Notes from Admin

by JHY

Some of you may have noticed that there haven't been any postings here for a while. Once again, I 'm scrambling to try to make enough money to get by. I had great hopes for the Get Off The Couch website, as an income producer, but it hasn't really worked out that way. I was thinking that local places which cater to outdoor recreation would be eager to advertise on a targeted website. The reality is that most local businesses don't see much value in internet advertising. So...

I added Google AdSense ads to the site, and have had some small success with that. Of course, those ads pay nothing unless someone clicks on one.

That's doesn't mean I've given up, but I can't spend hours every week on something that pays a couple of bucks. I wish I were independently wealthy, but who doesn't?!

If you own a business in West Michigan that is related to quiet outdoor recreation (food, lodging, services, etc.) I'd be glad to speak with you about the extremely reasonable rates for targeted advertising. If you are a non-profit with similar interests you can have your logo and link displayed at an even lower rate. For more information, contact me: Joan H. Young

Anyway... I've recently become a weekly columnist at Mason County Press. The name of the feature is "Get Off the Couch - Explore Michigan." Each Thursday I'll share some current information about a place I've recently visited. There is a good chance that venue will generate some income in the near future. It's also good motivation for me to pick up the threads of Get Off The Couch, and get things up to date. I really want to add even more- there are plenty of places not yet on the site.

Other changes include plans to move the web site to a different server. That should be seamless, meaning that no one would even know I've done it, but it takes quite a lot of work on my part. However, the change will save a lot of money, so I need to do it.

You should begin to see more regular postings on this blog. Thanks for your patience!



Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch

Note from Admin- Entrecard

I have had to re-apply to Entrecard, as they deleted my blog when Blogger accidentally flagged it as spam. If you had pending ads here, they are all gone, and I have a new EC account number. My apologies for any inconvenience, I hope your credits were given back and that you won't hesitate to advertise here again.
These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch

No New CMF Network Ads

I PREVIOUSLY WROTE: I will not be accepting any new network ads on CMF. After my calculations from yesterday at Just Throw Money, I have decided that it is just plain unfair to those who have paid a full 10 cents a month to advertise here. Instead of their ads being shared among 3-6 others, they are now shared among 12 others, giving them much less exposure time.

I have already accepted the initial wave of ads, but I won't be accepting any more.

UPDATE 2/3/10: The CMF staff have addressed this concern by limiting network ads to 30% of the views on any blog. Given this response, I will now accept any network ads that I feel are appropriate.

CMF Ads

Gone Hiking

if you like this article, click the Blip chiclet!
by JHY

I'm headed for the Trail Junction Festival in Ohio, and then on to hike my last 104 miles of NCT in Ohio. See you in a few days.

See Trail Junction Festival
These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch

Outdoor Blips - News Feed For Outdoor Lovers

You may have noticed the chiclet that now appears on the posts near the top. This is for the news feed site, Outdoor Blips.

Very few social networks include categories for outdoor activities. This can be extremely frustrating to those of us who live and breathe enjoyment of such activities. The newest one I've found is Outdoor Blips. There are categories for Hiking & Camping, Hunting & Fishing, Water Adventure, Climbing and Other.

Anyone can submit an outdoor story to the news feed by going to the site. And, more to the point here, if you like any story on this blog, just click the chiclet, and you have voted to move the story higher in the news feed.

And if you go to Outdoor Blips, you can find great collections of news on those topics.

These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch

Gone Hiking

Gone Hiking! Back in a few days!

See My Quality Day
These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch

Gone Hiking!

The owner of this blog has gone hiking, and won't return till near the end of May. To follow the hike, in the Arrowhead of Minnesota, on the North Country Trail, go to My Quality Day.

Thanks to all my readers. See you in a few weeks!
These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch

No News Til Friday

My apologies, but I can't access the internet from my own computer till Friday, so there will be no new postings until then. Thanks for visiting.

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch

Jobs That Get You Off The Couch

From time to time I receive emails with job posting information. I have decided to add a section in the sidebar to include these opportunities. Some, perhaps many, of them will not be in Michigan, but they may be of interest. A number of them are seasonal.

Hopefully someone will find this helpful.

The first two postings are for summer staff for Camp Laurel youth camp in Maine, and summer staff for the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, Michigan. Click the link in the sidebar for more information.

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch

WE WON $1000 for the NCTA

WE WON! see http://smallaa.com/contest/ THANKS TO ALL

If everyone acts quickly we could win $1000 for the NCTA!

Go to http://www.smallaa.com/post/1885
Register on the site (they will not send you lots of junk emails)
Log in and go back to http://www.smallaa.com/post/1885
Click on the top right star above the picture of the sad, burned Kekekabic Trail

All votes must be cast by midnight (EST) Tuesday, December 9. Last week's winner had 334 votes, so tell your friends. We'll have to enlist a bunch of trail supporters to make it happen.

(I won't lie, the win would also provide me some money which would allow me to continue to do things like provide this blog and the NCT News blog, but I promise to donate $1000 to NCTA, and $1000 to World Vision)

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Get Off The Couch

Note from Admin

The quick reactions checkboxes have been removed because entries don't seem to "stick." I have applied the fix supplied by various bloggers who have also reported this difficulty, and they still don't work. Rather than have it look as if no one ever uses them, I have removed the option.

Note From Admin

As of December 7, 2007, all Get Off The Couch News will be hosted here.

News posted previous to August 2007 can be accessed from the News Archive for now. Eventually, all the news will be moved here.

The change is being made in order to make it possible for people to comment on news articles and also to allow for Google Adsense advertising to be placed on this page.

Several news items will be posted that are a bit dated at this point. Due to various circumstances the whole Get Off The Couch project was put on hold for about four months, but hopefully it will soon be better than ever! Make this your source for news pertaining to quiet, muscle-powered recreation in West Michigan. Come back soon.

This page is in direct association with Get Off The Couch with information, maps, and locations of recreation opportunities.

by Joan H. Young

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news