Back in 2006 as local search was starting to heat up we decided a local directory site for the Lancaster County  area would be a nice addition to our portfolio of websites. We certainly weren’t the first with this idea and we were far from the last as I’ve seen new directories appear annually including in 2013. The website has been a mild success and has more than paid for it’s creation costs a few times over. With the ever expanding reach of Google into local markets and the fact that this site was never intended to be a primary focus for our future… the website has grown little in the years since launch. We have a few regular advertisers and generate additional revenue using Google Adsense.

Every so often we’ll get an inquiry from someone looking for more information about our great county, today we received one I could have never anticipated, it read like this “We are interested in coming to Lancaster Co for a vacation as we have been there in the past but after seeing this show called Amish Mafia we are fearful.  We are not sure what if we do something wrong while driving out in the country and it doesn’t sit right with the Mafia.  This show is not the best for your community and tourism.  Please tell me this is not how it really is and this is all for TV and these people do not really live there.”

As entertaining as the show is for some, there is clearly a downside for our counties tourism industry. Considering tourism is a large part of the county, I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject.  Are Lebanon Levi and crew helping or hurting our county?