Author Archives: Alex Spena

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About Alex Spena

Alex Spena is a senior at Minnesota State University Moorhead majoring in mass communications with an emphasis in print journalism. He graduated from Rockhurst Academy in Kansas City, Missouri in 2002 and played football at Kansas State University where he completed his first two years of higher learning. He knows how to sew only because he grew up with six older sisters.

Marketing on pinterest

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Story by Alex Spena

Marketing on pinterest for small business owners

Packed with small businesses across the downtown area, some Fargo-Moorhead organizations can appreciate a good marketing plan.

Advertising-made-easy can really help an organization thrive, especially on a small market scheme, and a social media website taking the world by storm, Pinterest, can make a difference.  Pinterest is a pinboard-styled social media sight aimed at connecting people to what they may find interesting.  I discovered a world of photo sharing thinking that this can also double as a great marketing strategy for small business owners.

“I love the idea of using Pinterest to attract people to our little corner of Broadway.  It really is a great way to gain a loyal following through the use of social media sights,” said Tracy Walvatne owner of Josie’s Corner Café and Bake Shop.

Pinterest makes significant changes

Privacy laws surrounding the posting of pictures online have been circling the world of Pinterest for some time.  Pinterest has made two significant changes to its website.  They changed their personal profile page layout and they updated their terms of service.  The language in the original terms of service worried people of posting photographs online taking full responsibility and discretion for posting.  While many are not too happy about the changes made to the site, small business owners are really starting to embrace these changes.

“I think by changing the terms of service, Pinterest really wanted to drive in the idea that social media markets can be helpful to even the simplest entrepreneur,” said Sabrina Maalstrom, a junior at MSUM majoring in Psychology.

Gaining public interest through social media

As in all business, small business owners are just trying to make a living.  And sometimes access to a major advertising and marketing outlet is not always easy to come by.

“Pinterest really is a good way for small businesses to really get themselves out there.  It’s a relatively easy and very inexpensive way to put yourself out there for the public eye and hopefully attract a number of people to your business,” said Eleanor English, president of White Banner Uniform Shop.

Can Pinterest really be used as a beacon of marketing and advertising?  Many small business owners across the country are embracing the site. 

 

Fargo offers available transportation

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Story and photos by Alex Spena

Gettin’ around downtown

 

Fargo offers service with a smile

Getting around in the downtown Fargo-Moorhead metropolis is as easy as making a simple phone call.  The area offers a plethora of metro taxi and alternative vehicle services to those stuck without a ride or to visitors new in the area and even to the late night party people that wish to keep their records clean and avoid the clink.  While each taxi service has exhibited different statutes in their business models, they all serve one deed; catering to the need and service of the Fargo-Moorhead community in a convenient manner.

Taxis are a round the clock service

The Fargo-Moorhead taxi services are used around the clock with all of them offering 24 hour services.  Many of them offer multiple services. Doyle’s Yellow Checker Cab Incorporation and Crown Cab Company both call themselves leaders in public transportation.  They both provide services such as package delivery, corporate accounts, airport shuttle service and the convenience of accepting major credit cards.  Lucky 7 Taxi/Limousine Service, Inc. has provided Fargo-Moorhead with professional service since 1992. Alternative Ride FM and Sober Guys offer the late night partiers a unique approach to pickup service.  They offer to bring you and your vehicle home safely to curb the number of DUIs.  They both offer group rates and volume discounts.

Reviewing the best plan for a call to action

I wandered around the MSUM campus the other day gathering information on how the other Dragons viewed certain transportation services.  James Drysdalle a junior at MSUM said, “I’ve always used Doyle’s Cab, they seem to be always on time and we used to get student discounts by showing them our MSUM ID.  I know that the discounts have been discontinued through MSUM but I still call them first.”  John Merrick a senior at MSUM praised Alternative Ride FM and Sober Guy’s stating, “Both companies are awesome.  They’ll take you home and bring your vehicle back so you can use it in the morning.”

Making a reader friendly list for services available

The different companies that are serving the downtown Fargo-Moorhead area are listed below with their phone numbers.

Doyle’s Yellow Checker Cab Inc.       (701) 235-5535

Lucky 7 Taxi                                        (701) 235-1717

Alternative Ride FM                          (218) 233-2300

Crown Cab                                         (701) 630-1201

Sober Guy                                          (701) 365-0505

Downtown houses energetic music scene

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By: Alex Spena

Finding the music in the downtown area

Music plays an important role in many college students’ lives.

