste of time and money; every business has to decide which is which for themselves. What is great for me, may not work for you.

One thing I have watched and learned over the last decade is Google has their act together.  Not only is it one of the greatest places to work, but their products are some of the best ideas out there, and when they do something, they do it right.  I mean, no one does search like Google, and did you know Google owns YouTube?  The brilliant minds at Google have come up with this method of video conferencing called Hangouts.  It allows 10 participants to connect, discuss and share things.  Recently, they have taken it to the next level by combining this conferencing ability with YouTube videos and their Google Drive products.  They call it Hangouts On Air.  I can now schedule and invite participants to an event (up to 9 additional video connections), add 300 or more via Google chat, use screen share to show them things on our computers like a presentation or videos and record the whole things as a YouTube video to share or review later.  Oh, by the way all this is free from Google.  All you need to use the service is an account; your gmail login will work just fine.

So, where does Blue Marlin come in?  Well, this may be a little intimidating for some.  So we help you through it, show you the ropes, we are there the first few times you want to do this.  We help you understand what went well and where we need more work.  Once you got it, your business will be doing more, saving money and getting noticed.  Remember, this is from Google; so every time you Hangout you increase your search engine ranking.  Here's a link to my business blog with more information.  You can also give me a call at 636 208-4683.

Blue Marlin Computer Services Blog

Local gas has settled back down.

Gas at Casey's General Store is at $3.27 for Unleaded.

Well, it looks like gas price's have settled back down again.  I was doing my morning walk and saw this at Casey's.  Something tells me it's a good time to fill up before the weekend.