What'sUp 24/7 Blog

You will be amazed at how many people view your Business/Organization (and Destination*) Profile(s) on whatsup247.com. Our unique co-promotion feature means your profile is available to be displayed on limitless websites across your community and beyond. With all those extra eyeballs on your brand, avoid the pitfalls of incomplete or outdated listings. And understand and apply best practices that help you shine and position yourself for success. Simply having any sort of web presence for your business or organization is a start, but not enough. These days, you must create a quality digital experience for your patrons. And when you do that, you take a big step toward building trust and customer loyalty. How big of a step? Consider that in a 2019 cross-continental analysis  researchers concluded: "...website design quality played a more important role [than customer service] in affecting repurchase intention in the North and South American e-commerce industry." You read that ri...

By  Phillip Anderson ,  Life off the Highway  and  What’s Up 24/7 When you buy local more money stays in the community…it’s as simple as that. The choices you make — where you shop, where you eat and where you play; all of it affects your community and your quality of life. There are so many vital reasons to keep your money in your hometown: Make your Community Distinct: One-of-a-kind businesses are integral to the character of your place. Create More Local Ownership and Good Jobs: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally, and in your community, provide the most jobs to residents. Encourage start-ups! Encourage Local Prosperity: Entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that promote and support local businesses. Invest in Community: Local businesses are owned by your friends and neighbors who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future - just like y...

Life’s what you make it, not where you make it. I live in a small town where I grew up and I love living here. More than anything I want my kids to raise their grand-kids here. The challenge with rural community is that everyone thinks you gotta move away to enjoy life. I’ve never believed that, I can go anywhere from here.  John Dockey is the owner and founder of What’sUp 24/7. He has big dreams for small town America, and restoring this old milk truck is going to help them become a reality. John has served as a City Counselman, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, and Economic Development Director. As he puts it, "He gets rural, and he bleeds ideas." October will mark 35 years of marriage for him and his wife Lisa. He has 6 children, 9 grandchildren, and multiple businesses. I drove out to his house to meet him for an interview about the truck and see the progress he had made so far. John lives in the quaint town of Alexandria Indiana, population 5,128. ...

By  Phillip Anderson ,  Life off the Highway  and What’s Up 24/7 Why do we travel? Visiting family and friends, escape, learning, connecting or all of the above.  How far do you have to go to ‘travel?’ There is an actual definition for traveling — 50 miles one way for pleasure. For the more curious, there is the art of ‘wandering’ or Life Off The Highway as I call it. To me wandering is, Finding a place or space that changes your rhythm, moves your feet, clears your head, and touches your soul.   I teach Cultural Heritage Tourism in Indiana University’s Tourism, Event, and Sports Management Program. We spend a lot of time assessing the cultural assets that already exist in our communities and are worth promoting. Having a product doesn’t create an audience. The key question is “What are we seeking to accomplish by traveling?” There are all kinds of responses but the core answer is the same. We seek rich experiences of all shapes and sizes. For example, my fami...

By Phillip Anderson ,  lifeoffthehighway.com  and What’s Up 24/7  Do this exercise.  Look at a map and ask yourself: how far do you typically drive from home to work? From how far away do you hire service providers? What about shopping for groceries or other necessities? Where do you go for leisure? Do you commute to school, take care of parents, or cart kids around to their activities?  Now pick the farthest distance you regularly travel (in miles or minutes) and use that to draw a 360º circle from your house. Next, identify the valuable resources, opportunities, and activities that exist in your circle. Like me, you will be amazed at what’s available for living, learning, working, and playing. *** If there is one thing we are learning in this pandemic , it is that we crave human interaction . It is critical to our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. For many, the pace of life has slowed and we are catching our breath. Instead of jumping back in...

Hey everyone! If you knew us from the days of our Beta version you might have wondered what we’ve been up to. The short answer: retooling, collaborating, redesigning, dreaming bigger, reaching farther. ‘No pain, no gain’ isn’t just a catchy, overused slogan. As anyone who’s accomplished anything worthwhile knows, there’s an unfortunate amount of truth in those words. But here we are, making gains! And we are stoked about all the communities that are and will be gaining right along with us. Because for us that’s what it’s all about; seeing your hometowns--and our hometowns--position themselves for growth. Shining with pride and creating a place where our kids want to stay and raise their own. 2019 was big for us! We really got our footing and hit the ground running. Early in the year we rolled out our new MVP (minimum viable produce) and partnered with some visionary communities across Indiana. Communities that were ready to lead by connecting and promoting their entire region on a w...

At What’sUp 24/7, the goal for our community partners is two fold. First, we want optimum connectivity internally, and to other communities in your region (because together we are stronger amiright?!). And second, we want to increase awareness. We want eyeballs on the unique quality of life and quality of place you offer. Our community promotion platform does exactly those things. But we are taking it a step further by personally advertising some of our early adopting partners, and having some fun with you along the way! Coming soon to a town near you* are the What’sUp 24/7 Travel Writers  (your Personal Hype Squad) . Their job is to visit select What’sUp 24/7 Communities, experience all their ‘best kept secrets,’ and share them with the world through blogging and social media! If we’ve got your attention and you want in on this opportunity, here’s how it works: STEP ONE: You host our Travel Writers (your Hype Squad!): This looks different for every communit...