Hidden-Tech

Western Massachusetts is an arid environment to do business in.  The entire western third of the state of Massachusetts, from Worcester to the New York state line, is so rural that it has a population of only about 50 people per square mile.  In Western MA, there are several thousand service professionals, business consultants, marketing specialists, and others who work out of their homes serving clients both inside and outside of the state.  Many of these professionals are members of an organization that helps them to promote their business, and also helps to raise awareness of the number of other technical professionals like themselves working hidden in isolation.  The name of this organization is called Hidden-Tech, and I was a member when I ran my computer support business in Western Massachusetts.

One of the benefits of being a member of Hidden-Tech is that you are on an email list with other technical professionals.  If you have a business question, you can ask it to the list and it is likely that someone else has had to solve that same problem and will reply back with a solution.  One member of Hidden-Tech posted a question asking where they could find office space in the Town of Amherst.  I replied back suggesting that they look for space in a specific commercial building out of the center of Amherst, because parking in the Town center was difficult.  I also included a link to http://AmherstParkingTrap.com to strengthen my case.  As a result of that email, I was thrown out of Hidden-Tech and removed from the email list.  Being thrown out of Hidden-Tech as a result of voicing my opinions about Amherst only supports my opinion that Amherst is a nasty place to be.

Below find my email exchange with members of Hidden Tech:

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[Hidden-tech] Very nice gathering at GoNomad tonight

Phil phil at garrow.com
Fri Jun 25 11:09:22 EDT 2010

Hi Maria:

If you must do business in Amherst I recommend checking out the Creamery Building
on Fearing Street.

For any location you try to meet near the center parking is a disaster.

http://www.amherstparkingtrap.com/

Regards, Phil

-----Original Message-----
From: Maria Korolov (Trombly) [mailto:maria at tromblyinternational.com]
Sent: Friday, June 25, 2010 09:55 AM
To: 'Kiernan G-S'
Cc: hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
Subject: Re: [Hidden-tech] Very nice gathering at GoNomad tonight

I'd like to second that note. GoNomad was a great venue for the event --
perfect size, and great food and drinks. Thanks, Max!

It was great meeting everyone, too. 

A couple of folks mentioned co-working and office sharing -- does anyone know of
anything in the Amherst or Belchertown areas? I would really love a place
to go work alongside actual human beings -- or to bring my interns to.

Thanks again!

-- Maria

Maria Korolov (Trombly) 508-443-1130 | maria at trombly.com
Editor & publisher, Hypergrid Business (http://www.hypergridbusiness.com)
Entrepreneur. Founder, Hyperica (http://www.hyperica.com)

On Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 11:20 PM, Kiernan G-S <greenearthcomputer at gmail.com> wrote:
 ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
 ** If you did, we all thank you.

I also had a great time! Thank you to everyone for being so
welcoming to a new-comer.

I was pleased to get to talk to a lot of people even though I arrived
a bit late.

Thanks,
~Kiernan

Head Technician - Green Earth Computers
www.greenearthcomputers.us
Kiernan at gmail.com
413-282-TECH

Master of Time and Space - Worlds Apart Games
www.worldsapartgames.org

On Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 10:46 PM, Shel Horowitz <shel at frugalfun.com> wrote:
> ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
> ** If you did, we all thank you.
>
>
> And well-attended, too. Sorry I couldn't stay longer but was glad for
> the hour plus I could be there. Thanks, Max, for hosting.
> --
>
> _________________________________________________
> Shel Horowitz - 413-586-2388/ shel at frugalfun.com
> -->Join the Business Ethics Pledge - Ten Years to Change the World,
> One Signature at a Time (please tell your friends)
> <http://www.business-ethics-pledge.org>
> Marketing consulting * copywriting * publishing assistance * speaking
> How to market ethically/effectively: http://www.frugalmarketing.com
> Ethics Blog: http://www.principledprofit.com/good-business-blog/
> Books: http://www.frugalmarketing.com/shop.html
> _________________________________________________
> _______________________________________________
> Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net
> Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
>
> You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.
> If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members
> page on the Hidden Tech Web site.
> http://www.hidden-tech.net/members
>
_______________________________________________
Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net
Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net

You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.
If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members
page on the Hidden Tech Web site.
http://www.hidden-tech.net/members

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[Hidden-tech] Very nice gathering at GoNomad tonight

Chris Hoogendyk hoogendyk at bio.umass.edu
Fri Jun 25 13:31:53 EDT 2010

Phil wrote:
> Hi Maria:
>
> If you must do business in Amherst I recommend checking out the
> Creamery Building on Fearing Street.
>
> For any location you try to meet near the center parking is a disaster.
>
> http://www.amherstparkingtrap.com/
>
> Regards, Phil

Having lived in Amherst for 17 years (and in Easthampton before that), I
find that website to be a highly offensive diatribe that launches into
extremely negative opinions of every aspect of Amherst. While people may
have legitimate differences of opinion about how to run a town
(Northampton, Hadley, Amherst and Easthampton all being Highly different
from one another), I don't think it is appropriate to launch into
blanket complaints, accusations and opinions about everything related to
a particular town.