To many Dragons, live music is a hop and a jump from the MSUM campus and can be more than a source of entertainment.  Live music can be a source of escapement from daily grinds and can also prove beneficial in bringing people and social aspects together.  In many college towns across the nation it is not hard to stumble across the live music scene especially one like Fargo, where you can find it any night of the week.  Downtown Fargo offers three different venues that bring together all styles of music while commanding an eclectic mix of shows to the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Choosing the venues that suit you

Downtown Fargo offers a modest variety of venues that are available for live performances.  The Nestor Tavern http://www.thenestortavern.fourfour.com/   claims to be Fargo’s original music home.  “The Nestor has become a home for bands and artists who want to get their songs heard,” says Dann Kastner, a local performing artist who plays with his band Dann K and Black Casket http://www.facebook.com/dannkandblackcasket.

Fargo also has Dempsey’s Public House, which hosts a number of blues bands and is usually equipped with its very own house band in Poitin-The band from County Fargo. http://www.poitin.org/. Above Dempsey’s is a lofty venue known as The Aquarium.  Opening its doors in 2006, The Aquarium plays host primarily to touring, independent and original artists, many of which have already made a name for themselves.  The Aquarium has quietly become the mainstay venue for many acts travelling through Fargo.

The bands that have performed

 According to the Aquarium’s website, http://www.myspace.com/theaquariumfargo the list of bands that have shaken the rafters is pretty interesting.  The Aquarium has been a popular choice among many major bands such as, The Dirtbombs, The Detroit Cobras, The Heartless Bastards, The Soledad Brothers, Captured by Robots, William Elliott Whitmore, and Hawthorne Heights.  After a recent performance by Roster McCabe and Too Many Banjos, I was able to speak to members Jeff Peterson and Alex Steele on their preference of venue in our downtown area.

What the performers have to say

“We’ve traveled through this place a few times now and we’ve played the town.  The Aquarium here is just more accommodating, I think, to the bands that are travelling through the area,” says Peterson.  “As a community, you want to support a place like this.  A good home for acts is hard to find,” Steele says.  I don’t think it is going to remain quiet for very long.  The Aquarium is rapidly gaining popularity as a major venue.

Checking out the playlists

I have added a couple of playlists together through the use of Last.fm to show the different bands and performers that have journeyed through the area and made stops at the Nestor Tavern and the Aquarium.  Feel free to hit up the playlists and enjoy the sounds of downtown Fargo.

The Nestor Tavern playlist,
http://www.last.fm/user/Fargobilly1/library/playlists/665p0_nestor_tavern_playlist

The Aquarium playlist, http://www.last.fm/user/Fargobilly1/library/playlists/65se1_aquarium_playlist

Eatin’ it downtown

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Alex Spena

Writing for the web

Eatin it downtown

Time to cure the hunger pangs
For any craving or any occasion there is a restaurant in downtown Fargo.  When one thinks of doing it downtown in the Fargo-Moorhead area, a decent meal usually rumbles around the old noggin.  With three colleges making their home in the metropolis that is Fargo-Moorhead, there are bound to be some hungry students.  This MSUM student has taken on the task of crossing that hunger bridge to profile some of Fargo’s delectable downtown eateries.

 

Time to explore the area’s cuisine

The downtown Fargo area is pleasantly seasoned with eating joints that will blow your taste buds away.  There are a plethora of restaurants in downtown Fargo, many within walking distance from each other.  From simple and quint, to hearty, haute cuisine, Fargo-Moorhead is literally and figuratively a smorgasbord of dining selections.

“If you have a particular cuisine in mind, or just searching for a place close to home, you will find what you’re craving, I guarantee it” says John Olson an employee of the great American burger joint that is JL Beers.

Time to take on the task

As a true, American food lover, I wanted to find the places that the people of Fargo love.  I came across a senior at NDSU named Joe Veit.

“Everything, I mean you have anything and everything you could possibly crave in this area at your fingertips” he said.

Hey, I was pleasantly surprised to find all my cravings successfully treated.  Any food for any mood! You feel like stuffing your face?  Hop into King House Buffet where you can go back 17 times and not break the bank.  Craving Italian New York style pizza?  Stumble on in to Spicy Pie  or Rhombus Guy’s where they do pizza like you’ve never seen before.  Looking for that homegrown hamburger?  Look no further than JL Beers.  And for those sushi lovers out there downtown Fargo offers two convenient restaurants located right next to each other in Wasabi and Drunken Noodle.

Whatever the mood, downtown Fargo has the food.

King House Buffet

Time to stamp on my guarnatee

After all the fun I had running around, researching the wonderful dining experiences in the downtown area I realized that the downtown Fargo area has a lot to offer especially for the working-poor college students.  With styles ranging from home cooking to barbeque, steaks to all-you-can-eat buffets, even Mexican, Italian and Asian cravings will all be treated and satisfied.  We’re Fargo.  I happen to know that the people are friendly and the food is delicious.  And that’s something I’ll stamp my guarantee on any day.

Drunken Noodle and Wasabi