What ideas does anyone have about generating interest in the hobby?
I think most of us have tried this way:
Tell your friends about it.
Try to stir up interest locally.
I still think this is essential and I prefer it to web advertising.
When I meet
someone who I think may be interested I tell them to go to the web page
to
find out more about it (I've done this with about a dozen people over
the
last 9 months).
Does anyone have any other ideas? What about having a brochure to
hand out? I'm thinking something colorful, simple, perhaps using
animated
graphics- something that folds open to a map that looks like a treasure
hunt
or something along that line. It could have links and information about
who
to contact or where to go to get supplies.
Is anyone in our group involved in promotion, advertising or publishing?
Jus' thinkin' out loud...
Dan
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Generating Interest in the Hobby
10 messages in this thread |
Started on 1999-01-26
[L-USA] Generating Interest in the Hobby
From: elf (elf@pclink.com) |
Date: 1999-01-26 16:33:05 UTC-06:00
[L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
From: Thom Cheney (tcgrafx@imagina.com) |
Date: 1999-01-26 15:15:48 UTC-08:00
elf wrote:
>
> What ideas does anyone have about generating interest in the hobby?
>
I dunno... after the recent rash of vandalism, I am reluctant to promote
letterboxing to ANYONE who doesn't show enough interest to seek out the
group. I realize that the target audience is rather small (people
interested in l-boxing with internet access), but we are dedicated. I
think we should continue to pass it along by word of mouth to people we
know and trust. The ones who find us on the www are just lucky & should
automatically be included.
>
> Is anyone in our group involved in promotion, advertising or publishing?
>
yes, yes and yes. I think the nice printed sheet a la Mitch is great.
I hand those out whenever I get a chance. It has all of the pertinent
information and references. Anyone who REALLY wants to get involved in
l-boxing can take it from there. Anything more (IMO) would seem
schmaltzy.
--
Thom Cheney
tcgrafx... among other things
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>
> What ideas does anyone have about generating interest in the hobby?
>
I dunno... after the recent rash of vandalism, I am reluctant to promote
letterboxing to ANYONE who doesn't show enough interest to seek out the
group. I realize that the target audience is rather small (people
interested in l-boxing with internet access), but we are dedicated. I
think we should continue to pass it along by word of mouth to people we
know and trust. The ones who find us on the www are just lucky & should
automatically be included.
>
> Is anyone in our group involved in promotion, advertising or publishing?
>
yes, yes and yes. I think the nice printed sheet a la Mitch is great.
I hand those out whenever I get a chance. It has all of the pertinent
information and references. Anyone who REALLY wants to get involved in
l-boxing can take it from there. Anything more (IMO) would seem
schmaltzy.
--
Thom Cheney
tcgrafx... among other things
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[L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
From: Steven Stary (kurrwic@yahoo.com) |
Date: 1999-01-27 06:32:19 UTC-08:00
Interesting that this subject should come up just now. I have had an
inquiry from a high school in Germantown, WI asking if someone can
come talk to a class about sports and hobbies from other countries,
and they picked Letterboxing as one from the UK! Now I'd be happy to
go, but Germantown is a bit far from where I am, and I'd have to find
a sub teacher for my own classes to go spend an hour there. It may
still work out, but I was wondering if perhaps Deborah or an as yet
unannounced reader of these messages would be willing to look into it.
I've got the email address to reply to, so just let me know what you
think.
As to the related groups we might contact, might I suggest leaving
some information with local outdoor or camping outfitters. Not to
mention any rubber stamping supply stores.
Steven
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inquiry from a high school in Germantown, WI asking if someone can
come talk to a class about sports and hobbies from other countries,
and they picked Letterboxing as one from the UK! Now I'd be happy to
go, but Germantown is a bit far from where I am, and I'd have to find
a sub teacher for my own classes to go spend an hour there. It may
still work out, but I was wondering if perhaps Deborah or an as yet
unannounced reader of these messages would be willing to look into it.
I've got the email address to reply to, so just let me know what you
think.
As to the related groups we might contact, might I suggest leaving
some information with local outdoor or camping outfitters. Not to
mention any rubber stamping supply stores.
Steven
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[L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
From: (Letterboxr@aol.com) |
Date: 1999-01-27 10:44:50 UTC-05:00
I think word of mouth is the preferred means of publicity. This method
provides the best control over who receives the information, and comes closest
to adhering to the original spirit of British letterboxing.
