Items tagged with 'aoa'
Thanks!
The past week has been unbelievably good to AOA. First the birthday party, which was a great time -- and now this: a top-three ranking in multiple categories of the Metroland readers' poll.
AOA was voted best local web site (community) and best local web site (arts).
We were also voted second for best local web site (news) and best local blog (congrats, Matt!). And AOA finished at #3 for best local web site (music).
We're especially proud of the best local web site (community) honor. The most fulfilling part of working on AOA has been the chance to meet so many interesting/smart/insightful/kind/funny people. Your support and encouragement keeps us going on the tough days -- and on the good days, it pushes us to do more.
Thank you so much.
AOA Birthday 2 photos
Midtown was packed for the party.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Midtown Tap and Tea Room last Thursday for the AOA birthday party. It was a really fun time! It was great to see so many people again -- and meet a bunch of others for the first time.
There are a whole lot of photos from the party after the jump. Also, here are recaps by Albany Jane and The Exile. And you can read most of the party tweets by searching for the hashtag #AOA2.
Birthday present: Complexions Spa
We'd like to makeover the AOA offices to look more like this.
Well, the party is over, but there are still more presents to be had. We've got one prize left in the AOA birthday bag. The winners of today's drawing will get $100 gift certificates for Complexions Spa and Salon or their new barber shop and hair salon. There will be 3 winners.
So here's today's question:
What -- and how -- would you makeover in the Capital Region?
We're looking for constructive ideas about how to make over something that already exists here. Think broadly -- it could be a street, a neighborhood, a building, an event, an attitude, anything.
Important: All comments must be submitted by 10 pm Friday (Feb 26, 2010) to be entered in the drawing. One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address with your comment. The winners will be notified via email by 5 pm on Monday and must respond by 5 pm on Tuesday.
Happy birthday to us
Sprinkles!
Update: Recaps from Albany Jane and The Exile.
Update: You can read a lot of the tweets from the party by searching for the hash tag #AOA2.
We're kicking off a little early this afternoon for the birthday party.
There are cupcakes to be eaten.
Birthday present: New World Bistro Bar
New World was, well, new to Albany last year.
AOA's birthweek celebration continues today with -- what else -- more presents.
The winners of today's drawing get: a $100 gift certificate to New World Bistro Bar in Albany. There will be three winners.
This one got us thinking. New World. New. New stuff. New stuff in the Capital Region! So today's question is:
What new thing would you like to see in the Capital Region?
From subways to taco trucks -- it's all fair game! Post your answer in the comments section. We'll draw the winner at random.
Important: All comments must be submitted by 10 pm Thursday (Feb 25, 2010) to be entered in the drawing. One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address with your comment. The winners will be notified via email by 5 pm on Friday and must respond by 5 pm on Monday.
Birthday present: Bilinski's
All natural chicken sausage -- made in Cohoes.
Update: The drawing's closed! Thanks for entering.
It's day three of the AOA's "birthweek" celebration and we're giving away more presents.
Today's prize: a basket of products from Bilinski's in Cohoes.. Here's what's in the basket:
Bilinski's All Natural Spinach & Garlic Chicken Sausage - 2 packages
Bilinski's All Natural Mild Italian Chicken Sausage - 2 packages
Bilinski's All Natural Sundried Tomato & Basil Chicken Sausage - 1 package
Bilinski's All Natural Apple Chardonnay Chicken Sausage - 1 package
Bilinski's All Natural Blueberry Maple Chicken Littles - 2 packages
Bilinski's NEW Chicken Meatloaf - family sized - 1 package
Bilinski's NEW Chicken Chicken Chili - family sized - 1 package
That's like an entire month's worth of dinners. Maybe two.
OK, so remember the old adage about laws and sausages? You know, two things you
don't want to know how they're made? Well, a while back AOA toured the Bilinski's factory in Cohoes -- and we got the impression that if New York did made laws like sausage, we might actually be in better shape today.
So in keeping with that theme, here's today's question:
If you could make one new law for the Capital Region, what would it be?
It could be for your town, it could be for the whole area. Post your answer in the comments. We'll draw the winner at random.
Important: All comments must be submitted by 10 pm Wednesday (Feb 24, 2010) to be entered in the drawing. One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address with your comment. The winners will be notified via email by 5 pm on Thursday and must respond by 5 pm on Friday.
Birthday present: Bettie's Cakes
Mobile double-decker cake stand not included.
Update: Congratulations to Jackers and Cathy -- they're the winners!
Update: The drawing's closed! Thanks for entering.
AOA's birthday week continues with another present: cupcakes for a year.
The winners of today's drawing will get a dozen mini cupcakes a month, for a year, from Bettie's Cakes in Saratoga Springs.
This being quite the sweet treat, we though it would be appropriate to ask:
What's the sweetest thing in the Capital Region?
