A Promotion Gone Wildly Random

Or not? Is there a connection I should know about between the electronics enthusiasts on Newegg.com and laundry hampers? Are you about to make a joke about geeks who don’t attend to personal cleanliness? Is that fair? Is that’s even what’s going on here, or was there just an overstock on laundry hampers? So many questions. 

The Appearance of Shared Values

Buddhist Barbie

In the 5th century B.C.
an Indian philosopher Gautama
teaches “All is emptiness”
and “There is no self.”
In the 20th century A.D.
Barbie agrees, but wonders how a man
with such a belly could pose,
smiling, and without a shirt.

–Denise Duhamel

Oh man

Blogging takes too much time. But it’s kind of fun.

Off-Topic Blog Comments

This morning I’m reading the blog of ad agency Hill Holiday. Baba Shetty is writing about their Dunkin’ Donuts campaign. What’s amusing is the flurry of comments by people who so badly want a Dunkin’ Donuts near them, or who have comments about the menu:

Just tried your strawberry smoothie this morning for the first time. I like the flavor and the idea, BUT it is definitely tooooooooo sweet.

You are using too much of the sugary syrup. I know that the American taste buds are accustomed to very sweet, but this is “over the top”.

You need to use less sugar, or more yogurt, or add some milk to tone down the sweetness. I took it home, added some skimmed milk and a few ice cubes, and put it in the blender. With that modification, it was just right. Really delicious. It does not need much “tweeking”.

Think about it. My husband (and another friend) all agreed with the “too sweet” verdict.

Remember, this is an advertising agency’s blog. Apparently some people are so passionate or opinionated about certain brands that they can’t separate the brand identity/image/strategy from the specific product. I would imagine it’s hardest when caffeine and sugar are involved…

The Inaugural Post

Every blogger has an inaugural post. Could be fun to round these up and read and compare. Someday.

I’m feeling a little self-conscious about writing. I don’t want to maintain such high standards, as I don’t want to invoke writer’s block, and I prefer this to be a personal thing. But I also have ideas that are relevant beyond my own world, and… I want to be read. I have a feeling my courage will increase over time, as it did for delicious and flickr and several other social content sites. What liberated me to sit down tonight is the notion that I just want to test this thing out.

As with most Web sites/genres designed for participation, I don’t sign up immediately. I wait, with the awareness of a potential new outlet in the back of my mind, and go about my daily business. When a situation arises that might be served by the outlet, I note it mentally. When enough of these situations occur, I sign up. Either that or a critical mass of friends and acquaintances sends me invites or says things like “You should have a blog.”

I put this slow-open process to work for a necklace purchase… 18 months after I first saw it in a store, I bought it (the designer’s last one). Too many times I had looked in the mirror and visualized it on my neck, the perfect accessory to what I was wearing.

Sounds like a highly selective process, no? Well, somehow, I belong to lots of participatory sites: delicious | flickr | Stylefeeder | Upcoming | LinkedIn are among the most used; Friendster | MySpace | PRX | Platial | digg | Boston Open Guides get occasional/rare attention.

And I own a lot of things to wear.