gigabo
http://gigabo.com a Lee County paid database engine

Gigabo seems like an interesting endevour.

There's a cute green mascot.

They charge $350 introductory rate for a year's worth of advertising with a year free beyond that. $350.00/year seems about typical for local advertising ventures. I don't know the success rate of such things - I've seen it with I Go City (don't have their advertising rates offhand) and with Naples Expo.com, and NAPLES-EXPO.COM which is a work in progress soon to be opened fully to the public.

Now Gigabo is tough to say just yet. There's really nothing to see there yet, but they promise wome wonderful databases of Lee County businesses and the indexed database of people's home addresses, perhaps also with the customer lists of each business that they list.

A very interesting endevour - certainly the modern day mailing-list management combined with business directory-for-all.

Will it work? I'm no expert on Lee County, but I'm also no expert at Collier County.

I hope they offer some freebies to the public and perhaps a basic link exchange program for those mom&pop businesses who are good but don't have the advertising dollars to afford supporting an unknown website with a 15 second early morning TV ad.

But I wish them the best of luck as I do I-gocity.com which is run by the good folks who used to run ourgoldengateestates (now defunct) and naples-expo.com.

Now if you want to be found on Google (which, to me, is the current best way to be found), just add a snippet to the bottom of your business page here on NeighborHelp Referrals' naplesplus website. I've been getting better and better at getting "findable" on Google, not just for my business referral business, and more importantly for my animal trapping business, but even moreso for the Collier County community of businesses at large.

For I believe it's important for the smaller businesses to be able to have a spot online, even if it's not fancy. Even without flash animation and snazzy graphics. All we would like is the occasional donation (see the $1 donation at the bottom of the page) - or an email at simplify3@aol.com or a posting here to say, "Great job, Ken".

This website is inexpensive enough to run that my current business endevours completely support it. and it costs NOTHING to get found on a search engine - just a bit of cleverness and lots of reading.

So if you want a business page on here, and you're not ALREADY on here, make a page. Heck, even if you are in Lee County or (gasp!) even Charlotte County or Hendry. I don't mind. If it brings more money into the area, helps create new jobs where there once was none, helps small businesses who have the same trouble that I do -- EXPOSURE - then I feel that I've done at least a small thing on this earth to help things along.

And to paid advertising local efforts -- kudos and bravo and a high-five. Make money! Give your customer a good product and make a profit. Everybody needs to eat and as anti-capitalist as I once was as a teenager, I now say that, with honest business practices (there *is* such a thing) and a mission, there is absolutely nothing wrong with posting a profit.

After all, a business that doesn't post a profit is a non-profit. Right?

Kenneth Udut
Webmaster: http://free.naplesplus.us Collier County News/Business Homepages/Videos Owner: NeighborHelp Referrals' Affordable Trapping (noises in your attic spooking you? You may have rats. Call us if you are in Collier or Lee Counties. We'll seal up your house tighter than the other guys do (and don't call a pest control company to deal with rats - poisoning rats is a VERY BAD IDEA (as they die in the walls)) - call an animal trapping company. In business since 2004. Call 239-465-9291 and ask for Ken. I can send my technician over there either same day or next and what's on the contract, is what you pay.