Think widely on this one -- it could be a place, a fact, an event, even a person (please use discretion in naming people). Post your answer in the comments. We'll draw two winners at random.
Important: All comments must be submitted by 10 pm Tuesday (Feb 23, 2010) to be entered in the drawing. One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address with your comment. The winners will be notified via email by 5 pm on Wednesday and must respond by 5 pm on Thursday.
AOA office memo
Otto hard at work. As usual.
MEMO
To: all AOA editors, contributors, participants
Re: office dog
Two years ago today Otto started his job as AOA's office dog. Please join us in warmly congratulating him on the anniversary.
During the past two years Otto has grown (literally and figuratively) into the position. His originally modest job description now includes:
greeting visitors
twittering
US Postal Service liaison
summer replacement
document shredding
product testing
lunch monitor
holiday model
In addition, he's also enthusiastically served as AOA's goodwill ambassador.
Here's to many more years.
Birthday present: Uncommon Grounds
Stimulating.
Update: Heather's the winner!
Update: The drawing's closed! Thanks for entering!
AOA's birthday party is coming up this Thursday -- but we though it would be more fun to celebrate our birthday all week. And what's a birthday without presents?
So all this week we're giving away birthday presents via a different drawing each day. Today's present is a gift basket from AOA's favorite satellite office -- Uncommon Grounds:
3lbs coffee
2 1/4lbs tea
UG mug
UG t-shirt (winner specifies size, style, color)
1/2 lb of dark chocolate covered espresso beans
UG being a purveyor of fine caffeinated products, we thought it would be fun to ask the question:
What's the most stimulating thing about the Capital Region?
Post your answer in the comments. We'll draw the winner at the random.
Important: All comments must be submitted by 10 pm Monday (Feb 22, 2010) to be entered in the drawing. One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address with your comment. The winners will be notified via email by 5 pm on Tuesday and must respond by 5 pm on Wednesday.
Party prep
We're less than a week away from the AOA birthday party. And we're excited. We hope you are, too.
The list for the party is jammed -- and there are people who would still like to come. So if something's come up and you won't be able to make it, please let us know so we can release your spot.
Also: we've decided to celebrate AOA's second birthday all next week. Fun things ahead...
AOA Birthday Party 2
These guys made an appearance at last year's party -- they were quite popular.
It's All Over Albany's second birthday! And we're of the mind to party.
So join us at the Midtown Tap and Tea Room on February 25 from 5:30 to 8:30 for some tasty free snacks, a bunch of fun people and... cupcakes!
Because space is limited, we do ask that you RSVP (that part is important -- almost as important as the cupcakes).
See you there!
Look, it's the editors... you know... editing
It was gray sweater day at AOA last Friday.
We can confirm that the rumors of AOA's upcoming second birthday are true. February's the month -- details soon to follow.
And if you've been intending to follow us on Twitter or fan us (OK, that doesn't sound right) on Facebook -- now might be a good time. You never know...
Jessica Pasko Appreciation Day
The one and only.
Today is Jessica Pasko Appreciation Day on AOA.
Jessica is a big part of AOA's success. She's always finding interesting stuff to post about, whether it's a person with an odd talent or a little-known ethnic market or an unusual museum.
She's also always willing to help out, picking up a pizza for the TOP or sending along an event for Stuff To Do This Weekend.
And did we mention she's a fun, cool person?
Jess, you're the best. Thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving
Another thing we're thankful for: ridges from the can.
AOA has a lot to be thankful for this year -- most of all the many interesting, smart, funny people who contributed, commented, sent along ideas or supported us.
Thank you. We appreciate it.
AOA cookout photos
Relaxing in the park.
It was great to see so many people at the AOA cookout in Washington Park a week and a half ago. We had a lot of fun!
Thanks to Bilinski's and Crisan for providing the delicious food.
A few pictures from the cookout are after the jump. A whole bunch are at AOA's Facebook page.
Cookout with AOA in Washington Park
Update: The list is full! We're working on opening up more space. We've expanded the list! And it's full again!
Undaunted by this summer's weather, AOA is having a cookout in Washington Park on August 13. Among the many reasons you should add this evening of fun and free food (yes, free) to your social calendar:
The sausage
The folks from Bilinski's will be there cooking up some special all-natural chicken sausages -- so special, they're not available in stores, yet. Bilinski's is looking to get some feedback on the new products. So here's a chance to actually influence what shows up in supermarkets.
The gelato
You can follow up that sausage with some gelato from Crisan. Yep. Free gelato.
The people
As we've found out from the other get-togethers, people in the AOA crowd are interesting, smart and a lot of fun. We'd love to see you there.
The cookout starts at 5:30 pm. We'll be in the grassy area just west of the monument in Washington Park. All you need to bring is yourself and maybe a blanket or something to sit on. We'll be providing drinks, plates, napkins and all that kind of stuff.