Another method of getting word out that I am in favor of is to allow short
news bits to be included in publications and internet newsgroups with narrow,
specialized followings that are directly related to our activities. For
example, the few blurbs we have gotten in magazines dedicated to orienteering
and rubber stamp art were very appropriate, in my opinion. They were short,
factual, and not sensationalized or over-glorified.
I think distributing such 'tips' to groups that are involved in orienteering,
stamp art, hiking, carving, bird watching, scouting, etc. through specialized
magazines and newsgroups will get word out to those people who have the
aptitude and respect we desire without exposing our activities to the general
public. In most cases, all that is needed is a sentence or two describing the
hobby and the URL address to our website.
I am afraid that if we make flyers that look too professional and 'glitzy' we
will give the impression of a wealthy establishment, rather than the low-key
grass roots group of volunteers we really are. If we look like we've poured a
lot of cash into promotion, people blindly assume that we are trying to profit
from the activity somehow. Then they lose sight of our civic-minded
intentions and will be less likely to respect our hobby and our letterboxes.
If we make flyers we need to keep them very down-to-earth. They should have a
hand-made feel about them. I'm not saying it shouldn't be an electronic
document that can be downloaded or printed on a laser printer. I'm just
recommending that we keep it basic. I like Dan's idea of using stamp art for
graphics. I also like the warm sentimental approach that Deborah describes...
interesting stories, etc. Something with personality. And, yes, these flyers
would be intended only as a supplement to word-of-mouth promotion -- not as a
press release to the general public.
All 50 by Y2K!!
Mitch
(PS - Dan, your attached web page came through as HTML gibberish to my email
account. Just wanted to let you know.)
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provides the best control over who receives the information, and comes closest
to adhering to the original spirit of British letterboxing.
Another method of getting word out that I am in favor of is to allow short
news bits to be included in publications and internet newsgroups with narrow,
specialized followings that are directly related to our activities. For
example, the few blurbs we have gotten in magazines dedicated to orienteering
and rubber stamp art were very appropriate, in my opinion. They were short,
factual, and not sensationalized or over-glorified.
I think distributing such 'tips' to groups that are involved in orienteering,
stamp art, hiking, carving, bird watching, scouting, etc. through specialized
magazines and newsgroups will get word out to those people who have the
aptitude and respect we desire without exposing our activities to the general
public. In most cases, all that is needed is a sentence or two describing the
hobby and the URL address to our website.
I am afraid that if we make flyers that look too professional and 'glitzy' we
will give the impression of a wealthy establishment, rather than the low-key
grass roots group of volunteers we really are. If we look like we've poured a
lot of cash into promotion, people blindly assume that we are trying to profit
from the activity somehow. Then they lose sight of our civic-minded
intentions and will be less likely to respect our hobby and our letterboxes.
If we make flyers we need to keep them very down-to-earth. They should have a
hand-made feel about them. I'm not saying it shouldn't be an electronic
document that can be downloaded or printed on a laser printer. I'm just
recommending that we keep it basic. I like Dan's idea of using stamp art for
graphics. I also like the warm sentimental approach that Deborah describes...
interesting stories, etc. Something with personality. And, yes, these flyers
would be intended only as a supplement to word-of-mouth promotion -- not as a
press release to the general public.
All 50 by Y2K!!
Mitch
(PS - Dan, your attached web page came through as HTML gibberish to my email
account. Just wanted to let you know.)
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[L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
From: Marty Chamberlain (martyc@cyberdude.com) |
Date: 1999-01-27 10:53:39 UTC-05:00
At 04:33 PM 1/26/99 -0600, you wrote:
>What ideas does anyone have about generating interest in the hobby?
FWIW, I like the idea of word-of-mouth. I fear that publicising (sp?) to
too great a degree might lead to more vandalism. I've pointed a few people
to the LB-USA website and have given the "About Letterboxing" sheet that I
put in my boxes to a few friends who are interested in hiking, etc.
Overall, I think the best type of publicity is word-of-mouth. Don't
worry...they'll tell two friends...and they'll tell two friends...and so
on...and so on...
Also FWIW, I plan to adopt the more cryptic "Dartmoor-style" clues for
future boxes that I place. Looking at my existing clues in comparison to
the traditional clues across the pond in Dartmoor have lead me to believe
that it would be better to be a little more cryptic. Not that I don't like
nice maps and directions! heh heh heh
My $0.02 USD.
Marty
>
>I think most of us have tried this way:
>
> Tell your friends about it.
> Try to stir up interest locally.
>
>I still think this is essential and I prefer it to web advertising.
>When I meet
>someone who I think may be interested I tell them to go to the web page
>to
>find out more about it (I've done this with about a dozen people over
>the
>last 9 months).
