Howard Carson of BucksNet

This month BucksNet celebrates five years of bringing infor­mation about Bucks County to the World Wide Web. Launched in 1997, this family of websites has grown to include a wealth of information about the com­munities, businesses and people that make up our county. With over 30,000 visitors monthly, BucksNet brings together local residents, busi­nesses and organi­zations, as well as providing a source for visitors from all over to find out more about the variety of attractions our area has to offer.

Founded by Howard Carson, formerly a manager at Lockheed Martin Spacecraft Operations, Princeton, the company publishes the Bucks County Events Calendar, Bucks County Business Directory, and Bucks County Community Forum, as well as BucksCountyNews.net.

The idea for the Events Calendar came when Carson, having left Lockheed Martin at the end of 1996, started a website design business based in Langhorne. Searching the web for local events, he found that there were no sites available to provide information about the musical, theatrical, recreational and educational activities he was seeking. The Bucks County Events Calendar was born when he gathered information from area organi­zations and formatted it into a chrono­logical sequence of linked events, with details about all the local activities he could discover.

Today, BucksNet is the developer and host for many of the area's business, and its Bucks County Business Directory is a source of links to hundreds of Bucks County websites. In January of this year the firm moved into its new, state-of-the-art quarters in Newtown town­ship. While the company thrives on its commercial activities, it also provides web services for many area non-profit agencies, including the United Way of Bucks County, Lower Bucks Family YMCA, Libertae, Good Friends, the Children's Cultural Center and the Community Conservatory of Music. Recently, Carson was asked to become webmaster for the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce (LBCCC).

The company is marking its anniversary by sponsoring a Business Card Exchange at Northampton Country Club on October 30. The Card Exchange is held monthly by the LBCCC and sponsored by a different area business each month, providing an oppor­tunity for local business people to meet and get to know one another. Carson is also a frequent speaker at area organizations, and invites any group seeking a speaker to contact him at hcarson@bucksnet.com.