I enjoy living in Amherst. I'm comfortable negotiating parking when I
drive, although I travel on foot, by bike, or by bus more than 90% of
the time. Contrary to the statements on that web site, we have a
substantial number of local businesses. Just to mentions some, we have a
few good local book stores and a library, a few good local restaurants,
a good local office and school supplies store, a worker owned copy shop,
an excellent local bakery, ice cream shop, coffee shops, local clothing
stores, a dry cleaners, a local shoe repair shop, bicycle shop, flower
store, and more that are not chains. In fact, the chains are a very
distinct minority, and some that tried to move in have gone. I would
also note that the chains mentioned on that web page also exist in
Northampton. Amherst doesn't have as lively a downtown as Northampton,
nor does it have the parking facilities of Northampton necessitated by
that lively downtown. It also doesn't have the commercial sprawl of King
Street or route 9 through Hadley, although it abuts the Hadley sprawl.

There are quite a few restaurant/bar combos that cater to the UMass
student crowd, and I still mourn the closing of the Seasons Restaurant
out on the edge of town -- the owners decided they wanted to focus their
attention on their "more profitable" locations that catered to students.
But there are plenty of other restaurants and businesses. If you want to
avoid the likes of Starbucks, we have at least 5 other locations where
you can get specialty coffees and baked goods that are all local businesses.

-----------------

Chris Hoogendyk

   O__  ---- Systems Administrator
  c/ /'_ --- Biology & Geology Departments
 (*) \(*) -- 140 Morrill Science Center
~~~~~~~~~~ - University of Massachusetts, Amherst 

<hoogendyk at bio.umass.edu>

---------------

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[Hidden-tech] Very nice gathering at GoNomad tonight

Rich Roth webmaster at hidden-tech.net
Fri Jun 25 14:10:23 EDT 2010

It appears we have list member who insists on adding obnioxus comments
to many postings - first a rather obnoxious response to a request for help
from Dave Farka and now link with a rather extensive slam about Amherst,
added to a very reasonable comment.

In both cases, I missed reading the post deep enough or followed the
links to
determine this -- the need to do this is unacceptable. Myself and moderator
assistants already must scan all messages to prevent spam or marketing UCE
from around the world from reaching the list.

The list member in question is being given a serious warning and I
apologize to any
list members offended on behalf of the HT board.

This is a mutual help group -- it is no place for such flames or snide
remarks.  Please keep it civil -- if you have some nasty to say, email
directly or better, keep it to yourself.

Your list/webmaster
Rich

On 6/25/2010 1:31 PM, Chris Hoogendyk wrote:
> Phil wrote:
>
>> Hi Maria:
>>
>> If you must do business in Amherst I recommend checking out the
>> Creamery Building on Fearing Street.
>>
>> For any location you try to meet near the center parking is a disaster.
>>
>> http://www.amherstparkingtrap.com/
>>
>> Regards, Phil
>>
> Having lived in Amherst for 17 years (and in Easthampton before that), I
> find that website to be a highly offensive diatribe that launches into
> extremely negative opinions of every aspect of Amherst. While people may
> have legitimate differences of opinion about how to run a town
> (Northampton, Hadley, Amherst and Easthampton all being Highly different
> from one another), I don't think it is appropriate to launch into
> blanket complaints, accusations and opinions about everything related to
> a particular town.
>
> I enjoy living in Amherst. I'm comfortable negotiating parking when I
> drive, although I travel on foot, by bike, or by bus more than 90% of
> the time. Contrary to the statements on that web site, we have a
> substantial number of local businesses. Just to mentions some, we have a
> few good local book stores and a library, a few good local restaurants,
> a good local office and school supplies store, a worker owned copy shop,
> an excellent local bakery, ice cream shop, coffee shops, local clothing
> stores, a dry cleaners, a local shoe repair shop, bicycle shop, flower
> store, and more that are not chains. In fact, the chains are a very
> distinct minority, and some that tried to move in have gone. I would
> also note that the chains mentioned on that web page also exist in
> Northampton. Amherst doesn't have as lively a downtown as Northampton,
> nor does it have the parking facilities of Northampton necessitated by
> that lively downtown. It also doesn't have the commercial sprawl of King
> Street or route 9 through Hadley, although it abuts the Hadley sprawl.
>
> There are quite a few restaurant/bar combos that cater to the UMass
> student crowd, and I still mourn the closing of the Seasons Restaurant
> out on the edge of town -- the owners decided they wanted to focus their
> attention on their "more profitable" locations that catered to students.
> But there are plenty of other restaurants and businesses. If you want to
> avoid the likes of Starbucks, we have at least 5 other locations where
> you can get specialty coffees and baked goods that are all local businesses.
>

--
Rich Roth
Webmaster/Steering Committee Member
Hidden-tech http://www.hidden-tech.net
The Talent you need is right here,
Join and share your skills

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[Hidden-tech] No more discussion related to parking in Amherst please

Rich Roth webmaster at hidden-tech.net
Fri Jun 25 14:50:05 EDT 2010

--
Rich Roth
Webmaster/Steering Committee Member
Hidden-tech http://www.hidden-tech.net
The Talent you need is right here,
Join and share your skills

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