>
>Does anyone have any other ideas? What about having a brochure to
>hand out? I'm thinking something colorful, simple, perhaps using
>animated
>graphics- something that folds open to a map that looks like a treasure
>hunt
>or something along that line. It could have links and information about
>who
>to contact or where to go to get supplies.
>
>Is anyone in our group involved in promotion, advertising or publishing?
>
>Jus' thinkin' out loud...
>Dan
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>
>
>Attachment Converted: "c:\eudora\attach\elf2.vcf"
>
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>What ideas does anyone have about generating interest in the hobby?
FWIW, I like the idea of word-of-mouth. I fear that publicising (sp?) to
too great a degree might lead to more vandalism. I've pointed a few people
to the LB-USA website and have given the "About Letterboxing" sheet that I
put in my boxes to a few friends who are interested in hiking, etc.
Overall, I think the best type of publicity is word-of-mouth. Don't
worry...they'll tell two friends...and they'll tell two friends...and so
on...and so on...
Also FWIW, I plan to adopt the more cryptic "Dartmoor-style" clues for
future boxes that I place. Looking at my existing clues in comparison to
the traditional clues across the pond in Dartmoor have lead me to believe
that it would be better to be a little more cryptic. Not that I don't like
nice maps and directions! heh heh heh
My $0.02 USD.
Marty
>
>I think most of us have tried this way:
>
> Tell your friends about it.
> Try to stir up interest locally.
>
>I still think this is essential and I prefer it to web advertising.
>When I meet
>someone who I think may be interested I tell them to go to the web page
>to
>find out more about it (I've done this with about a dozen people over
>the
>last 9 months).
>
>Does anyone have any other ideas? What about having a brochure to
>hand out? I'm thinking something colorful, simple, perhaps using
>animated
>graphics- something that folds open to a map that looks like a treasure
>hunt
>or something along that line. It could have links and information about
>who
>to contact or where to go to get supplies.
>
>Is anyone in our group involved in promotion, advertising or publishing?
>
>Jus' thinkin' out loud...
>Dan
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>
>
>Attachment Converted: "c:\eudora\attach\elf2.vcf"
>
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[L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
From: Tom Cooch (tcooch@mail.sover.net) |
Date: 1999-01-27 15:55:21 UTC
I am all with Graham for making our clues challenging. As Thom said,
maybe a few relatively easy ones, for kids or whomever, but
identified as easy. Some searchers, the majority I would guess, are
going to want the challenge of cryptic clues. I would rather miss
some boxes (even after a long drive) and be challenged, than always
find them because they're too easy.
I favor this approach more for our own enjoyment than as a deterrent
to vandalism. I still have strong doubts about the bogeyman stalker.
It seems much more likely to me that boxes are vandalized by people
who stumble upon them in fairly public locations. If there really is
anyone out there who is enjoys such search and destroy outings,
difficult clues may only feed into his enjoyment. But I still say,
the trickier, the better.
Tom Cooch
tcooch@sover.net
aka The Orient Express
Braintree, VT
"The game is afoot!"
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maybe a few relatively easy ones, for kids or whomever, but
identified as easy. Some searchers, the majority I would guess, are
going to want the challenge of cryptic clues. I would rather miss
some boxes (even after a long drive) and be challenged, than always
find them because they're too easy.
I favor this approach more for our own enjoyment than as a deterrent
to vandalism. I still have strong doubts about the bogeyman stalker.
It seems much more likely to me that boxes are vandalized by people
who stumble upon them in fairly public locations. If there really is
anyone out there who is enjoys such search and destroy outings,
difficult clues may only feed into his enjoyment. But I still say,
the trickier, the better.
Tom Cooch
tcooch@sover.net
aka The Orient Express
Braintree, VT
"The game is afoot!"
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[L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
From: Kathy Trost (trostk@belnet.bellevue.k12.wa.us) |
Date: 1999-01-27 08:06:43 UTC-08:00
I have thought about leaving a copy of the Smithsonian article at a few of
the places I have looked for stamping supplies. But without a local box,
it might be premature. In other words I ned to go place a few boxes....
Dave
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the places I have looked for stamping supplies. But without a local box,
it might be premature. In other words I ned to go place a few boxes....
Dave
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[L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
From: Adrian Williams (havefeet@letterboxing.freeserve.co.uk) |
Date: 1999-01-27 20:59:02 UTC
Hi All
May i say that Graham has hit the nail right on the head. Being of far great education than me (in that he can spell) he has put down what i have been trying to say.
