Interchangeable?

This page about Lance's Ladies gave me a chuckle today. Thanks to June for the link!

I don't like the new Blogger very much so far. I just recently switched, because they forced me to. Doing a link now means going to the help page every time, since I haven't memorized it yet and my old posts no longer show the HTML characters for me to copy. Why did they make it so you can't see the HTML when you go to edit a post? Argggh. I know I don't really know how to do this yet, I'm a total newbie, but why not keep it easy for people? I don't have an icon on my post page for links, but apparently some people do, judging by the Help page. All I have is spell check and an icon for photos. Is it because I am using Safari? I used to just be able to go to an old post and copy and paste the characters needed to do a link.

I really wish I were going to the NMBS #1 in Arizona next weekend. A few days in the desert would be perfect right now!

I had a great time catching up with people I hadn't seen since Sheboygan at the first Parkside race a couple of weeks ago. It was a beautiful day in the sun. I went to watch a friend do her first crit, though ironically she got there late and missed the race. Since I was already there, I stayed most of the day and saw lots of familiar faces. I didn't make it last weekend, I had too much other stuff to do, and it was cold anyway. If it's nice on Sunday, I'll be headed back.

The Mud Index!

A friend emailed me a must-click link today! Anyone who has ridden in a muddy cross race or a muddy mountain bike race has got to see "The many names of MUD" !

Otherwise, lots to say but no time to say it in! Hopefully a longer post is on it's way!

Fairness

I went to a fundraiser for the Floyd Fairness Fund tonight. I got there kinda late, just before they had the auction for a Cannondale System 6 (I think that's the model name) bike generously donated by Lou of the Pony Shop. They had a silent auction with items donated by, I think, Chris M. of Turin, Brendan of Albertos, and other shops, and were also selling some autographed posters. One poster was a portrait of Floyd. It had a dark background, and part of his face was in the shadows. It was very striking. I would have bought one of those had I seen them before I got to the raffle. I got the last raffle ticket, so I didn't have a chance to walk around and see what else I might have chosen. I had to make a quick decision about the ticket. My raffle luck was not with me today, unfortunately. I didn't win anything at the WORS banquet raffle in October, either, and almost everyone else there did. Hopefully that means I'm saving my luck for something really, really special in the future!

Floyd looked super-professional in a dark suit for the occasion. When I pulled out the camera, he said that it isn't often that he wears a suit. So I figured I had to share this rare sighting with you. Unfortunately I didn't think to get one of him alone, which would have been better.

When People Are the Message

I just finished a book called "Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message", by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba. I have been reading it in bits and pieces at the gym and on the airplane a few weeks ago and I realized it was due back at the library and I had better finish it. I just realized that by writing about it in my blog, I am (on a very minor level) taking part in the viral marketing that they write about in the book!

From the inside cover : "The woman sitting next to you at Starbucks focused intently on her laptop may just be determining the next big thing. In coffee houses, offices, homes, dorm rooms, and airport lunges around the world, millions of people use laptops and cell phones to become today's new publishers and broadcasters. Armed with only a broadband connection, these regular citizens are exercising enormous influence on culture and what we buy."

Hmmm, am I about to exercise my influence on you by telling you to read this book??

Yes, actually, this book is a must-read if you are interested in viral marketing. Or, for that matter, in how how people have used their blogs, knowingly or not, to promote something or to get something they want. It talks about how ordinary citizens who are passionate about a product often are the best advertisers of that product. They give significant amounts of their own time, uncompensated, to get the word out about a product because of how they feel about it. They may even create music, art, music, ads or videos inspired by their love of the product, or in some cases, their disdain for the product. It gives examples of how some companies fail miserably at recognizing this and how others really "get it'. There's a lot more to it than my description, but that's a start... (ie. the book is more interesting than my description of it!)

Citizen Marketers fall into 4 categories, Filters, Fanatics, Facilitators and Firecrackers.... did you know there is (or was) a blog titled Slave to Target, about one woman's obsession with buying stuff at Target? And that a link on her site actually increased traffic and sales at Target.com? I haven't looked to see if the blog still exists, but I will! The authors have a blog called Church of the Customer that I want to check out soon, as well. But for now, it's after midnight and I need some sleep.....

If you were going to create a blog or a video or podcast about a product you love, what would the product be?