In order to make sure we'll have enough food, we do ask that you RSVP. The list only has 50 spots on it. If you're interested, it's best to sign up early.
Thank you
It was a really great surprise to find out today that AOA had placed in not one, but two, categories of the TU's Best of 2009 poll.
We were #2 on the list of best web sites (behind the TU) and #3 on the list of best bloggers (behind Steve and Kristi -- company in which we're delighted to be).
Thank you to everyone who voted for us. We really appreciate it.
And if this is your first time at AOA -- welcome!
AOA Midtown party photos
At Midtown.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the AOA's Midtown party last Thursday. It was good to meet so many new people for the first time -- and great to see so many again.
Thanks also to the Midtown Tap and Tea Room for making us some really tasty snacks.
A handful of photos are after the jump.
AOA Midtown party update
First, thanks to everyone who's said "Yep, I'll be there" for this Thursday's party at the Midtown Tap and Tea Room -- the 75 spots filled up over the weekend. We're excited to meet a bunch of people in person for the first time. If you're signed up and won't be able to make it, please update your status (or send us an email) so other people can take your spot.
Second, the food. The list of hors d'oeuvres is after the jump. They look like some tasty snacks.
Have a drink with AOA
It's at the corner of New Scotland and Ontario in Albany.
After the AOA birthday party in March, we heard from a bunch of people: "Again!"
So, we're holding a meetup/get-together/soiree May 28 at the Midtown Tap and Tea Room in Albany (map). We'll have the whole front room to ourselves from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Stop by, have a drink, say hi. Snacks are on AOA.
To make sure we'll have enough space, we do ask that you RSVP.
We're looking forward to seeing you!
Self promotion of the shameless sort
Which of the following statements is true?
a) The Editors would like to think they're above asking people to vote for AOA in the TU's Best of the Capital Region survey.
b) The Editors are wrong.
c) AOA's #2 spot in last year's poll (behind, well, the TU) introduced the site to a bunch of new people.
d) All of the above.
We're going to have go with "d" -- so, if you have a second, we'd appreciate it if you voted for us in the "Best Local Web Site" category of the survey (it's on the fourth page). Today's the last day to vote.
Thanks!
Advertising on AOA
So, as we've mentioned, AOA has been around for a year now. And we'd really like stick around for awhile longer. But to do that, we gotta make some money to pay for all these pixels. And bagels. And food for the office dog.
You've probably noticed that AOA has started running ads from local businesses. It's a good start, but we need to keep building the pool of advertisers. And that's where we're hoping that you might be able to help us move things along:
+ If you own a business in the Capital Region, we'd love to talk with
you about advertising on AOA.
+ If you know someone who owns a local business, it'd be great if you could mention AOA to them.
+ If you know of a business or org that you think would be a good fit
for advertising on AOA, send us an email.
+ If you see an advertiser on AOA, check them out when you get a chance. We're trying to line up advertisers that offer products and services that you'd be interested in.
(Perhaps you've noticed a theme here.)
We've priced AOA ads so they're affordable for all types of businesses. Here's more about how it works and what it costs. Got an idea for something different? Great -- we'd love to talk about that, too.
If you're interested in advertising, email us: advertising |at| alloveralbany |dot| com
And thanks for all of your support in the past year!
What should come next for AOA?
OK, group meeting time. AOA is now a little more than a year old. And the crowd has grown significantly (especially over the last few months). That has us thinking about the future.
We have a lot of ideas for AOA. And you probably have some good ideas that we haven't even thought about. But we only have the resources to pursue a few new features in the near future. So we're asking: what should come next?
A few of our ideas are after jump. We'd very much like to hear your constructive feedback.
The AOA birthday party
Upstairs at the Pump Station. The actual party was in color.
AOA celebrated its first birthday (a little late) Wednesday night at the Albany Pump Station. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to have a cupcake and talk!
A bunch of pictures are after the jump (so many that the page will probably load slowly).
AOA's first year was better than we could have expected. We're really excited about what's to come in year number two.
More pictures are posted on AOA's Facebook page.
Thank you
You like us, you really like us.
We got a very pleasant surprise today: AOA was voted best local blog by the readers of Metroland. Apparently we came out ahead of Steve Barnes' indispensable Table Hopping blog by just one vote -- it's company we're happy to be in. Thank you to everyone who voted for us!
AOA just passed its one year anniversary. And it's been a great year -- in large part because of the crowd of really interesting people that's formed around the site. We've really appreciated the opportunity to get to know so many of you.
New to AOA? We hope you'll like what you find. One of the best ways to get a feel for what goes on here is to skim through our "Last Seven Days" page. Beyond that, here are a few recent posts that you might find interesting:
O big name bands, where art thou?
Eat this: macaroni and cheese at Hattie's
Meet your new neighbors, the fishers
Chewing the cud with Paul Tonko
... said Jackers about David Paterson finishing out his term