Well done Graham
Adrian
Have Feet Will Travel
Dartmoor
England
-----Original Message-----
From: Graham Howard
To: letterbox-usa@egroups.com
Date: 27 January 1999 13:51
Subject: [L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
May i say that Graham has hit the nail right on the head. Being of far great education than me (in that he can spell) he has put down what i have been trying to say.
Well done Graham
Adrian
Have Feet Will Travel
Dartmoor
England
-----Original Message-----
From: Graham Howard
To: letterbox-usa@egroups.com
Date: 27 January 1999 13:51
Subject: [L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
[L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
From: Adrian Williams (havefeet@letterboxing.freeserve.co.uk) |
Date: 1999-01-27 21:00:12 UTC
I would come if you have a collection for the
fare.
Adrian
Have Feet Will Travel
Dartmoor
England
-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Stary <kurrwic@yahoo.com>
To: letterbox-usa@egroups.com <letterbox-usa@egroups.com>
Date: 27 January 1999 14:35
Subject: [L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
From: Steven Stary <kurrwic@yahoo.com>
To: letterbox-usa@egroups.com <letterbox-usa@egroups.com>
Date: 27 January 1999 14:35
Subject: [L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
Interesting that this subject should come up just now. I have had an inquiry from a high school in Germantown, WI asking if someone can come talk to a class about sports and hobbies from other countries, and they picked Letterboxing as one from the UK! Now I'd be happy to go, but Germantown is a bit far from where I am, and I'd have to find a sub teacher for my own classes to go spend an hour there. It may still work out, but I was wondering if perhaps Deborah or an as yet unannounced reader of these messages would be willing to look into it. I've got the email address to reply to, so just let me know what you think. As to the related groups we might contact, might I suggest leaving some information with local outdoor or camping outfitters. Not to mention any rubber stamping supply stores. Steven |
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[L-USA] Re: Generating Interest in the Hobby
From: Adrian Williams (havefeet@letterboxing.freeserve.co.uk) |
Date: 1999-01-27 21:04:54 UTC
Hi
The simple way is a charity walk for a local charity. Nice set of stamps
easy walking. Do it through a school Primary is a good idea. I have a walk
going out in March and have already had over 100 enquiries since we told
parents about it in the last news letter. They do the walk and then want
more. And on it goes.
Adrian
Have Feet Will Travel
Dartmoor
England
-----Original Message-----
From: elf
To: letterbox-usa@egroups.com
Date: 26 January 1999 22:33
Subject: [L-USA] Generating Interest in the Hobby
>What ideas does anyone have about generating interest in the hobby?
>
>I think most of us have tried this way:
>
> Tell your friends about it.
> Try to stir up interest locally.
>
>I still think this is essential and I prefer it to web advertising.
>When I meet
>someone who I think may be interested I tell them to go to the web page
>to
>find out more about it (I've done this with about a dozen people over
>the
>last 9 months).
>
>Does anyone have any other ideas? What about having a brochure to
>hand out? I'm thinking something colorful, simple, perhaps using
>animated
>graphics- something that folds open to a map that looks like a treasure
>hunt
>or something along that line. It could have links and information about
>who
>to contact or where to go to get supplies.
>
>Is anyone in our group involved in promotion, advertising or publishing?
>
>Jus' thinkin' out loud...
>Dan
>
>
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>
>
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The simple way is a charity walk for a local charity. Nice set of stamps
easy walking. Do it through a school Primary is a good idea. I have a walk
going out in March and have already had over 100 enquiries since we told
parents about it in the last news letter. They do the walk and then want
more. And on it goes.
Adrian
Have Feet Will Travel
Dartmoor
England
-----Original Message-----
From: elf
To: letterbox-usa@egroups.com
Date: 26 January 1999 22:33
Subject: [L-USA] Generating Interest in the Hobby
>What ideas does anyone have about generating interest in the hobby?
>
>I think most of us have tried this way:
>
> Tell your friends about it.
> Try to stir up interest locally.
>
>I still think this is essential and I prefer it to web advertising.
>When I meet
>someone who I think may be interested I tell them to go to the web page
>to
>find out more about it (I've done this with about a dozen people over
>the
>last 9 months).
>
>Does anyone have any other ideas? What about having a brochure to
>hand out? I'm thinking something colorful, simple, perhaps using
>animated
>graphics- something that folds open to a map that looks like a treasure
>hunt
>or something along that line. It could have links and information about
>who
>to contact or where to go to get supplies.
>
>Is anyone in our group involved in promotion, advertising or publishing?
>
>Jus' thinkin' out loud...
>Dan
>
>
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>
>
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